Condition
Dysthymia
Dysthymia, now called persistent depressive disorder, is a chronic, milder depression in which low mood and fatigue last at least two years, linked to changes in brain mood circuits. Omega-3 fatty acids have the strongest evidence among supplements, drawn from research on depression, with vitamin D next at moderate. Most of that work covered depression broadly rather than dysthymia itself, and the one dysthymia-specific finding was small: anxiety symptoms eased with L-carnitine.
Sources: PMID 25644193
- Supplements studied
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 1
- Trials
- 3
- People studied
- 289
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 80 people | |||
| Depression Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 80 people | |||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 2 studies | 204 people | |||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depression Symptoms No effect | 2 studies | |||||
Key findings
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
The Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder) Supportive Care protocol
2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids2–3 g EPA+DHA daily (higher EPA ratio preferred)
- Vitamin D2,000–4,000 IU daily (target 40–60 ng/mL)
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Studies cited
6 studies from PubMed
- Chromium potentiation of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for dysthymic disorder in 5 patients
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory trial of chromium picolinate in atypical depression: effect on carbohydrate craving
- L-Acetylcarnitine in dysthymic disorder in elderly patients: a double-blind, multicenter, controlled randomized study vs. fluoxetine
- A double-blind, randomised, controlled clinical trial of acetyl-L-carnitine vs. amisulpride in the treatment of dysthymia
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation and the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Acetyl-l-Carnitine in the treatment of anhedonia, melancholic and negative symptoms in alcohol dependent subjects