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Anxiety (Panic)/DepressionDiet-NutritionFolic AcidHerbalsOmega-3 Fatty AcidsSAMe

Should we add CAM to Rx treatments?

JR

 Researchers from the University of Queensland, in Australia evaluated the evidence for adding nutritional and herbal medicines to antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and benzodiazepines.

First, the details.

  • Encouraging evidence exists for using omega-3 fatty acids, SAMe, folic acid, and l-tryptophan (an amino acid) in combination with antidepressants to enhance response and improve efficacy.
  • Various nutrients also appear to be effective when used with antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.
  • Less evidence supports an advantage of combining nutrition with various psychopharmacotherapies.
  • Combined use of herbals with Rx therapies hasn’t been sufficiently studied to warrant routine use.

The bottom line?
The abstract is short on details. You’ll have to read the article to get more information.

7/21/09 19:26 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

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