Posted by shoebox on September 24, 2003, at 8:18:36
In reply to Re: Prescribing mood enhancers and ADs together, posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 24, 2003, at 4:03:19
> There is evidence published by the late Dr David Horrobin that adding folic acid-in the region of 0.5g (500micrograms) daily -improves the success of antidepressants.The research was done by adding it to Prozac.It may be worthwhile too to take one gram daily of EPA (usually taken as fish oil).
I hadn't heard of the folic acid/AD connection; I take folic acid with my Lamictal, because Lamictal depletes folic acid. Anybody out there on Lamictal (especially women of childbearing age) should be supplementing it with 1 gram of folic acid per day.
I have started the fish oil regimen and wanted to pass along some info: according to Andrew Stoll, MD, who spearheaded the study at Harvard, it is necessary to take a fairly large amount of fish oil in order to get the benefits, and it must be the right kind. Cod liver oil or any fish oil made from liver is THE WRONG KIND. Flaxseed oil is not as good, either, although it is the only choice for vegans. Fish oil with Omega-3s in the form of EPA and DEA in a ratio of at least 2:1 (higher is better), and NOT Omega-6, which hinders the effects of the Omega-3s--is the correct oil. The dosage should be at least 4 grams per day. In the study, patients were given an average of 9 grams per day, but in Stoll's book "The Omega-3 Connection", he recommended 2 grams for mood improvement and higher doses for depression and bipolar disorder. I have only been taking the fish oil for a week so it may be too early to tell, but so far so good--the study was over 3 months long, and the book does not specify how long you have to wait to see results. In the meantime, the fish oil is extremely healthy, lowers cholesterol and improves heart function, and has no interaction with any meds and appears to have no side effects (except for some stomach upset if you don't take it with meals), so why not take it? Note: you must add Vitamin E and Vitamin C to prevent oxidation: 800mg of E and 1000mg of C per day.
So:
At least 4 grams (usually 4 gel caps) of Omega-3 fish oil
800mg of Vitamin E
1000mg of Vitamin C
poster:shoebox
thread:262704
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030923/msgs/262892.html