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Comment by baccheion | Hacker News Reader

If this works, then you need to elevate your vitamin D (should ideally be between 40 and 60 ng/ml) and serotonin levels.

Vitamin D:

- 3000-5000 IU vitamin D3

- 1000mcg vitamin K2 MK-4

- 100mcg vitamin K2 MK-7 (to direct calcium away from soft tissue)

- 200-400mg Magnesium Glycinate.

Serotonin:

- 500-1500mg L-Tryptophan

(or if that doesn't work...)

- 300mg 5-HTP

- 3000mg L-Tyrosine (to counter lowered absorption caused by 5-HTP)

- 400mg EGCG (helps prevent 5-HTP from becoming serotonin in the intestines).

If depression isn't seasonal, then there are other supplements that may work (any of the following):

- Tianeptine Sulfate

- Memantine

- N-Acetyl Semax

- Fasoracetam

View on HN

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/201/5/360.short

"Participants with low 25(OH)D levels (n = 230) at baseline were more depressed (P<0.05) than participants with high 25(OH)D levels (n = 114). In the intervention study no significant effect of high-dose vitamin D was found on depressive symptom scores when compared with placebo."

So it seems unlikely the cause is low vitamin D. Also, a sunlamp won't increase your vitamin D. More likely it is the normalizing effect of sunlight on the body clock.

Also, no supplement is going to increase serotonin levels in your brain. Your brain already has sufficient raw materials to generate as much serotonin as is required. That's just simplistic and wrong-headed nonsense, based on a lack of understanding about how the brain works.

If the depression is seasonal, as is usually the case when SAD lamps are used, then it is very likely due to low vitamin D levels. Also, L-Tryptophan -> 5-HTP -> (crossed blood brain barrier) -> serotonin.

Did you notice how the comments had links to more information from sources more reputable than xyz@HN? If you genuinely want to help people and are providing sound medical advice you should include the scientific literature supporting your statement; otherwise you are simply peddling false hope at best.

You should never get your hopes up. If it ends up working, then you can be happy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10888476

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi...

> gives anti-depression advice

> "You should never get your hopes up"

/facepalm

Parent's just meeting people where they're at, no? ;)

That is an uncontrolled trial. However I did some more searches, and there do appear to be some trials showing improvement with vitamin D supplementation compared to placebo. However vitamin D wouldn't explain how a light box improves depression (as it won't affect vitamin D).

Probably the best option is to get out into the sunlight and get the sun on your skin, if the sun is high enough.

Light and Vitamin D could have independent mechanisms of action.

I was under the impression that light boxes worked by causing vitamin D synthesis in the skin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D#Synthesis_in_the_ski...

No, they don't produce enough UV.

Please don't do this!

EGCG can cause hepatatoxicity and liver failure:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/lt.21021/asset/...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905152/

Obviously this doesn't occur until much higher dosages are taken (unless a genetic anomaly is present, or the batch of EGCG being used is low-quality). That said, you can always take L-Tryptophan rather than 5-HTP.

Also, St. John's Wort and 5-HTP have both been clinically proven to be as effective as SSRIs in alleviating/eliminating depression. This makes them the superior choice, as their side effects are much fewer and milder.

http://examine.com/supplements/Green+Tea+Catechins/#summary1...

Are there studies that there is a realistically reachable level of toxicity just by drinking tea, green or fermented? The latter study doesn't seem to say, and the former link just gives me "Forbidden".

Better living through chemistry, I always say.

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