A dietary supplement called SAMe, also known as S-Adenosyl Methionine, may be helpful against resistant depression. SAMe is available without prescription and has long been used to relieve arthritis pain and ease depressive symptoms, but there has been little research. The most recent study recruited people with major depression who had not gotten better on standard antidepressant medications. They were randomly assigned to add either SAMe or placebo to their existing drug regimen. After six weeks, measures of depression showed that more of the subjects taking SAMe had improved. No serious side effects were detected. The researchers call for larger, longer studies to confirm their preliminary findings.
[American Journal of Psychiatry, published online July 1, 2010]
