The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines fibromyalgia (FM) as a common disorder of widespread pain and tenderness. Other conditions that might present in conjunction with FM include chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, endometriosis, and more (NIH 2020). Medications, such as Dulexetine, can help alleviate symptoms in some people. However, conventional treatments only treat the symptoms and do not address any potential causes or triggers of FM. As a component of complimentary therapies, certain supplements along with lifestyle change may help reduce the occurrence or severity of FM.
S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe) is a naturally occurring compound in the body that functions as a primary methyl donor in several bodily reactions. SAMe has been used or studied in the treatment of depression, anxiety, osteoarthritis, and FM. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of 600mg/15mL intravenous SAMe daily for 10 days was seen to potentially improve visual analogue scale (VAS) in people with FM (Volkmann 1997). The VAS is used in research as a measurement of specific moods, attitudes, and symptoms. Volkmann and researchers found that there was a significant improvement in the SAMe group, but not a significant difference between the SAMe and placebo groups. An important limitation to this study was the small sample size (29 completed both sections. 4 had adverse reactions to SAMe and withdrew from the experiment).
Research on SAMe for treatment of FM is lacking. Larger population sizes and longer duration of treatments are needed in order to more appropriately formulate recommendations on SAMe supplementation.
References
NIH: Fibromyalgia- What is Fibromyalgia? Accessed August 31st 2020. Retrieved from https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia
NIH: Fibromyalgia- How is Fibromyalgia Treated? Accessed August 31st 2020. Retrieved fromhttps://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia#tab-treatment
SAMe- Medication Advisor 2020. Accessed August 31st 2020. Retrieved from https://accessmedicine-mhmedical-com.uws.idm.oclc.org/patientEdHandouts.aspx?gbosID=257327
Volkmann, H., Nørregaard, J., Jacobsen, S., Danneskiold-Samsøe, B., Knoke, G., & Nehrdich, D. (1997). Double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study of intravenous S-adenosyl-L-methionine in patients with fibromyalgia. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 26(3), 206–211. Retrieved from https://uws.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mdc&AN=9225876&site=eds-live&scope=site