title: Curcumin as an add-on to antidepressive treatment: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot clinical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Depression is a widespread mental disorder in which nearly half of the affected people have recurrent symptoms. Drug combinations may produce cumulative adverse effects, especially in elderly and physically ill patients. It was demonstrated that curcumin possesses antidepressive activity in various animal models of depression, and a combination of curcumin with some antidepressants potentiates the antidepressive effect of these agents. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin as an antidepressive agent in a combination with other antidepressants in patients with major depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients with a first episode of depression participated in a 5-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. The subjects were treated with either 500-mg/d curcumin or placebo together with antidepressants (escitalopram or venlafaxine) during August 2010 until June 2011. The outcome measures were Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of variance showed significant positive changes in both groups from baseline to the end of the study in all scales of measurement. These changes became significant from the first visit after 7 days of treatment. There was no difference between curcumin and placebo, which means negative results. However, the patients in the curcumin group demonstrated a trend to a more rapid relief of depressive symptoms in comparison to those in the placebo group. None of the patients complained of any adverse effect during the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is no definitive proof that curcumin can induce an earlier beneficial effect of antidepressive agents, it seems like an extended study is needed to prove it, using higher therapeutic doses of curcumin.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center Tirat Carmel, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Chanoch
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miodownik
authors.forename: Yuly
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bersudsky
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sokolik
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: Anatoly
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kreinin
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polakiewicz
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lerner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D015283:Citalopram; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; D003474:Curcumin