Vitamin D improves anti-depressant drug response

Posted on Sat, 12 Jan 13

Adding vitamin D to standard anti-depressant medication has been shown to improve treatment response compared to medication alone.

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial patients with major depressive disorder received either 1500 IU vitamin D3 plus 20 mg fluoxetine or fluoxetine alone daily 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.

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.

“In the present 8-week trial, the vitamin D + fluoxetine combination was superior to fluoxetine alone in controlling depressive symptoms” concluded the study investigators. Importantly this study shows that not only can vitamin D be safely administered alongside medication; it improves treatment response as well.

Reference:

1. 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. 2012 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print]