Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) - Benefits and uses of Adenosine Cyclic Monophosphate

Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) is an intermediary substance formed during the body's process of creating energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from food.

AMP may play a role in limiting postherpetic neuralgia, which is the pain that sometimes lingers after a bout of shingles (herpes zoster). One double-blind study involving 32 adults with shingles found that injections of AMP given three times per week for a month following a flare-up of shingles relieved the pain more quickly than placebo.1 Whether oral supplementation would have the same effect remains unclear. AMP also helps heal the lesions and prevents recurrence of pain or lesions.

Interestingly, AMP may help to limit the acute nerve-related pain (known as post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN) that sometimes follows a bout of shingles, a skin rash caused by the herpes zoster virus.

The body creates AMP within cells during normal metabolic processes. AMP is also found as a supplement, although it is not widely available.

Many nutritionally oriented doctors consider AMP injections a worthwhile strategy to speed healing and to treat post-herpetic neuralgia, especially in cases of unremitting pain. A special gel form of AMP is produced for the doctor-administered shots.