--- title: "Psych News Alert: Creatine Supplement to SSRI Antidepressant May Speed Recovery From Depression" description: Adding creatine—a dietary supplement—to treatment of depression with an SSRI antidepressant may be a promising therapeutic approach that spe... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_97987424-Jun-24-2025-06-43-01-3049-PM.jpg --- 9/26/12 12:00 AM # Creatine Supplement to SSRI Antidepressant May Speed Recovery From Depression ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/09/creatine-supplement-to-ssri.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/09/creatine-supplement-to-ssri.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/09/creatine-supplement-to-ssri.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/09/creatine-supplement-to-ssri.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/09/creatine-supplement-to-ssri.html) | ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_97987424-Jun-24-2025-06-43-00-2925-PM.jpg?width=131&height=200&name=shutterstock_97987424-Jun-24-2025-06-43-00-2925-PM.jpg) | | | --- | --- | Adding creatine—a dietary supplement—to treatment of depression with an SSRI antidepressant may be a promising therapeutic approach that speeds response to the medication, according to a report in the *American Journal of Psychiatry*. Korean and American investigators enrolled 52 women with major depressive disorder in an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial and randomly assigned them to receive escitalopram—an SSRI antidepressant—in addition to either creatine or placebo. Efficacy was primarily assessed by changes in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). They found that in comparison with the placebo group, patients receiving creatine augmentation showed significantly greater improvements in HAM-D score, as early as week 2 of treatment. This differential improvement was maintained at weeks 4 and 8. There were no differences between treatment groups in the proportion of patients who discontinued treatment prematurely or in the overall frequency of adverse events. The results need to be replicated in more studies, but the researchers say the results are encouraging because antidepressants like escitalopram, despite their immediate effects at the synaptic level, usually require several weeks of administration to achieve clinical efficacy. “The present results suggest that creatine, used to augment treatment with the SSRI escitalopram, provides a promising therapeutic approach for major depressive disorder in terms of its superior efficacy, relatively good tolerability, minimal side effects, and easy attainability,” they wrote. The *AJP* report is [here](http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=1306075) . For more about depression and antidepressant medication see *Psychiatric News, *click [here.](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1104015) (Image:monticello/shutterstock.com) [SSRIs](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ssris), [major depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/major-depression) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/soldier%20with%20child_68018101-Jun-24-2025-05-18-51-7695-PM.jpg?height=200&name=soldier%20with%20child_68018101-Jun-24-2025-05-18-51-7695-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/05/deployment-not-military-service.html) [psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry), [military mental health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/military-mental-health), [Soldiers](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/soldiers), [reserve component](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/reserve-component) ## [Deployment, not Military Service, Stresses Reservists](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/05/deployment-not-military-service.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 5/16/12 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/05/deployment-not-military-service.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/COVID19-iStock-1217667741-Jun-24-2025-10-32-42-2752-PM.jpg?height=200&name=COVID19-iStock-1217667741-Jun-24-2025-10-32-42-2752-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/12/covid-19-most-deadly-for-patients-with.html) [schizophrenia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/schizophrenia), [mood disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mood-disorders), [JAMA Network Open](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-network-open), [anxiety disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anxiety-disorders), [psychiatric disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-disorders), [COVID-19](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/covid-19) ## [COVID-19 Most Deadly for Patients With Schizophrenia, Study Suggests](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/12/covid-19-most-deadly-for-patients-with.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 12/1/21 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/12/covid-19-most-deadly-for-patients-with.html) [psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry) ## [Scientists Pinpoint Site in Brain for Rare Personality Disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/scientists-pinpoint-site-in-brain-for.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 3/21/12 12:00 AM National Institute of Mental Health scientists have pinpointed the site in the brain of a rare... 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