A GUIDE TO SUPPLEMENTS THAT CAN HELP WITH DEPRESSION

Trevor King

INTRODUCTION

Fighting depression can drain every ounce of energy from your body. And if you have chronic depression, there’s already very little energy in there most days.

This is not meant to be a highly detailed, technical document. It’s a straight forward supplement guide detailing the supplements that I myself have found useful. I suffered depression for 10 years before I found any relief at all.

Obviously there are other ways to fight depression than just using supplements – exercise, exposure to water and air, saunas, dealing with past traumas, eliminating sugar, stopping smoking– all those things come to mind.

But supplements in my opinion should play a part – I know from my own personal experience that they have helped hugely – and I know that from years of suffering, depression often FEELS to me like a chemical imbalance.

I’ve read in a few places that we should consider depression to be a blessing – because its telling us that something is wrong in our lives. Well, I’m sorry – but to me that’s a total impossibility. Depression has robbed me of way too many days throughout my life – it’s a total curse as far as I’m concerned – and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

THE SUPPLEMENTS

The following is a list of natural supplements that have been shown to help with depression. I myself have tried most of these over the years – though I have to be honest and say I am TERRIBLE at sticking to regular supplementing regimens. Really terrible. As always with these things, I have to tell you to work with your Doctor on changing, decreasing or ceasing medications. It’s their job to advise on those things, I am NOT a doctor of any kind.

NIACIN

It all has to start with Niacin. Not just because niacin was the vitamin that helped me get the first glimpse of success in battling depression – but because anyone who seriously looks at the history of fighting depression with supplements, will see that niacin is king. Honestly, if you have depression and you want to know where to start with supplements that may help – you MUST start here.

Niacin, or vitamin B3, is a vitamin directly linked with your mood. Niacin deficiencies may contribute to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Antidepressants may actually cause niacin deficiency, especially for those whose diets are suboptimal in the first place, because these drugs alter normal tryptophan and serotonin pathways.

It was largely Dr Abram Hoffer’s studies with Niacin and depression that brought this vitamin to prominence. Hoffer would put depression sufferers on large doses of Niacin, usually around 3,000 mg per day – and he saw startling results.

One such patient was Bill W., founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill W. had a severe depression problem – and as he himself noted, that was the case with the vast majority of alcoholics. So effective did he find the Niacin treatment that he actually wanted to make it a key part of the 12 step program, but he was over-ruled by the medical advisors to the AA board.

Hoffer is a fascinating man – we interviewed his son John Hoffer for “That Vitamin Movie” – and he had worked alongside his father for many years before his death. I will give you my thoughts on Niacin – and a few key facts below – but I strongly advise you to read the book – “Niacin, The Real Story” – co-authored by Dr Hoffer and Dr Andrew Saul – if you are serious about following niacin therapy for depression. You can get it at most book sellers and very easily online.

The one drawback that a lot of people discover with Niacin is what’s called the Niacin flush. Pure Nicain can give you a very strong “flush”, where parts of your body go very red, sometimes accompanied by an itch and tingling sensation. This can happen at very low doses, and because it’s high doses that we need for combating depression, may people simply can’t stand the level of the flush.

But fear not – there are ways around it.

Niacin comes in three different supplementing forms. There is pure Niacin (actually quite hard to get hold of as most supplement manufacturers know that the flush will put people off ever using their product), Niacinamide and Inositol Hexaniacinate.

Those last two forms very very rarely create a flush in anyone, though they do have their own individual quirks – and again, you would need to look into this deeper for yourself.

Bottom line is – I – like most people who explore Niacin for depression – used Niacinamide instead without any issues whatsoever. I took 3,000mg per day – way more than the RDA – and it helped my depression almost immediately. Hoffer would normally START his patients on this dose – he may go as high as 10,000mg per day.

