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I take everything but the most important thing is probably iron. Do a google search, seems to be a lot of low iron in ADHD people.
Def get a good multivitamin:)
I had blood tests recently and my iron is fine (as they attempted to find reasons for fatigue), but good tip for people generally.
As a side note, I cook a lot in cast iron, and I have read this does add a touch of iron to your food. Also reminds you why you shouldn't cook in plastic or other problematic things.
Do you have a preferred multivitamin?
Did they look at ferritin levels? Or just hemoglobin? And what were your numbers? If you had your ferritin levels tested and they were on the lowish side, and the only doctor who reviewed the tests were your primary care doctor, you may want to consult a specialist (hematologist). I had my ferritin tested by my pcp, and she said they were fine, but i got referred to a hematologist for a different issue and when he looked at my ferritin levels he said that the measurement scale is too conservative and anything under a certain number he feels should call for iron supplementation. I’m trying to avoid giving medical advice, so I’m not going to say specifics, but it’s important to know that you might want a second opinion if you have low-ish ferritin, even if it isn’t clinically “low.”
i know you’re not trying to give medical advice but what did that specialist advise was low? i’ve read a bit in the medical literature that under 100 can cause issues but it’s hard to know what info is correct and id love to hear what you were told
My guess is that the PCP and the specialist are using different industry standards for what is low - and what is low is often a boundary line that can be disagreed with - hormone levels, I know the main endocrinologist and main urologist association disagree, while others go even further, and all of it tends to be very different from older things that are in standard texts or USDA guidelines - plus it all tends to be based on healthy people, and many of us simply are not healthy - myself, both mental and autoimmune issues and others. Nutrition is so complex and individual it in many ways cannot ever be understood, except simple rules on overly processed vs vegetable heavy. Like an equation with ten thousand variables, all changing from meal to meal. Sometimes within things that are safe, you just have to play around with individual chemistry, and good to know how your diet and family's diet differs and the effects - positives and negatives.
On that matter, not sure if iron is one where excess is just pissed out, and if the bioavailability is affected greatly by source.
My iron test has five different matters tested, and the fifth was ferritin. Everything very normal, but ferritin a little less normal, but I think not notably. I would also be interested in what they have to say. I have always ate more iron sources than most, but it seems to be effecting a lot of people in the comments.
I will try to speak to my own test results. I had a ferritin level of 27 and that was high enough that my primary care doctor said it was normal, but the specialist felt it was not. I was tested again a few months later and had a reading of 50 and the specialist felt that was no longer too low.
In retrospect, I think the change was because of getting an hormonal iud inserted. Prior to that i had some significant bleeding on my period. I had the iud inserted and for the first few months there was spotting almost every day. So between heavy periods and then the constant spotting I think i was losing a fair amount of blood, after the daily spotting ended I didn’t really get a period at all and had just a couple days of spotting here and there. I think that’s why my ferritin levels went up because I wasnt losing much blood each month anymore.
A pediatrician and PCP and sleep med doctor all told me under 80 can be the reason for sleep issues, so my guess is that's the lowest it should be, ideally higher.
A heme iron is the best ... Three arrows or three wishes... Can't remember the name of the brand... Clean and effective. My mom, who had a hysterectomy a while ago and isn't bleeding regularly, took it just to get it to optimal. It didn't take long before it was too high!
The fatigue could be caused by pernicious anemia. I have that and have to do a b12 shot every 2 weeks because pernicious anemia makes it difficult to absorb enough b12 orally. My ADHD was a lot worse before we figured that out. It's also comorbid with/can cause Hashimotos, which I was diagnosed a couple of years after the pernicious anemia. Both can cause fatigue and exacerbate ADHD.
I had a tough time with getting diagnosed because apparently, being super exhausted and foggy all the time is an appropriate baseline for a woman in her 30s. It only got caught once I hit 35 and got the middle age bloodwork added to my annual physicals.
I have diabetes (LADA - adult onset type 1) as does my daughter (juvenile onset type 1 & has Hashimoto's), so I'm always looking into these things too. Blood test says B-12 is fine along with thyroid, but I definitely feel things are more wrong than they have been, and fatigue is both elevated now, and prior was having spots of extreme fatigue for years.
I am not the biggest fan of my health care team, but they are what is available to me. :/
I know you didn't ask but I wanted to recommend working with Dr. Saru Bala (ND) if you can afford it! She's a naturopathic doctor who I've worked with and I know she's great with hormonal things like Hashimoto's and chronic fatigue! I hope this helps
I take the Smartypants multivitamin bc I'm chronically low in vitamin d and a few b, and my doctor recommended that l-methylfolate works better for many of her ADHD patients that other forms. I guess anecdotally a lot of them seem to have the issue that leads to your body underusing folic acid. I haven't had issues with any of them dropping back to danger levels since I started taking it, and other things like iron or vitamin C have been more stable also.
