Top 5 Natural Depression Fighters

After getting a lot of positive feedback about the "working out depression" article, I decided to create a list of the top 5 best depression-fighting supplements. While there's no cure yet, we can still the fight the beast pretty damn hard. Keep that attitude in mind and stick in there! I'll try to go through these quickly.

Before I start - Let it be known that I have clinical depression with general anxiety disorder and have personally tried all of these.


5.) Acetyl-l-Carnitine
I placed this one in last place not because it doesn't work, but because it doesn't work as well as some of the others on the list. Acetyl-l-Carnitine can lift mood and enhance mental acuity. It can also raise your metabolism (very slightly). The acetyl group is also used to produce acetylcholine, an important brain chemical.

Kick-Ass Rating: 5/10

Take 300mgs at least once daily.


4.) B-Vitamins
B-Vitamins work very well for some people, and not so much for others. Specifically, B6, Folate, and B-12 are the key B-Vitamins that can produce positive results towards fighting depression. Many people suffering from depression are severely deficient in these vitamins and their addition to your diet may give you a mild mood boost.

Kick-Ass Rating: 6/10

Take at least 200% Daily Value of B6,B12, and Folic Acid (Folate) via food or supplement form.


3.) 5-HTP/Tryptophan
These are some of the big-boys of the depression fighters. They have proven their effectiveness in study after study. I group these two together because they are basically the same supplement; regardless of which one you take, it is converted into serotonin in your body.

Serotonin deficiency is widely regarded to be the cause of depression, as studies have shown that clinically depressed patients have severely low levels of this neurotransmitter. Almost all pharmaceutical antidepressants work by inhibiting the re-uptake of serotonin in the brain, allowing more free floating serotonin to circulate-thereby relieving depression. They do not introduce new serotonin to the brain, however, so taking 5-HTP in supplemental form will add the much needed serotonin to your brain and can alleviate the symptoms of depression without taking the prescription medications. I take 5-HTP every night before bed not only for the anti-depressive effects, but because it also doubles as a great sleep aid. I highly recommend it.

Kick-Ass Rating: 8/10

Start off taking 50mg a day and work your way up to a dose that works for you.


2.) SAMe
SAMe is an excellent depression-fighter and has so many great health benefits that you should be taking it regardless of whether or not you even have the condition. I'm just going to list out its benefits to make this simper.
-Promotes cartilage proteoglycans - Great for joints and even arthritis.
-Improves liver health by detoxing the body through a process called enzymatic transmethylation
-Increases levels of serotonin, dopamine, and phosphatides - Fighting depression
-Improves dopamine and serotonin receptor site binding - Further fighting depression
-It can even reduce disease activity, pain, and morning stiffness!

Clearly you can see how great of a supplement this is to have in your arsenal against depression.

Kick-Ass Rating: 9/10

Take 200mg/day and adjust dosage if you see fit.

1.) Exercise!
You guessed it- exercise is a fantastic way to maintain normal hormone and neurotransmitter levels to keep you feeling good. Working out often increases the levels of endorphins (feel-good chemicals) in your brain, which in turn keeps you feeling happier. Exercise can improve the symptoms of several mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and may also help prevent a relapse after treatment for either of the two. Research suggests that it takes AT LEAST 30 minutes of exercise a day for at least 3-5 days a week to improve depression symptoms. Smaller amounts of exercise such as 10-15 minutes at a time can improve mood in the short term. Exercise has been a godsend for me, as working out has really improved my mental (and physical) health in the long run.

Exercise can also help give you the motivation and discipline you need to get in shape and press on through depression. Just stick to it, and you'll see results.


Runners-Up: St. Johns Wort, Fish Oil, Multivitamin

Last but not least, always remember to eat healthy and get all your vitamins and minerals. A healthy diet can go a LONG way to alleviate depression. Its always a good idea to throw in a multivitamin into your diet as sometimes its hard to get all the nutrients you need every day.

All of the supplements listed can be purchased off of bodybuilding.com with a bonus $10.00 off your $200 order using my coupon code 10off200.


Now get out there and kick some ass!