Originally published February 14 2005
Dietary supplement DHEA could be effective treatment for depression
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
An over-the-counter dietary supplement known as DHEA may be good for treating depression, particularly the mid-life blues, one new study concludes. The study compared groups of middle-aged depressions sufferers who took the supplement with those who took a placebo. The DHEA group reported feeling better, overall, at the end of the study. Some doctors remain skeptical of DHEA's potential and say, while it probably cannot hurt, patients should use it in tandem with other drugs.
The popular over-the-counter hormone treatment DHEA has been found effective for treating midlife-onset minor and major depression.
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), available as a dietary supplement in the US, has previously been found to have some antidepressant-like effects, but its use is still controversial.
In a new study, Peter Schmidt of the National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, Maryland and colleagues set out to evaluate DHEA as a treatment for depression with a midlife onset.
The researchers evaluated 23 men and 23 women aged 45 to 65 with midlife onset major or minor depression of moderate severity.
Participants received either six weeks of DHEA treatment, three weeks of each of two dosages or six weeks of placebo.
After six weeks of DHEA treatment and one to two weeks with no therapy, the treatment groups were reversed.
Participants were evaluated at three and six weeks during treatment phases with tests of depression and sexual functioning.
Twenty-three people taking DHEA and 13 taking placebo had a 50% or greater reduction in baseline depression ratings.
Six weeks of DHEA use was associated with significant improvement in measures of depression and sexual functioning compared to placebo treatment.
The researchers conclude that for people with depression who don't respond to antidepressant treatment or for those unwilling to take traditional antidepressants, DHEA may play a useful treatment role.
The research is reported in The Archives of General Psychiatry (read abstract).
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