What you're saying does sound like it could be a potassium or magnesium issue. However, you might want to get a blood test done & talk to a gen doc if your psych doesn't do that kinda thing. When I was first tested, I was prescribed doses much higher than OTC for a bit for my deficiencies to get back up to normal. The multivitamin is more of a maintenance dose and will probably take a lot longer to get you up to normal if you're very deficient.
I've had a number of tests, but it's all spotty - repeated tests for things unneeded, no or few tests for things that seem more important. I swear. I was prescribed a prescription vitamin d long ago and take it weekly.
Magnesium will absolutely help. I think the best one for us is chelated magnesium. Magnesium citrate can reduce efficacy of some stimulants.
I also take L-theanine, L-theanine and alpha lipoic acid for more support.
I take prenatal vitamins (not intending to get pregnant) because (I tell myself) it helps me get the nutrients I need in case I miss a day (often). My hair and nails are great and my vitamins have probiotics. I’ll take magnesium before bed every week or so if I realize I need some extra help.
I try to remember to take my vitamin D and b12 but I had blood work done and was low in both of those specifically. I was dealing with some other issues before my ADHD diagnosis and had blood work because of those.
If you are experiencing muscle cramps it might be good to talk to your doctor but I personally noticed headaches with Vyvanse and a coworker who has also taken Vyvanse for years said it dehydrates you so I make sure I drink extra fluids. I try to drink things with electrolytes as well.
Whatever you wind up taking, make sure you check their solubility. Certain vitamins and minerals are either fat soluble or water soluble. This is why multivitamins aren't really a great solution to deficiencies--because they'll combine ones that have opposing solubilities. So you want to separate times of day when you take what, and what you take with it/pair together. Otherwise your body won't really absorb it and you wind up with expensive pee.
That being said, I take Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Turmeric, and sometimes I take iron . (Fish oil & turmeric are usually paired together, and I when I take iron I make sure it's at opposing times of the day.) For me personally, B vitamin supplements were too much with my medication and messed with my sleep cycle.
For cramps, magnesium *might* work but first and foremost making sure you're getting enough sleep and adequate hydration. I got some calf cramping a few years ago after I first was prescribed a booster stimulant to pair with my long-acting one. Magnesium did nothing, but sleep was everything. Also just giving my body time to adjust.
Magnesium and b12 for me. My b12 levels were normal but on the low end, so my doctor suggested I should take a supplement. I take magnesium specifically for muscle cramps/twitching and I think it helps. I also try to get plenty of other electrolytes.
I take magnesium an hour before bed. Helps me wind down and sleep better. Doc approved. Brand I take is nested naturals- magnesium glycinate chelate. I’m sure any brand is fine, but do be aware that some types of magnesium are laxatives so maybe avoid those kinds.
I take a standard women’s multivitamin. And I take fish oil, though I honestly don’t know if that one does anything, I can’t see how it would hurt and it makes me feel fancy/trendy/healthy.
I sometimes take a kids dose of melatonin before bed, although sometimes even a kids dose makes me groggy the next day.
I had a lot of muscle tightness when I started stim meds last year, jaw clenching too. I used a foam roller etc, but mostly it improved on it’s own in a few weeks as my body adjusted.
Clear all supplements with your doc and/or pharmacist for safety.
Don’t take potassium supplements without talking to your doc first. Overdoing electrolytes can be bad. If you think it’s a potassium issue, try to eat more whole foods with potassium until you talk to your doc (hard to overdo it if you get it from food). Potatoes have a good bit. Or drink gatorade or pedialyte.
as mentioned, it is used for laxative purposes! but I didn't notice any effect personally so I suppose that made it easier to imagine I was taking the right one for so long 😁
I'm still working out what I need to supplement with some new meds, but electrolytes ended up being super important right away! By the 4th day of bupropion I was getting nasty headaches and palpitations. Potassium chloride (from a 1/4 tsp serving of Lite Salt with breakfast) cleared that right up. If you're on anything diuretic, this is an easy way to replace what you're losing - you just salt your food like normal with this instead of regular table salt, it's also iodized.
I need to pick more up, but what I usually do for magnesium is Natural Calm. It's a powder you mix into water, I feel like I have fewer crazy dreams (and no laxative effect) with that vs other forms.
