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Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

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11–20 of 669 posts

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#11
My physician prescribed Vitamins D and B12, so a quality Omega 3 is the only supplement I currently purchase.

After an absurd amount of trial and error with every over-the-counter, trendy supplement over the last couple of decades (and lord only knows how much money), these are the only ones that seem to make a subjective difference on my quality of life and an objective difference in my bloodwork.

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#12
post #2

I found this to be the case. Tried Sertraline for a while, gave me headaches and made me feel sick. Then as part of a new gym plan, started taking Omega 3+VitD daily, and I just felt a sense of calm and peace after a few weeks. The massive uptick in exercise probably also helped. I also felt quite an extreme uptick because I was a vegan for 10 years, and found out I had basically zero Omega 3 in my blood. I suspect o…

Omega 3 comes from algae, which might be okay for some vegans.

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#13
post #4

Please do not take 5000mg/day of Vitamin D. The author confuses IU and mg which is very dangerous.

Isn't the oral intake pretty much negligible anyway? I remember getting a vitamin d supplement in a syringe (to be put on bread, from a physician) containing a very large dosis.

I'm not stating the dosage is wrong. Looks like it is anyway.

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#15
post #4

Please do not take 5000mg/day of Vitamin D. The author confuses IU and mg which is very dangerous.

Only recently again I read in the newspaper, that most products are overdosed. There is a typical number that the vitamin D products usually show, and in the article it said, that only up to 800 IU is safe, and everything above is an overdose. There are many products out there with 2000 UI or maybe even more. Beware.

EDIT: Wow, the HN-local doctors at it again. Imagine getting downvoted for sharing information from newspaper article (and honestly labeling that info as such), that probably was written by someone consulting medical professionals. But hey HN will know better!

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#17
post #4

Please do not take 5000mg/day of Vitamin D. The author confuses IU and mg which is very dangerous.

That would be 5g. At this point everyone should notice that something is off. :-D 5000 mg of vitamin D3 = 200,000,000 IU (200 million IU)

More often written as 200,000 IU as 5000mg of D3 is not written as 5,000,000mcg

The author simply (and terrible mistaking) typed [mg] instead of [UI] in the first paragraph: if readed entirely, the author correct this typo in every other sentence

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#18
can vouch for a diet high in fatty fish along with supplementation of D3 + cofactors (K2, A, magnesium, zinc, copper, boron). sample size of one but noticeably improves mood and energy levels.

recent evidence [0] suggests there's not much of a link between serotonin and depression, and therefore the effects of SSRIs are either placebo or an as of yet unexplained mechanism of action. IMHO it seems much more likely that modern lifestyles (excessive screen time, poor diet, lack of socialization, no connection to nature, no spirituality, etc) have more of an effect than serotonin levels.

[0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35854107/

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#19
post #2

I found this to be the case. Tried Sertraline for a while, gave me headaches and made me feel sick. Then as part of a new gym plan, started taking Omega 3+VitD daily, and I just felt a sense of calm and peace after a few weeks. The massive uptick in exercise probably also helped. I also felt quite an extreme uptick because I was a vegan for 10 years, and found out I had basically zero Omega 3 in my blood. I suspect o…

All my nutrient numbers improved when I became vegan because nearly every one in the US/UK is deficient in VitD, Omegas and B12.

Fortunately today’s vegan communities are much more aware of this so I started taking these supplements right up front and all my blood markers improved dramatically since when I consumed meat/dairy.

It’s annoying to hear some push back against this when it’s as simple as taking relatively safe supplements (just make sure you talk to a doctor, and not a social media influencer, about how much you should take, and if you get a chance to regularly check your bloodwork don’t miss out).

Re: Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants

#20
post #12
post #2

I found this to be the case. Tried Sertraline for a while, gave me headaches and made me feel sick. Then as part of a new gym plan, started taking Omega 3+VitD daily, and I just felt a sense of calm and peace after a few weeks. The massive uptick in exercise probably also helped. I also felt quite an extreme uptick because I was a vegan for 10 years, and found out I had basically zero Omega 3 in my blood. I suspect o…

Omega 3 comes from algae, which might be okay for some vegans.

What vegans would not be ok with algae?
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