SAMe as Adjuvant Therapy for Depression: Updated Meta-Analysis
Does SAMe help depression?
SAMe produces similar antidepressant effects to imipramine and escitalopram, with no significant difference in effectiveness compared to these conventional medications. An updated meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials with 1,522 patients found that SAMe was equivalent to standard antidepressants when used as monotherapy, though results as an adjunctive therapy were less clear.
SAMe works by increasing the turnover rate of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, improving neurotransmitter synthesis and cellular methylation processes that are often disrupted in depression.