Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Studies have reported that countries with high rates of fish oil consumption have low rates of depressive disorder. The authors studied a specific omega-3 fatty acid, the ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA), as an adjunct to treatment for depressive episodes occurring in patients with recurrent unipolar depressive disorder who were receiving maintenance antidepressant therapy.


METHODS
Twenty patients with a current diagnosis of major depressive disorder participated in a 4-week, parallel-group, double-blind addition of either placebo or E-EPA to ongoing antidepressant therapy. Seventeen of the patients were women, and three were men.


RESULTS
Highly significant benefits of the addition of the omega-3 fatty acid compared with placebo were found by week 3 of treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
It is not possible to distinguish whether E-EPA augments antidepressant action in the manner of lithium or has independent antidepressant properties of its own.
Nemets
Boris
B
Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Stahl
Ziva
Z
Belmaker
R H
RH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D010919:Placebos; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010919:Placebos; C035276:eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid