Trial reportJournal of clinical psychopharmacology2012
Omega-3 fatty acid augmentation of citalopram treatment for patients with major depressive disorder.
Trial report in Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04210804 (A Prophylactic Trial of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 76 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Prophylactic Trial of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder
Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 162 citations in OpenAlex.
- Understanding the research landscape of over-the-counter herbal products, dietary supplements, and medications evaluated for depressive symptoms in adults: a scoping review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Omega 3 Fatty Acids on Main Dimensions of Psychopathology.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: What is Their Role in Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders?International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- The Role of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) on Cognitive Functions in Psychiatric Disorders.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of depression.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2016Pooled it
- Meta-analysis and meta-regression of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for major depressive disorder.Translational psychiatry · 2016Pooled it
- ω-3 Fatty acids for major depressive disorder in adults: an abridged Cochrane review.BMJ open · 2016Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of depressive disorders: a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Inflammation as a predictive biomarker for response to omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder: a proof-of-concept study.Molecular psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Trial
- A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial comparing eicosapentaenoic acid versus docosahexaenoic acid for depression.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2015Trial
- The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on depressive symptoms and inflammatory markers in maintenance hemodialysis patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2014Trial
- Pharmacometabolomic mapping of early biochemical changes induced by sertraline and placebo.Translational psychiatry · 2013Trial
- The role of olive oil and its constituents in mental health: a scoping review.The British journal of nutrition · 2024Review
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.Schizophrenia research · 2024Review
- Article
- Acylcarnitines are associated with lower depressive symptomatology in a mainland puerto rican cohort.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2024Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe objective of this study was to explore the efficacy of combination therapy with citalopram plus omega-3 fatty acids versus citalopram plus placebo (olive oil) in the initial treatment of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized that combination therapy would lead not only to greater efficacy but also to a more rapid onset of therapeutic response.
methodsForty-two subjects participated in this 9-week randomized, masked, placebo-controlled study of combination therapy (two 1 g capsules containing a blend of 900 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid, 200 mg of and docosahexaenoic acid, and 100 mg of other omega-3 fatty acids twice daily plus citalopram) versus monotherapy (two 1 g capsules of olive oil per day plus citalopram) treatment of MDD.
resultsThe combination therapy demonstrated significantly greater improvement in Hamilton Depression Rating scale scores over time (F = 7.32; df 1,177; P = 0.008) beginning at week 4 (t = -2.48; df 177; P = 0.014).
conclusionsCombination therapy was more effective than monotherapy in decreasing signs and symptoms of MDD during the 8 weeks of active treatment; however, combination therapy did not seem to enhance the speed of the initial antidepressant response. These findings suggest that there may be an advantage to combining omega-3 fatty acids with a selective serotonin uptake inhibitor in the initial treatment of individuals with MDD. A larger definitive study is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.