Which non-psychologic medication may augment treatment for depression?

T3 supplementation, or liothyronine, is a thyroid hormone that can play an important role in augmenting treatment for depression, especially in patients who have not achieved adequate response to standard antidepressant medications. The thyroid hormones are critical for normal metabolic processes, and their deficiency has been linked to mood disorders.

Research has shown that adding T3 to an existing antidepressant treatment can enhance its efficacy, particularly in cases of treatment-resistant depression. This is thought to occur through the modulation of neurotransmitter activity, including serotonin, which is frequently targeted in conventional antidepressant therapies.

In contrast, fluoxetine is an antidepressant itself and thus does not act as a non-psychological augmentation strategy. Sodium bicarbonate is primarily used for metabolic acidosis and does not have antidepressant properties. Clonidine is primarily an antihypertensive and is sometimes used for specific indications in anxiety but is not recognized as an augmentative treatment for depression.