There are many, many supplements that people have suggested are effective treatments for depression. How do you decide what is worth trying? Here we will list the much smaller list of supplements that have been shown to be effective in clinical trials.
- S-Adenosyl Methionine. SAMe was recently shown in a well designed (but small) clinical trial to help people who were already on serotonin antidepressants (like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, etcetera) but who were still depressed. The result was pretty impressive. This, plus other studies in people not taking antidepressants, is consistent with SAMe having considerable antidepressant effects. One thing about SAMe is that it is not cheap. Also, it is not any easy supplement to make and if it is not packaged and handled properly it can lose its effectiveness. SAMe seems to enhance the brain’s production of serotonin, norepinephrine and other key neurotransmitters. There is also data suggesting it might be helpful for osteoarthritis. Below this article we have links to some reliable sources of SAMe.
- Folate and methylfolate. There have long been studies suggesting that B vitamins like folate may be reduced in stress and depression. More recently people became interested in methylfolate (the active form of folate) because some people have reduced ability to convert folate into methylfolate. Folate and methylfolate seem to work in concert with SAMe, they both seem to boost the brain’s production of neurotransmitters that are often depleted in depression. The one recent study that found folate effective only looked at women, but in that study 500 mcg a day was helpful. Folate itself is inexpensive and supplements of the vitamin are reliable sources of the vitamin if they come from recognized manufacturers. L Methylfolate is not as easy to find. It is marketed under the brand name of Deplin (not inexpensive) and there are a few other manufacturers but they have not been recently tested.
- St. John’s wort or hypericum perforatum. This herb has probably got the largest database of studies of
any natural supplement used for depression. It generally seems to be effective, although the most recent, large, NIMH sponsored study of the supplement did not find it to be better than placebo. In our experience it is helpful but definitely not an adequate treatment for more sever forms of depression. We have some reliable sources for the supplement listed at the end of this article. - Fish oil. Data goes back and forth on the effects of fish oil. More recent reviews of its use in bipolar depression (it hasn’t been shown to be clearly effective in unipolar depression) suggest that the ratio of the two omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils (DHA and EPA) may be a critical factor in determining the effectiveness of the supplement for depression. The one source we list below is both reliable, has the right ratio of fatty acids, and is pretty inexpensive.
- L-tryptophan and 5 hydroxytryptophan (5HTP). Both of these are key precursors to serotonin, one of the important neurotransmitters linked to depression. However studies showing the effectiveness of supplements in treating depression are not terribly convincing. There is also a question about whether l-tryptophan supplements really make it to the brain or not. We have this down on our list but we don’t routinely recommend it.
