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Best Supplements for Depression and Anxiety -- sad young woman sitting on couch, looking toward the window

Answer:

A wide variety of natural supplements have shown some benefit in reducing depression and/or anxiety. Certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies can also cause depression.

Sign in to learn more how the following relate to depression and anxiety: Fish oil, krill oil, CBD oil, probiotics, prebiotics, curcumin (from turmeric), saffron, 5-HTP, St. John's wort, SAMe, DHEA, Rhodiola rosea, folic acid, L-theanine, ashwagandha, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), melatonin, valerian, kava, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), apple cider vinegar, B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, glucosamine, carnosine, beta-alanine, and collagen supplements.

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47 Comments

Danielle White22328
March 25, 2025

Inositol has been a miracle in our family! Eliminates my panic attacks and my son's anxiety.

Nancy22356
March 25, 2025

What brand do you use?

Tamela20747
October 01, 2024

I drink Roobios herbal tea, found it to be helpful

Anne20263
July 30, 2024

I find Rhodiola rosea helpful for mild depression.

Jennifer3871
September 18, 2023

thank you to everyone for sharing things that are helpful

Len3867
July 25, 2023

I had bad results with 5HTP, Ashwagandha and St John's wort. Do NOT take St. John's wort with a prescription antidepressant. On the other hand I've had great success, as have many others, with SAMe!

ConsumerLab.com
July 31, 2023

As noted in the "Concerns and Cautions" section of the St. John's Wort Supplements Review, St. John's wort can interact with many medications, leading to serious adverse effects, including antidepressant medications. Please see https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/st-johns-wort/stjohnswort/#cautions

K M
March 26, 2025

St. John's Wort also interferes with birth control pills.

ConsumerLab.com
March 26, 2025

Yes, this is noted in the Concerns and Cautions section of the St. John's Wort Supplements Review https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/st-johns-wort/stjohnswort/#interactions.

Nancy3866
March 12, 2023

SAM_e has been awesome for my granddaughter after having so many side effects from SSRIs. I take SAM_e as well and helps with my joint pain as well. Have been taking it about 8 yrs!

Susan18537
January 28, 2024

Has anyone seen the study out of Manchester University finding that Sam E has toxic effects on the liver and kidneys?

ConsumerLab.com
January 29, 2024

You can find information about this study in the "Concerns and Cautions" section of our SAMe Supplements Review https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/sam-e-review-comparisons/same/#potentially-toxic.

Margaret Frank
April 28, 2025

I was taking zoloft for many years along with effexor. SAME caused extreme stomach cramps. The pain lasted at least 30 minutes. Just a caution.

Frances3863
March 10, 2023

I'm glad you mentioned that supplements can interact badly with prescription anti-depressants. I take Sertraline and my doctor warned me very strongly not to take St. John's Wort because it can have a dangerous interaction. In fact, I think that anybody taking prescription anti-depressants should check with their prescriber before taking ANY kind of otc supplement.

K M
April 10, 2023

St. John's Wort and some other supplements can also interfere with birth control pills.

ConsumerLab.com
April 11, 2023

Yes, the potential for interactions with prescription antidepressants is noted in the answer above. As you noted, St. John's wort may also interact with oral contraceptives (see the "Concerns and Cautions" section of the St. John's Wort Review for information about this and other potential interactions https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/st-johns-wort/stjohnswort/#interactions.

diana18523
January 27, 2024

Or you can do your research yourself. In general, medical providers are not trained for that. There are plenty of sources and double blind studies. I am a medical provider by the way.

Robert3861
March 10, 2023

I have been using 5HTP for several years and finds it is very helpful.

Jennifer3862
March 12, 2023

Hi Robert, that's awesome to hear!

DEBORAH3859
March 10, 2023

SAMe, ashwagandha and fish oil have been a game-changer for me.

William3848
December 09, 2021

Curcumin has a significant amount of oxalates. If you are prone to kidney stones or maybe have a family history of such, you should consider this.
I tried St Jon's Wort three times and found it significantly interfered with my REM sleep cycle, resulting in poor sleep.

ConsumerLab.com
December 15, 2021

You can find more information about oxalates in turmeric and curcumin in the "Concerns and Cautions" section of our Turmeric and Curcumin Supplements & Spices Review https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/#oxalate.

Linda3847
September 29, 2021

I was taking methylfolate for depression (prescribed as Deplin from Brand Direct Health) along with Latuda (for depression) and Depakote (for bipolar) and I had the side effect of nystagmus, so I stopped taking it as recommended by my psychiatrist. It's unfortunate because it was helping with my depression. I have no affiliation or financial interest with any of these products I mentioned or a competing product.

Trish3844
December 12, 2019

Be careful mixing with meds! My daughter-in-law who has bipolar disorder started taking kava and soon afterward was nearly hospitalized. Altho’ it may be a coincidence, she feels the kava could have interfered with her prescription medication.

Carol3841
October 20, 2018

I see that fish oil high in EPA may reduce anxiety. Can you specify what percent EPA would be high and what dose has been shown to be effective?

