SAM-e for Anxiety - How Well Does It Work?
Does using SAM-e for anxiety help to reduce the symptoms? S-adenosyl-methionine, commonly referred to as SAMe (pronounced Sammy) is shown to be effective in a variety of health problems such as depression, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, liver disorders and migraine headaches. SAMe is a natural substance that is made in our body from ATP (energy molecule) and the amino acid methionine. It is intricately involved in the methylation process (joining small molecules together), regulation of mood, detoxification, joint protection and cell membrane stability. Low levels are linked to depression and other mental disorders of the mind such as anxiety and panic attacks. Read on the find out some of the research studies regarding using SAM-e for treating anxiety disorders...
Research study on the health benefits of SAM-e for anxiety Most of the study looked at using SAM-e specifically for treating depression. Keep in mind that depression and anxiety disorders often appears together (a term called comorbid disease). Let's look at two studies... Study #1
In this comprehensive review of all existing research studies, the authors concluded there are some evidence for using SAM-e for treating mood and anxiety disorders. Note that they did not make a strong recommendation on the use SAM-e for anxiety disorder specifically. They grouped anxiety disorders under the umbrella of major depressive disorder (MDD). Moreover, they mentioned that most research studies done with natural remedies for anxiety disorder tend to be of short duration, involves only a small number of volunteers and used research methods that may not be well-designed. Editor's Comment: This fact is not surprising. There is hardly any funding for these types of research as most of the money come from the government. Compare this situation to the tens of billions of dollars spent by drug companies on pharmaceuticals research.
Study #2
The two authors in this study reviewed data and concluded that there is some evidence for using SAM-e for treating depression. They did not locate any published research studies done on using SAM-e for treating anxiety and panic attacks. However, they did mention that using fish oil for anxiety disorders is supported by some research studies. Dose to use Clinical studies have used up to 1,600 mg daily (in divided doses) for treating depression. Start with 400 mg twice daily and increase over several weeks. There's no specific data on the best dose to use for anxiety. A dose between 400 mg twice daily up to 1,600 mg would be acceptable. Bottom Line? There is limited scientific evidence that taking SAM-e for anxiety helps. It is known to help with depression so if you suffer from both depression and anxiety disorders, you may benefit from taking SAM-e supplements. There's more evidence on the benefits of using vitamin B and fish oil for anxiety. See Natural Supplements for Anxiety to get the complete list. You would be better off taking a combination herbal remedy like PureCalm since it contains three herbs that are shown to be effective for anxiety.
The Full Comprehensive Review on SAM-e
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