Read the supplement labels carefully -if you go into Walmart to get this for example -you will see the bottle says Niacin – then in smaller writing

underneath it may say “in the form of Niacinamide”. So just be careful you are getting what you are looking for. The Supplement label on the back will always have specific information.

One secret of taking Niacin the right way is that you should DIVIDE the dose. If you are taking 3,000, you would be advised to split that into 3 doses per day of 1,000mg. That’s way better at impacting your body than taking 3,000mg in one go.

Give Niacin (in one of the flush free forms) a go for a week and see how you feel. In my experience you can do it alongside your existing medications – but best consult your Doctor first. If your doctor tries to dissuade you from taking Niacin at all – I would get a new doctor. This is a WELL PROVEN treatment in it’s efficacy, but also well proven to be safe.

Again, if you are really interested, there is no better reference than “Niacin, The Real Story”.

(One more thing about Niacin – avoid “Timed-Release”. You can take my word that it’s not a good idea or go research it. Either way – avoid it.)

VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID)

Vitamin C isn’t just for colds; it’s also a proven stress buster and antidepressant. Listen, don’t write off Vitain C because it seems so common, or because you’ve heard all the hype is not true. Vitaim C is totally CRUCIAL to your health.

Vitamin C slows the release of the stress hormone cortisol and that’s good because excess cortisol increases susceptibility to depression.

People with low vitamin C levels are often depressed and fatigued. In one study, participants who took vitamin C reported feeling happier, often within as little as one week.

Vitamin C is yet another serotonin cofactor that acts as a natural antidepressant.

Severe vitamin C deficiency causes mice to act depressed and reduces serotonin and dopamine levels in their brains.

Vitamin C is also required to produce norepinephrine, a chemical that acts as both a stress hormone and a neurotransmitter. Some antidepressants like Wellbutrin and Cymbalta work by raising norepinephrine – but why fill your body with a toxic drug if a vitamin can do the same thing?

Vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the brain by halting free radical damage and inflammation, a potential cause of depression.

Vitamin C supplement dosages

The RDA for vitamin C is 75-90 mg, but most experts believe this amount to be ridiculously low. Most studies use much, much higher dosages. (And in fact, where studies show vitamin C not to be so effective, it’s often because the bodies behind those studies deliberately use doses that are known to be ineffective to skew the results and lead to sensational headlines that “Vitamin C” doesn’t work!)

If you don’t normally take vitamin C, 1000 mg per day is a reasonable place to start. You CAN very safely take more, I myself take 6,000mg per day, Andrew Saul takes 18,000mg per day.

The big test for Vitamin C is what Dr Saul calls Bowel Tolerance. When you have had too much C, your body will tell you by producing “loose stool”. That’s the Bowel Tolerance test. At that point, you have reached the amount that your body needs.

Bear in mind, that amount will change when you are sick, because your body needs more vitamin C when it’s in that state.

As with Niacin, It’s best to divide the dose with vitamin C. Five Grams if taken all at once could bring you to bowel tolerance straight away, 5g spread throughout the day would probably not be a problem. There is no “right dose” for everyone -you have to experiment to find out.

One last thing about C – and a lot of you may disagree – that’s totally fine. The vast majority of studies that show vitamin C being effective were done with plain Ascorbic Acid. Many people will try to tell you that you must have co-factors present, that it must be a whole-food source and so on. I disagree. In my opinion any plain ascorbic acid is just as effective. So save your money and ignore the marketing hype and get plain old vitamin C.

B-COMPLEX VITAMINS

One of the common culprits for mild depression is an imbalance of brain neurotransmitters-natural chemicals that can act as mood enhancers by helping transmit signals between brain cells. Prescription antidepressants like Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) focus on one of these neurotransmitters in particular: serotonin, which they allow to stay around longer in the system. A more natural solution, is supplementing with all B vitamins. Niacin which we’ve already talked about nis vitamin B3. But there are others as well.

