title: Dietary supplement drug therapies for depression.
abstract: Many dietary supplements are readily accessible and commonly used for the treatment of depression. A dietary supplement is a product intended to supplement the diet but is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration can take action against dietary supplement manufacturers for products only after they are marketed, mainly if the product is found to be unsafe or if false or misleading claims are made about the product. Few dietary supplement products have been adequately studied for their safety and efficacy. Of the five products reviewed in this article (L-methylfolate, S-adenosyl-L-methionine [SAM-e], omega-3 fatty acids, L-tryptophan, and inositol), only omega-3 fatty acids and SAM-e have sufficient supporting evidence for their efficacy to warrant safe use.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. HowlandRH@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Howland
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000451:nursing*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D017277:Drug Approval; D004348:Drug Labeling; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012651:Self Medication; D013763:Tetrahydrofolates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D013763:Tetrahydrofolates; D007294:Inositol; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine; D014364:Tryptophan; C005984:5-methyltetrahydrofolate