January 29, 2026
Dose Wars: Sunshine vs meds
Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants
Commenters hype vitamin D & fish oil, skeptics cry 'placebo,' then a 5000 mg typo explodes
TLDR: A viral post claims vitamin D and omega-3 beat antidepressants on effect size, sparking cheers, chia recipes, and a scary 5000 mg vs IU typo that got swiftly corrected. Comments split between personal success stories and Wikipedia-fueled skepticism, with many urging: stack smart, exercise, and ask your doctor.
The internet crowned a new mood-boosting duo — vitamin D and omega-3 — and the comments went full reality show. Fans flexed receipts: one vegan said ditching sertraline and starting Omega-3 + D (plus a gym kick) led to “calm and peace” in weeks, while the plant-powered crowd yelled, “Skip the pills, sprinkle hemp hearts, chia, and flax!” It quickly turned into breakfast therapy memes: “This isn’t medical advice, it’s oatmeal advice.”
Then the plot twist: a dangerous 5000 mg vs 5000 IU typo set the thread on fire. One user slammed the brakes — “Please do not take 5000mg/day of Vitamin D” — and everyone piled on until the author corrected the units. Meanwhile, skeptics waved receipts of their own, citing a 2014 review saying vitamin D doesn’t help most people overall, with possible benefits only for those with real depression — cue the “show me RCTs” crowd vs the “it helped me” crew.
Amid the chaos, the middle camp preached balance: you can stack supplements with meds, talk to your doctor, and remember exercise might be the secret third ingredient. The vibe? Hopeful but spicy — a wellness win for some, a stats fight for others, and a unit-conversion meltdown for everyone.
Key Points
- •The article states antidepressants have an average standardized effect size of ~0.4 versus placebo for depression.
- •It claims Omega-3 supplements (≥60% EPA) at 1500 mg/day have an effect size around ~0.6.
- •It asserts Vitamin D at 5000 IU/day has an effect size around ~1.8 and benefits even those without insufficiency.
- •The post argues official dosage recommendations for Vitamin D and Omega-3 are too low and that the official Vitamin D max safe dose is underestimated.
- •It advises supplements can be combined with antidepressants and corrects a dosage unit error to 5000 IU/day for Vitamin D.