How much vitamin B should you take to relieve depression

B vitamins can only be used as an auxiliary intervention, and they absolutely cannot replace regular antidepressant treatment, and not everyone can take them.

Speaking of which, I met a pretty typical client two months ago. She was a junior girl who was diagnosed with mild depression. After taking sertraline for half a month, she always felt nauseous and couldn't be energetic. A blood test found that folic acid and B12 were just below the lower limit of normal values, and homocysteine was much higher than the standard. The psychiatrist asked her to take supplements of active folic acid and B-complex tablets. About three weeks later, she came to see me for a follow-up consultation. She said that the feeling of a stone in her chest when she woke up every morning was much lighter, and she no longer struggled to get up.

You can understand it this way: neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for happiness and motivation in our brains, need the help of "coenzymes" when they are synthesized, and B6, B12, and folic acid are the core coenzymes. Just like when you make milk tea, the tea and milk are all ready. Without fire, the finished product cannot be made. Without these B groups, the synthesis of neurotransmitters will easily get stuck, and the mood will naturally decline.

There is actually no completely unified conclusion in the academic circles on this matter. There is a school of clinical scholars who believe that the role of B-complex is only for people who are deficient. To put it bluntly, if you are deficient, supplementation will be useful. If all blood test indicators are within the normal range, additional supplementation will have no obvious effect. Even supplementation may cause problems: for example, long-term daily consumption of more than 200mg of B6 may cause peripheral neuropathy and numbness and tingling in hands and feet. Excessive B12 supplementation may also cause allergies, dizziness and other problems. However, another study published in the "Journal of Affective Disorders" in 2021 shows that even for patients with refractory depression who have normal B-complex levels, supplementing active B-complex can increase the drug response rate by about 20% and reduce the risk of relapse. The evidence on both sides is quite sufficient, and there is no absolute right or wrong at present.

Oh, by the way, don’t just buy supplements randomly. If your mood has been persistently low recently and you suspect that you may be deficient in B complex, first go to the hospital to draw blood and check three indicators: serum folic acid, vitamin B12, and homocysteine. The results will be clear once you see them. Especially if homocysteine ​​exceeds 10 μmol/L, there is a high probability that there is a problem with the metabolism of these three B groups, and the effect of supplementation will be more obvious. If the MTHFR gene mutation is found, then don’t buy synthetic folic acid that costs a few yuan a bottle. You can’t metabolize ordinary folic acid, so you have to take active folic acid to be effective.

In fact, most people who eat normally do not need to supplement B complex at all. Eat a pound of dark green leafy vegetables every day, add an egg, two palms of lean pork or beef, and occasionally eat animal liver. The B complex you consume is completely sufficient for your body. Most of the people who are likely to be deficient are the following types of people: those who have been completely vegetarian for a long time, those who often drink alcohol and have damaged their gastrointestinal tract, those with chronic gastroenteritis who have poor absorption, or those who take drugs such as metformin and proton pump inhibitors that affect nutrient absorption all year round. These people can check their indicators regularly and supplement as needed.

Let’s take a negative example. Last year, I met a 28-year-old boy who was diagnosed with moderate depression. He was afraid that taking medicine would have side effects. He posted a short video saying that B-complex can cure depression. He bought three different B-complex supplements and took them for three months. As a result, his mood became worse and worse, and he even had thoughts of self-harm. In the end, his family took him to a psychiatrist to prescribe medication. It took more than two months of adjustment with supplements before he slowly recovered. Don’t treat Group B as a miracle drug. It is at most a small auxiliary on your road to recovery. For moderate to severe depression, the first priority must be to find a regular psychiatrist for evaluation and treatment. Take medicine when it’s time, and psychological intervention when it’s time. Supplements are always the icing on the cake, not a timely help.

In the final analysis, the causes of depression are too complex. Heredity, stress, hormonal changes, life trauma... various factors are intertwined, and it can never be solved by relying on a single nutrient. It's more like a red light that your body gives you, reminding you that it's time to stop and adjust your state. Group B is at most a stepping stone to help you get back to your state. Just don't reverse the priorities.