Basically, they make your body conserve the amino acid tryptophan and convert as much tryptophan as possible into serotonin. A 2004 Danish study of 140 people found that those who were clinically depressed had low levels of vitamin B6 in their blood. If upping serotonin levels through B6 and B3 doesn't help, the problem might be a deficiency of the other two neurotransmitters in the brain: norepinephrine and dopamine. You could turn to vitamin B12 plus folic acid, which are necessary for the synthesis of these two chemicals. A 2002 Dutch study of nearly 4,000 elderly people backs up this suggestion: Researchers found that many of those who had depression symptoms also had vitamin B12 deficiencies.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be quite serious and should not be taken lightly. If left untreated, it leads to irreversible nerve damage and can be life-threatening.

There are many reasons for widespread B12 deficiency — vegetarian diets, age, acid-suppressing drugs, and mal-absorption. If you suspect you are deficient in this important nutrient, get your blood levels checked and supplement accordingly.

VITAMIN D Vitamin D has long been championed for its ability to help maintain healthy teeth and bones because it promotes calcium absorption. Turns out the multitasking vitamin also helps combat anxiety and depression.

A 2008 study of 441 overweight and obese men and women in Norway found that those given 20,000 and 40,000 IUs per week of vitamin D supplements had significantly less depression symptoms after one year than those in a placebo group. It's unclear how, exactly, vitamin D might fend off depression, but it is conjectured that it might improve neurotransmitter function.

And it’s not surprising that it works in Norway. Natural vitamin D is normally made in the body through sun exposure, so people living in a climate where they rarely get the sun should routinely be supplementing with vitamin D.

It’s pretty easy to get your vitamin D levels checked and go from there. And doseage recommendations vary so much that we don’t feel comfortable

making a recommendation ourselves– but when you investigate it -err on the high side as its been shown to be a very safe vitamin.

THEANINE & GABA

An amino acid derivative found in green tea, theanine has long been known to trigger the release in the brain of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. GABA activates the major calming neurotransmitters, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety, but the body has difficulty absorbing supplements containing synthesized GABA.

That doesn’t mean you can’t try supplementing GABA itself, some people find it helps a lot with their mood -and particularly with anxiety.

Theanine is definitely easier absorbed than the GABA , so you can choose to use that to ultimately boost levels of GABA.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium is a special type of mineral that the body relies on for numerous functions. For over 300 enzyme systems, this mineral is a cofactor, so it helps multiple biochemical reactions, such as muscle and nerve function, blood pressure regulation, protein synthesis and blood glucose control. And definitely depression. I first took note of magnesium when reading a book by Dr Carolyn Dean called The Magnesium Miracle. It seemed too good to be true, a little like vitamin C in that it helped with so many different things in the body. Magnesium is classified as a macro-mineral. In the body, it is the second most prevalent electrolyte. Deficiencies of it are not uncommon in the developed world. And researchers have linked magnesium deficiency and depression in multiple studies. Multiple studies show that magnesium will help with depression in people who are low in the mineral to start with – but in this day and age where our food has few minerals left in it – I think we can consider that to be the vast majority of the population. More than probably any other supplement – the type of Magnesium you take is important. It’s pretty simple -avoid Magnesium Oxide. Its’ absorption rate is a ridiculous 3%-5%, so it’s money wasted. I myself take a high quality Magnesium powder and I find my body misses it if I don’t take it for a couple of days. So get Magnesium into the mix.

OMEGA 3’s

Your brain is made up of about 60 percent fat. Hopefully that’s the only part that is

Omega-3 fats play a crucial role in normal brain function, as well as growth and development. The standard American diet contains far too many omega-6 fats and far too few omega-3s, which drives up inflammation. The importance of inflammation in depression has already been stated. Dr. Andrew Stoll, Harvard psychiatrist and author of The Omega-3 Connection, was one of the early advocates for treating depression with animal based omega-3 fats. And our very own Dr Daryl Gioffre has spent a lot of time developing a great Omega 3 supplement that has the correct ratio of Omega 3’s to Omega 6’s.

