زنک · zinc sulphate, zinc gluconate
Mixed evidence
Modest add-on evidence. Easy to overdo, and overdoing it causes its own problems.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
A mineral needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and smell, and many brain processes. In meat, shellfish, pulses and seeds.
Blood zinc tends to be lower in people with depression, and small trials of zinc added to an antidepressant reported better results than the antidepressant alone. Zinc alone is not established. As with vitamin D and B12, the case is strongest where there is a real shortfall.
Add-on trials commonly used 25 mg daily of elemental zinc alongside treatment.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Long-term high doses deplete copper, causing anaemia and nerve problems - do not take large amounts for months without advice. Nausea is common on an empty stomach. Reduces absorption of some antibiotics.
Cheap and everywhere, largely because zinc syrup is standard for childhood diarrhoea. Diets low in meat and high in unleavened wholegrain bread absorb less than the amount eaten suggests.
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