5 replies to this topic

[medievil]

Therapeutic effects of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy to fluoxetine in patients with major depressive disorder
Khoraminya N, Tehrani-Doost M, Jazayeri S, Hosseini A, Djazayery A;
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (Oct 2012)
Objective:To compare the therapeutic effects of vitamin D(3) plus fluoxetine and fluoxetine alone in patients with major depressive disorder.Methods:In the present double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 42 patients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder based on DSM-IV criteria were randomly assigned into two groups to receive daily either 1500 IU vitamin D(3) plus 20 mg fluoxetine or fluoxetine alone for 8 weeks. Depression severity was assessed at 2-week intervals using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) as a primary outcome measure and the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a secondary outcome measure. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D was measured at baseline and after intervention.Results:Forty patients completed the trial. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance showed that depression severity based on HDRS and BDI decreased significantly after intervention, with a significant difference between the two groups. The vitamin D + fluoxetine combination was significantly better than fluoxetine alone from the fourth week of treatment.Conclusions:In the present 8-week trial, the vitamin D + fluoxetine combination was superior to fluoxetine alone in controlling depressive symptoms.

Take yer vitamin d with yer antidepressant kids

[nupi]

This is a no-brainer but good to know science backs it

[medievil]

Yeah eating salad and apples probably also augments it.

[arska]

I have my doubts on fluoxetine. Vitamin D3 alone might be the reason for it:

Acta Paediatr. 2012 Jul;101(7):779-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02655.x. Epub 2012 Mar 27.
Depressed adolescents in a case-series were low in vitamin D and depression was ameliorated by vitamin D supplementation.
Högberg G, Gustafsson SA, Hällström T, Gustafsson T, Klawitter B, Petersson M.
Source
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. gor.hogberg@gmail.com
Abstract
AIM:
The relationship between depression in adolescents and vitamin D was studied in a case-series that included effects of vitamin D supplementation.

METHODS:
Serum 25OH vitamin D (25OHD) levels in 54 Swedish depressed adolescents were investigated. Subjects with vitamin D deficiency were given vitamin D(3) over 3 months (n = 48). To evaluate well-being and symptoms related to depression and vitamin D status, the WHO-5 well-being scale, the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-S) and a vitamin D deficiency scale were used.

RESULTS:
Mean serum 25OHD in the depressed adolescents was 41 at baseline and 91 nmol/L (p < 0.001) after supplementation. Basal 25OHD levels correlated positively with well-being (p < 0.05). After vitamin D supplementation, well-being increased (p < 0.001) and there was a significant improvement in eight of the nine items in the vitamin D deficiency scale: depressed feeling (p < 0.001), irritability (p < 0.05), tiredness (p < 0.001), mood swings (p < 0.01), sleep difficulties (p < 0.01), weakness (p < 0.01), ability to concentrate (p < 0.05) and pain (p < 0.05). There was a significant amelioration of depression according to the MFQ-S (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION:
This study showed low levels of vitamin D in 54 depressed adolescents, positive correlation between vitamin D and well-being, and improved symptoms related to depression and vitamin D deficiency after vitamin D supplementation.

→ source (external link)

Edited by arska, 10 March 2013 - 03:27 PM.

[Galaxyshock]

Zinc is another nutrient with anti-depressive qualities and synergy with meds.

[jack black]

I came across this old post by searching.

here is why: i felt progressively under a cloud in the last week or 2. initially i thought it was the winter, cloudy weather and then the time change and it's dark when i come back from work. then i remembered i run out of vit D3, that it take in the dose of 5,000 on weekdays (for a few years now, as i'm deficient without).

bought some more and this is a second day i took a double dose of 10,000. suddenly in early afternoon, the cloud lifted and became the happy myself, despite a stressful day at work.

this is weird, because i don't remember experiencing anything like that when I started D3. now, i take it a part of a big stack that is clearly helping me, maybe the stack doesn't work without D3 and perhaps D3 doesn't work for me without the rest of the stack?

Edited by jack black, 14 November 2018 - 01:02 AM.