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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 20, 2015, at 8:22:16
Hello all,
I've just been made aware of a review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating the effectiveness of vitamin D as a treatment for depression. The review and meta-analysis was published in April of last year, and until this morning, I had not been aware of it. Unlike previous reviews of studies on vitamin D as a treatment for depression, this review and meta-analysis excluded from analysis all studies that were found to be "biologically flawed." Eight of the 15 studies that were identified on vitamin D as a treatment for depression were found to contain "biological flaws," leaving seven studies for the analysis. Six of the seven studies analyzed showed that vitamin D supplementation improved depression. The author of the review and meta-analysis went on to conclude that supplementation with at least 800 IU daily of vitamin D "was somewhat favorable in the management of depression in studies that demonstrate a change in vitamin levels, and the effect size was comparable to that of anti-depressant medication."
Here's a link to the full report:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4011048/Tomatheus
Posted by Christ_empowered on January 21, 2015, at 17:59:22
In reply to Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by Tomatheus on January 20, 2015, at 8:22:16
awesome. I take 5,000 IU daily. Its on perma-sale at Vitacost. Actually, come to think of it...my depression has been less intense when it hits. I've been taking the D3 for over 1 year.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 21, 2015, at 19:34:07
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by Christ_empowered on January 21, 2015, at 17:59:22
Christ_empowered,
It's definitely good to hear that the depression that you experience has been less intense than it used to be before you started taking vitamin D3. I'm closing in on the one-year mark since I started supplementing with vitamin D3, and my energy and concentration do seem to be improving. I think that I started to notice something happening about 10 months in, and I think that my response has been gradually strengthening since then. It's always hard to say whether the improvement that I seem to be noticing is due to the vitamin D3 that I'm taking, but with my problems with energy and concentration having persisted for around 15 years and with there being no other treatment that I can attribute the improvements to, I tend to think that the D3 is likely responsible for the positive changes that I've been noticing.
Thank you for responding, and may you be well.
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 24, 2015, at 17:07:44
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » Christ_empowered, posted by Tomatheus on January 21, 2015, at 19:34:07
Thanks for posting that. I'm thinking of supplementing with 1000 units per day.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 24, 2015, at 18:04:11
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 24, 2015, at 17:07:44
Good luck with the vitamin D if you do end up taking it, Ed. Would you be taking vitamin D3 or D2?
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 5:36:22
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 24, 2015, at 18:04:11
>Would you be taking vitamin D3 or D2?
Hi T,
I definitely take D3. Most supplements are D3 now (here, anyway) and it seems like a better choice than D2, which appears to have been superseded.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 8:05:25
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » Tomatheus, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 5:36:22
Yes, Ed, vitamin D3 (which is what I'm taking) does indeed seem to be a better choice than vitamin D2. I've seen vitamin D2 supplements sold, but yes, it does seem (here in the U.S., too) that most D supplements are D3. So again, I do wish you luck if you end up supplementing with vitamin D(3).
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 8:44:44
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 8:05:25
Hi,
I took D3 before, over a year ago. I don't remember noticing a difference. I think I'll buy some tomorrow.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 11:42:00
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 8:05:25
I bought some D3. I'm going to take 5000 units/day for one month then 1000 units per day to continue.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 12:28:05
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 11:42:00
Ed,
I hope that all will go well with your vitamin D3 trial.
For whatever reason, I found that my energy and concentration actually seemed to get somewhat worse when I tried doses above 3,600 IU, but others taking vitamin D3 may have different experiences.
Do you think that your vitamin D level may be low, or do you have other reasons for supplementing?
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 13:44:42
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 12:28:05
>do you have other reasons for supplementing?
I work indoors all the time so I get very little natural sunlight for most of the year.
I did try a single dose of D3 a couple of years ago. 400 000 units orally. I didn't notice anything. This dose is comparable to the range used occasionally by injection: 300 000 to 600 000 units. Injections aren't used much anymore since D3 is so active orally and there are many products now... there didn't used to be.
Anyway, I've decided it's probably better to take smaller doses regularly. One study which I saw a while ago suggested that a large 'stat' dose (like I took) was associated with more falls and fractures in the elderly. I didn't notice anything after my dose.
I think it's best to avoid more than 40 000 units per week or around 5000 units per day in the short term to treat deficiency. And I wouldn't personally take more than 1000 units/day long term without blood tests. Although massive single doses may increase the blood D3 levels rapidly I'm not sure this is such a good thing.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 13:53:07
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 13:44:42
Thank you for responding and for explaining your reasons for planning to supplement with the doses that you're planning to take. What you wrote seems to make a lot of sense.
Wishing you well,
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 14:35:56
In reply to Re: Review finds vitamin D improves depression » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 25, 2015, at 13:53:07
Thanks, I'll post how I'm doing. I'm taking quite a few supplements at the moment though so I won't necessarily be able to say what is doing what.
Posted by alchemy on September 12, 2015, at 23:03:20
In reply to Review finds vitamin D improves depression, posted by Tomatheus on January 20, 2015, at 8:22:16
Posted by Tomatheus on September 16, 2015, at 12:28:38
In reply to FYI- too much vitamin d worsened my depression, posted by alchemy on September 12, 2015, at 23:03:20
Alchemy,
I'm sorry to hear that you noticed a worsening of your depression from taking too much vitamin D. The possibility that one's symptoms may worsen from treatments that are intended to reduce the severity of depressive symptoms is something that I think that individuals undergoing treatment for depression ought to be aware of, and I think that your comment brings some needed attention to the possibility that even alternative treatments for depression can worsen the symptoms. In my own trials with vitamin D3, I too noticed a worsening of symptoms when I pushed my dose to 4,000 IU. The symptoms became less severe again when I reduced my dose to 3,600 IU. As an aside, I'm currently taking 1,200 IU of vitamin D3 as part of my treatment regimen.
If you don't mind me asking, Alchemy, how much vitamin D was too much for you?
Tomatheus
This is the end of the thread.
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