A new study presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting has shown the benefits of combining L-methylfolate, a prescription medical food called Deplin, with an antidepressant at the start of treatment.
This analysis showed a significantly greater improvement in depression symptoms in a shorter period of time for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) when started on combination therapy.
The study’s principal investigator and MD of Red Oak Psychiatry, Houston, Texas, Lawrence Ginsberg, said that nearly 70% of depressed individuals would not reach remission by taking one antidepressant alone.
“Adding L-methylfolate to an antidepressant at the start of treatment has valuable benefits for these patients,” Ginsberg said.
The study showed that 2.5 times more patients achieved major improvements in their depressive symptoms, functionality and behavior on combination therapy than on antidepressant monotherapy.
Patients on combination therapy experienced 23% more rapid improvement than those taking antidepressant monotherapy.
