title: Vitamin B12 supplementation in treating major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent literature has identified links between vitamin B12 deficiency and depression.We compared the clinical response of SSRI-monotherapy with that of B12-augmentation in a sample of depressed patients with low normal B12 levels who responded inadequately to the first trial with the SSRIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with depression and low normal B12 levels were randomized to a control arm (antidepressant only) or treatment arm (antidepressants and injectable vitamin B12 supplementation).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 199 depressed patients were screened. Out of 73 patients with low normal B12 levels 34 (47%) were randomized to the treatment group while 39 (53%) were randomized to the control arm. At three months follow up 100% of the treatment group showed at least a 20% reduction in HAM-D score, while only 69% in the control arm showed at least a 20% reduction in HAM-D score (p<0.001). The findings remained significant after adjusting for baseline HAM-D score (p=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin B12 supplementation with antidepressants significantly improved depressive symptoms in our cohort.
authors: Department of Psychiatry Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors: Ehsan Ullah
authors: EU
authors: Syed
authors: Mohammad
authors: M
authors: Wasay
authors: Safia
authors: S
authors: Awan
keywords: Depression; RCT.; antidepressants; vitamin B12