2014-01-31 16:10:52
A growing body of literature has shown vitamin D to be a useful tool in the fight against depression, used alone or in combination with prescription antidepressant medications.(1,2,3) A recent study randomized 42 patients with depression to one of two groups: fluoxetine (Prozac) alone, or Prozac plus vitamin D (1500IU per day) for eight weeks. Using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale as the primary outcome measure the study showed that vitamin D plus Prozac worked better than Prozac alone to improve depression symptoms. (4)
References
1) Kjærgaard M, Waterloo K, Wang CE, Almås B, Figenschau Y, Hutchinson MS, Svartberg J, Jorde R. Effect of vitamin D supplement on depression scores in people with low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D: nested case-control study and randomised clinical trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2012 Nov;201(5):360-8.
2) Dean AJ, Bellgrove MA, Hall T, Phan WM, Eyles DW, Kvaskoff D, McGrath JJ. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive and emotional functioning in young adults–a randomised controlled trial. PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e25966.
3) Shipowick CD, Moore CB, Corbett C, Bindler R. Vitamin D and depressive symptoms in women during the winter: a pilot study. Appl Nurs Res. 2009 Aug;22(3):221-5.
4) Khoraminya N, Tehrani-Doost M, Jazayeri S, Hosseini A, Djazayery A. Therapeutic effects of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy to fluoxetine in patients with major depressive disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2013 Mar;47(3):271-5.