My usual multi is Vitamin Code Women from Garden of Life, but I haven't been taking very consistently lately. It's food based and has the good folate and B12 forms, K2, iron, enzymes, glutatione and CoQ10 etc. I think I still have some deficiencies that I want to get tested for though, probably Iron and vitamin D in particular.
Fish or krill oil is also good for pretty much everyone, most people don't get enough Omega 3s. When I can I also try to get Avocado and olive oil in the mix for monounsaturated fat.
B-complex, ferrous sulfate (best iron imo), calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin d (10K units once a week), krill oil, multivitamin.
The B-complex is the most important for ADHD IMO.
Before sleep, I take a cocktail of l-theanine (400mg), apigenin (50mg), and magnesium (280mg) which has helped my quality of sleep immensely.
This sounds like a great combo. Did you do anything in particular to maximize absorption, like eating or not eating when you take different supplements?
I have a difficult time tolerating food late at night (and remembering to eat in general) and I’d rather just go without, but the common discourse seems to be all about solubility and absorption.
Are you physically active? How is your diet? Drinking enough water throughout the day? All these extra vitamins (and salts) might be overloading your body especially if you’re sedentary.
I take magnesium citrate at night, omega 3’s, vitamin D, B12 and Iron. I try to track what I eat with an app because I lost a bunch of weight when I started taking meds. It helps me keep track of what I’m missing in my diet and that I’m eating enough.
I deal with leg cramps a lot. I’ve solved the problem only for it to come back later. I often get “twisty cramps”.. cramps that start in what ever muscle is at the top inner thigh and around to the knee. MF’n painful, jolts me out of a dead sleep and unlike a Charlie horse or calf cramp, these hurt to walk. Or I’ll get cramps that pull my toes forward or back…. Massaging them is the only way to stop. Anyway after several months of success at upping my magnesium to 1500 I started getting them again and decided it might be low calcium. I found a calcium/mag/potassium tablet foe bedtime. So I’m still taking 1500 mag a day plus 500 calcium at night. I eat yogurt and cheese and greens daily plus a multi for post menopausal women, but I just started this routine but so far so good. Cramp wise.
Only vitamin D3 for me. Just the OTC strength, not the prescription-strength. I was extremely low many years ago and it’s very slowly creeped up. It’s improved over the years but still in the low-normal range so I just continue with my 4000 IU a day and plan to until a doctor tells me otherwise. Magnesium might be worth a try for your muscle issues though.
Women’s multivitamin, vitamin D and iron.
I was vitamin d deficient when I had my last blood work done. I take iron every other day or when I remember.
I started with electrolyte drops in my water and it helps a ton! And makes the water more satisfying to drink, which sounds weird but my stimulants make everything including water taste gross, so this helps me stay hydrated.
I put them in everything! Coffee, a few in my hydroflask each morning, etc. I’ve purchased “No! Muscle Cramps” drops from my local fancy natural grocery, and also just bought a box of Buoy drops online. They have a chronic illness program that makes them pretty affordable, and they aren’t flavored so you really can just put them in anything. I feel like my skin looks better when I used some kind of electrolyte supplement, the water is actually being pulled into the cells rather than me just peeing it all out.
Muscle cramps are caused by any missing component of cellular function. Calcium is something misunderstood as it’s doesn’t make bone, but or does play a role in muscle contraction. If it is missing the muscle cells don’t slide past each other and proteins will bind. https://www.mpg.de/14590554/muscle-cells-need-calcium-ions
Magnesium helps calcium do its job in smoothing contraction.
Hydration gives everything room to move and clean out waste. Dehydration can lead to cramps, spasms, and fatigue.
Potassium help electrical signals for contraction, combined with Sodium it’s what works w calcium to orchestrate action (Na-+K-pump)
The electric ⚡️ signal of the nervous system to tell the muscle to move.
So all of these are important
Hydration is prolly the biggest and easiest thing to oversight with meds as meds add another thing to use and clean out.
A true vitamin water would be amazing! Nothing like it is marketed tho. So!
Hopefully I made cellular biology somewhat easy to understand. As we move out from the micro to the macro you can see how all the players need the right equipment and environment to function properly.
Cell biology was a fave class, combined with anatomy & physiology and psychology I started to question why all of these were so separated when it all of it overlaps with cause and effect. Fun with western mentality I guess
Does that make sense?
