Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T00:04:11.524Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

SAMe and sexual functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

C.M. Dording*
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th floor, Boston, MA USA02114
D. Mischoulon
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th floor, Boston, MA USA02114
I. Shyu
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th floor, Boston, MA USA02114
J.E. Alpert
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th floor, Boston, MA USA02114
G.I. Papakostas
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th floor, Boston, MA USA02114
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +617 724 9457; fax: +617 724 3028. E-mail address: cdording@partners.org
Get access

Abstract

Background

Sexual dysfunction is a known side effect of antidepressant treatment (ADT), affecting up to 58–73% of those who receive ADT, potentially affecting antidepressant adherence. Consequently, it is vital to develop novel treatments that target antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction.

Methods

We examined whether adjunctive S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is associated with greater improvement in sexual functioning than adjunctive placebo by measuring changes in sexual functioning using the Massachusetts General Hospital–Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) during a 6-week, single-center, randomized, double-blind trial of SAMe augmentation for SSRI/SNRI- nonresponders.

Results

Controlling for the degree of arousal dysfunction at baseline as well as the degree of change in HDRS-17 scale scores during the course of the study, men treated with adjunctive SAMe demonstrated significantly lower arousal dysfunction at endpoint than those treated with adjunctive placebo. In addition, controlling for the degree of erectile dysfunction at baseline as well as the degree of change in HDRS-17 scale scores, men treated with adjunctive SAMe demonstrated significantly lower erectile dysfunction at endpoint than those treated with adjunctive placebo.

Conclusions

In the present study, we have observed that adjunctive SAMe can have positive benefit on male arousal and erectile dysfunction, independent of improvement in depressive symptoms. These findings are preliminary, and warrant replication.

Clinical trials.gov identifier

NCT00093847; titled ‘Optimizing the Effectiveness of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in Treatment-Resistant Depression’, accessible at: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00093847.

Type
Original articles
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alpert, J.E., Papakostas, G., Mischoulon, D., Worthington, J.J. 3rd Petersen, T., Mahal, Y.et al.S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) as an adjunct for resistant major depressive disorder: an open trial following partial or nonresponse to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or venlafaxine. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 24 6: 2004 661664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.Google Scholar
Bottiglieri, T.S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe): from the bench to the bedside-molecular basis of a pleiotropic molecule. Am J Clin Nutr. 75 Suppl. 2002 1151S1157S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
First, M.B., Spitzer, R.L., Gibbon, M., Williams, J.B.W.Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders - Patient Edition (SCID-I/P), Version 2. New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, Biometrics Research Department; 1995.Google Scholar
Geddes, J.R., Carney, S.M., Davies, C., Furukawa, T.A., Kupfer, D.J., Frank, E.et al.Relapse prevention with antidepressant drug treatment in depressive disorders: a systematic review. Lancet. 361 9358: 2003 653661.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guy W (Ed.). ECDEU Assessment Manual for Psychopharmacology, revised. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health. DHEW Pub. No. (ADM); 1976.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, M.Development of a rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960; 23: 5662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardy ML, Coulter I, Morton SC, Favreau J, Venuturupalli S, Chiappelli F, et al. S-Adenosyl-L-methionine for treatment of depression, osteoarthritis, and liver disease. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Number 64. Prepared by Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-97-001, AHRQ Publication No. 02-E04; 2004.Google Scholar
Kimura, H.Hydrogen sulfide as a neuromodulator. Mol Neurobiol. 26 1: 2002 1319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montejo, A., Llorca, G., Izquierdo, J., Rico-Villademoros, F.Incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant agents: a prospective multicenter study of 1022 outpatients. Spanish Working Group for the study of psychotropic-related sexual dysfunction. J Clin Psychiatry. 62 suppl. 3: 2001 1021.Google Scholar
Nurnberg, H.G., Hensley, P.L., Gelenberg, A.J., Fava, M., Lauriello, J., Paine, S.Treatment of antidepressant associated sexual dysfunction with sildenafil: a randomized controlled clinical trial. JAMA. 289 1: 2003 5664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papakostas, G.I., Alpert, J.E., Fava, M.S-adenosyl-methionine in depression: a comprehensive review of the literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2003; 5: 460466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Papakostas, G.I., Perlis, R.H., Seifert, C., Fava, M.Antidepressant dose reduction and the risk of relapse in major depressive disorder. Psychother Psychosom. 76 5: 2007 266270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Papakostas, G.I.The role of S-adenosyl methionine in the treatment of depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 70 s5 2009 1822.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papakostas, G., Mischoulon, D., Shyu, I., Alpert, J.E., Fava, M.S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors for antidepressant nonresponders with major depressive disorder: a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Am J Psych. 167 8: 2010 942948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quirk, F., Haughie, S., Symonds, T.The use of the sexual function questionnaire as a screening tool for women with sexual dysfunction. J Sex Med. 2 4: 2005 469477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spijkerman, A.M.W., Smulders, Y.M., Kostense, P.J., Henry, R.M., Becker, A., Teerlink, T.et al.S-adenosylmethionine and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate are associated with endothelial function after controlling for confounding by homocysteine. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 25 4: 2005 778784.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, P.S., Gilman, S.E., Guardino, M., Christiana, J.M., Morselli, P.L., Mickelson, K.et al.Initiation of and adherence to treatment for mental disorders: examination of patient advocate group members in 11 countries. Med Care. 38 9: 2000 926936.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Werner, P., Di Rocco, A., Prikhojan, A., Rempel, N., Bottiglieri, T., Bressman, S.et al.COMT-dependent protection of dopaminergic neurons by methionine, dimethionine and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) against L-dopa toxicity in vitro. Brain Res. 893 1–2: 2001 278281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.