ConsumerLab.com
October 20, 2018

Hi Carol - Please see the "Anxiety" section of the Fish Oil Review ( https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/fish-oil-supplements-review/omega3/#anxiety) for details. We've also added a link to this section from the Answer above to make it easier to find.

colleen3838
August 21, 2018

I was taking Ashwaganda for mild depression it caused me to have an arythmia in my heart, felt awful so I came off of it and the arythmia has subsided!

ConsumerLab.com
August 23, 2018

Thank you for sharing this Colleen. We now have a CL Answer about the side effects of ashwagandha supplements: https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/side-effects-of-ashwagandha-supplements/ashwagandha-side-effects/ and more information can be found in the "Concerns and Cautions" section of the Ashawagandha Supplements Review: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/ashwagandha-supplements/ashwagandha/#cautions

Susan3836
June 03, 2018

A relative uses Venetron (150 mg) for depression when needed. It makes a huge difference in lowering what appears to be situational depression. Some capsules sold are 50 mg. However, the manufacturer said 150 mg was best. It doesn't cause sleepiness like other products.

He's also been using SAMe (400 mg) daily for years and takes it about 6 pm. When he awakes in the morning, he is ready to get going for the day. Because there are concerns about SAMe increasing Homeocysteine, he takes a 750 mg capsule of Trimethylglycine daily. Recently, he had his blood tested for the Homeocysteine and the result was within the normal range. In fact, it was on the lower side.

Connie Lynn
March 30, 2025

I know this post is old but do you know what brand of Venetron (150 mg) they take? I had never heard of it. I think I have tried it all for depression. Thank you.

Lazar3834
April 18, 2018

My relative has suffered from a severe depression for four years. No prescription medication had any significant effect. During this time she also tried without much success most supplements including 5HTP that claimed to be helpful for such condition. The real relief came when she start taking Seratonin formula [from Allergy Research] and SAMe. The Seratonin formula includes both 5HTP and 5-MTHF. This brought an improvement in about 3 weeks, and helped her to get completely out of the medication [by gradually reducing the dosage] in about four months. At this, she was taking only one Seratonin capsule and one caplet of SAMe, which was about one third of recommended dosages on their labels (there was a concern of taking larger dosages of these supplements simultaneously with an antidepressant).

Barry3830
October 31, 2016

How about CBD from hemp for anxiety/depression?

ConsumerLab.com
January 01, 2017

Hi Barry - Please see the CL Answer about CBD here: https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/is-cannabidiol-cbd-helpful-and-legal/cbd/

richard3828
October 30, 2016

Lactium, a bioactive milk peptides have since been shown to act on the brain's GABA-A receptors.

ConsumerLab.com
October 31, 2016

Hi Richard - This appears to be based on the following study in mice: http://lactiuminfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Study-08022016.pdf

Donna3825
September 25, 2016

I use Swanson magnolia bark. I first heard of it from the Dr. Oz. show. Have used it for several years and works pretty good. I used to take Zoloft but had too many side effects. No side effects with the magnolia bark.

don3826
October 30, 2016

What side effects do you have, I take itand my balance ism not very good and get dizzy if i turn around too fast?

Joanne S
September 25, 2016

I'm a therapist and work with women. I suggest to all my clients struggling with depression to take a look at the research on Omega3 augmentation (or as a stand alone) and to have their thyroid and D3 levels checked out. I've seen huge changes in my clients disposition when the correct blend and amount of Omega3s are added and their Ds levels are well above the bottom of the range. Choices for D3s and Omega3s have been researched by me on Consumerlab as I want my clients to get the purest and best product for their individual need.

Juli3822
September 25, 2016

I agree, it's important to check both thyroid and D levels before resorting to prescription drugs that often have detrimental side effects. I've been on increased D, probiotics, sam-E, and then added a very low-dose thyroid pill to that mix. I can see an effect. I have more energy, sleep better at night, and am less irritable. And don't overlook the benefits of a good, old-fashioned walk. Exercise is as important for our mental health as our physical health. It's amazing how just going outside and moving can lift one's spirits.

Juli3823
October 30, 2016

I fully agree with all of that, am taking same and have seen a mild but definite improvement.

Giulia22488
April 11, 2025

Getting my thyroid checked then starting on armour thyroid 15 years ago enabled me to come off antidepressants when I wanted to get pregnant. I also take D3. I don't benefit financially or professionally from sharing this information.

lynne3818
December 06, 2015

By using NAC nightly I find I sleep much better and have stopped taking Prozac, after many years of use!

don3819
September 27, 2016

What is NAC thanks Don

ConsumerLab.com
September 28, 2016

Hi Don - NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) is a synthetically modified form of the amino acid cysteine. There is some evidence it may be helpful for compulsive behavior. You can learn more and see our tests of NAC products in the NAC Supplements Review: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/n-acetyl-cysteine-nac-supplements/n-acetyl-cysteine/

David3814
November 29, 2015

Having used all of the above I can say that kava has a far more profound stress reducing effect than any of these.

ConsumerLab.com
December 03, 2015

Hi David - Thank you for sharing your experience using kava. We have now added information about this to the answer above.

Christina3815
May 27, 2020

Over the past 5 years, I drink Kava tea on average about once a month when situational anxiety may be high. I do not take it daily. It works very well for me.

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