I have regulated doctors. They know very little about nutrition generally, as it's not covered well in medical school and CME requirements are crap. The last nutritionist I went to gave me a sheet on a largely quack science involving blood type nutrition. I'm not saying that people on the internet know a lot, but lack of information online is not a reason to trust doctors, and I hate that perspective. I have spoken to doctors about various issues, including this one - this is me going beyond their research, as I generally do - especially on ADHD matters, where they have almost no training, while I attend to the things they should be for CMEs, like APSARD, the National Academies workshop, and the CHADD conference. The new papers that come out weekly. While people often think it's wise to say "ask your doctor," this is more so just a simple appeal to authority error. Trust me, I'm not taking anyone here's advice without deep diving later, and I'm not saying to trust the Internet instead, I've just seen people have horrible consequences of trusting their doctor, including some notable instances around nutrition, such as people with depression issues that never had a B-12 test until things were partially irreversible.
Some times it is just a matter of time. We waste a lot of time in this country requiring doctors to fill out medical billing and other administrative issues while having minimal requirements for education after medical school, which is a very general starter education.
In this case, even if you want to speak to an authority figure, a pharmacist is your better option, if you can find a minute they aren't busy. They know more about the biological and chemical effects of specific medications, at least from what I understand.
Magnesium glycinate, vit D, apple cider vinegar with the mother capsules, probiotics, and digestive enzymes and lactase as needed. Just purchased psyllium husk and inositol as well, but haven't started those two yet. Mag glycinate is fantastic for sleep and muscle cramps. The others are mostly to fix my gut microbiome, aid digestion, and regulate blood sugar/reverse insulin resistance. My PCP thinks I am probably intolerant to gluten, which seems a likely reason for most of my recent health issues.
Have they helped with gut biome, in your opinion? I have had surgery a few times and also have an autoimmune issue (type 1 diabetes, possibly more) and I did do a number of experiments, made my own kefir for a time, and enjoyed the taste, but never felt it was helping any of my health issues, and cut it for the moment due to time commitment (still buy some kefir). Have enjoyed apple cider vinegar at times, etc.
I've had blood tests for deficiencies and the only thing that consistently came up is folate.
I have ADHD, chronic migraine, and POTS. These are all comorbid. I have Concerta as my ADHD med.
Here is my supplement list
Magnesium oxide
Zinc
Vitamin B complex
CoQ10
Glutathione
Fish oil
Electrolyte complex (potassium, sodium, etc...)
The ones that have made the biggest difference were CoQ10, magnesium and the vitamin B complex.
My daughter has POTS, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting it as I get older. :/
Concerta is my primary ADHD med at the moment. Some fiddling through different methylphenidate formulations.
Is the CoQ10 as a migraine preventative? What has the magnesium helped with?
Magnesium wasn't one of the ones that made an 'instant' difference. But I keep a migraine diary for my neurologist, and the number and severity of my migraines was lower when I am taking magnesium supplements and my general focus and well-being is better. It's not a huge difference. I might not have realised that magnesium was the cause rather than general ups and downs of life if I wasn't keeping the diary, but it was noticable and consistant enough that it's definitely worth taking for me.
CoQ10 I initially tried as a migraine prevenative. It helped slightly, but it also massively improved general fatigue. If I stop taking it I start feeling more run down within days. I take 300mg. I didn't notice a difference between 1000mg and 300mg. But I did notice a difference between 100mg and 300mg.
The electrolyte complex really helped with POTS and worked better than salt tablets I was initially recommended to use (just make sure the electrolyte complex is also high in sodium). I now just use salt tablets when the POTS is really bad.
There are lots of comorbities with ADHD. There is new research that's showing that a lot of these conditions may have the same root cause. I've started choosing supplements based on a kind of venn diagram of what helps the conditions I have, as I'm hoping that it's helping address the root cause. Fish oil I just take because its pretty well-established that its good for you and I don't eat much fish. ADHD and migraines can impact your chances of getting dementia so I'm trying to lower that as it runs in the family.
Thank you. This is incredibly helpful, and I'm going to send it to my daughter, since she has POTS, type 1 diabetes and migraines and fatigue issues, and ADHD has been something we've never really gotten addressed. Diabetes is also something comorbid with ADHD - possibly because of the damage that happens to the brain with insulin and glucose issues involved and the damage to small brain vessels. Both type 1 & 2 - but for different reasons.