A recent study published in the journal Neurology found lower red blood cell omega-3 (DHA) levels associated with smaller brain volume and a “vascular” pattern of cognitive impairment, even in people without clinical dementia. Those with lower omega-3 levels had “older” brains and showed poorer performance on tests of visual memory, executive function, and abstract thinking— all suggestive of vascular degeneration.

I can’t emphasize this enough – get a QUALITY Omega 3 supplement – everyone has jumped on the Omega 3 bandwagon and the cheaper supplements are usually pretty poor. Go with a source that you trust. And if you wanted a recommendation from me it would be Dr Gioffres.

ARCTIC ROOT (RHODIOLA ROSEA)

Arctic root is found mainly in cold regions of the world like the Arctic and mountains of central China. It’s a very inexpensive supplement and for those of you who hate taking tablets, I’m glad to say these are very small.

It’s been used since the time of the ancient Greeks to boost overall physical and mental vitality. This herb is a top-rated adaptogen, a natural substance that increases your resilience to physical and emotional stress.

It works by increasing the activity of brain chemicals that impact your mood like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Yes, they just keep coming up don’t they.....

Arctic root has been shown to reduce depression symptoms faster than many antidepressant medications. It’s particularly useful for depression accompanied by anxiety and fatigue, depression caused by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or when you need results quickly. And really, who doesn’t?

CURCUMIN (CURCUMA LONGA)

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric which is renowned for its anti-inflammatory and brain-boosting properties. If you haven’t heard of Turmeric in the supplement world, then you really have been living under a rock. Everyone is trying to sell you turmeric supplements – and understand, it’s a great supplement – but some of the prices being charged are pure daylight robbery.

You can buy the simple Turmeric spice and it is just as good as most of the crazy priced fancy supplements. The spice has been used in Indian Cuisine for thousands of years and in it’s simplest form. There’s really no need for anything else if you are taking it regularly.

Curcumin works by increasing levels of those sametwo feel-good neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. And studies have shown it to be as effective for depression as the popular antidepressant Prozac.

It’s beneficial for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depressive disorder. And more good news - both turmeric and curcumin supplements can be taken for depression indefinitely.

And, unlike some natural depression supplements, curcumin can not only be safely combined with antidepressant drugs, it actually enhances their effectiveness.

5-HTP

The amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, is another natural option for upping serotonin levels.

As a serotonin precursor, 5-HTP may help those for whom SSRIs like Prozac don't seem to work, says Katie Baker, ND, owner of Stone Turtle Health, a naturopathic family medicine practice in Seattle.

"SSRIs block the uptake of serotonin so it sticks around longer," she says. But that won't do much good if not much serotonin is around to begin with. In contrast, 5-HTP is converted into serotonin in the body.

"With 5-HTP, you are not plugging up the drain, so to speak; you are just putting more into the sink," says Baker. A six-week study of 63 people found that those who took 300 mg daily of 5-HTP had the same depression relief as those who took prescription antidepressants-but with many fewer side effects.

I have taken 5-HTP for months at a time and I feel it has helped me. I’ve recently read of some medical establishments warning against it. (Whether

these are genuine concerns or just more scare tactics against a useful – but non-pharma supplement – I don’t honestly know). But it would be remiss of me not to include that warning and tell you to do your own research before taking that supplement.

SUMMARY

I can’t impress upon you enough – there are natural supplements like the ones listed above which have been PROVEN to be more effective than many anti-depressant medications.

Taking supplements for a week will likely not cure a condition that you may have been suffering for years – though in the case of Niacin you may be amazed at how quickly you do see progress.

I would advise you to start with Niacin, Vitamin C, Magnesium and the other B vitamins. See how you get on. Add others in and experiment as you see fit. But, of course, do everything in conjunction with a health care professional. You know that by now, right?