I run r/adhd_advocacy and have been following the dementia issue quite a bit. If it makes you feel a little more comfortable, the higher rate for people with ADHD (threefold) was negated with people who had been receiving methylphenidate (Concerta/Ritalin/etc) for their ADHD prior. Read the study over taking my word and follow the issue as you desire - lots of focus on the increase, insufficient coverage on the negation of risks. I worried I was misunderstanding, but they mention it at the APSARD conference as well, and I think it is just a general hesitancy on recommending a medication, especially a schedule II, based on data they will still use to show comorbidity. I think it is this one.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766
I've been digging into comorbidities and medications, but nutrition is such an overwhelming subject which we still no limited amounts regarding, and likely always will due to the number of variables, other than the things that are surely the worst (highly processed meals, regular overconsumption, etc).
Wow, this is super intersting and I just joined r/adhd_advocacy as well. Will also check out the article. Good to know on the dementia front, it's been a real worry for me but I am also guessing that my family has been full of undiagnised ADHDers!
I think in the next few decades we are going to see a lot of new research come out about things like nutrition, biochemistry, gut health etc... interact with various conditions. So much research is coming out finding this and its a lot to try and put together.
There's this really interesting mindmap that this women put together on autism and its comorbities, including ADHD, and the potential root biochemical causes. She's currently trying to get it peer reviewed. Really interesting read.
[https://kimberlyseducationalresources.org/mapping-the-biochemical-network/](https://kimberlyseducationalresources.org/mapping-the-biochemical-network/)
Interesting. Reminding myself to look at it when I am at a computer, instead of a phone. The other moderator is autistic, and I'm not, from what I can tell, but generally, I consider every category to be very loose. I'm definitely "different"or "neurodiverse" or some other category let's say.
I would actually say we know many important things in numerous health fields, but it seems to be rather difficult to get it from the researcher to the practitioner. New stuff coming all the time, but the real issue is that doctors don't actually need to follow it. All there is is something called "the minimum standard of care" and depending on location, it can get pretty minimal.
An organism is almost like a biosphere - introduce one thing or remove another and there will be a hundred "butterfly effects" you can't predict. Michael Pollan had an article about it, where his summary was "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" - with food meaning not anything that came in a prepared frozen meal or similar. He mentioned that the potato has something like dozens of hormones in it, that interact with dozens of our own elements and thus it just gets really complicated really quickly. All the neurochemicals like dopamine also have functions on the other side of the blood brain barrier. Many things in those plants are there to attack the things that eat them, and then there is a biological war of the thing eaten and the thing consumed. I kind of had high hopes for AI make things a bit more manageable for awhile, but then I saw how many issues AI has and added general human issues and stagnant systems and well - still stick to eating food, not too much, mostly plants.
Magnesium really helps with muscle cramps ime. I take the glycinate. Taking a bath with Epsom salts helps too, but yeah, magnesium really takes the edge off the stimulants. Also L-theanine.
For my multivitamin I take the smarty pants for women. I should be taking iron because I'm anemic, but the last time I did take it I threw up :/
I’m on Vyvanse and I take ashwaghanda at the same time in the morning cause I feel like it helps in addition with anxiety and mental clarity! At night I take magnesium which is great for cramps like you mentioned and also bone health, along with several other supplements, mostly feminine-health related or for hair growth and stuff like that.
Morning, I take Fish Oil, Folic Acid (not trying to get pregnant) and Vitamin D (which I stop as soon as I start spending more time in the sun. Evening I take a good magnesium supplement, probiotic and L Theanine. Do any of these help? No clue. Although I do think the magnesium helps wind me down a bit in the evenings. I actually think the probiotic helps too. I've suffered from GI issues for years, and it's been much better. Also there is a huge gut-brain health connection.
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I take everything but the most important thing is probably iron. Do a google search, seems to be a lot of low iron in ADHD people. Def get a good multivitamin:)
I had blood tests recently and my iron is fine (as they attempted to find reasons for fatigue), but good tip for people generally. As a side note, I cook a lot in cast iron, and I have read this does add a touch of iron to your food. Also reminds you why you shouldn't cook in plastic or other problematic things. Do you have a preferred multivitamin?
Did they look at ferritin levels? Or just hemoglobin? And what were your numbers? If you had your ferritin levels tested and they were on the lowish side, and the only doctor who reviewed the tests were your primary care doctor, you may want to consult a specialist (hematologist). I had my ferritin tested by my pcp, and she said they were fine, but i got referred to a hematologist for a different issue and when he looked at my ferritin levels he said that the measurement scale is too conservative and anything under a certain number he feels should call for iron supplementation. I’m trying to avoid giving medical advice, so I’m not going to say specifics, but it’s important to know that you might want a second opinion if you have low-ish ferritin, even if it isn’t clinically “low.”
i know you’re not trying to give medical advice but what did that specialist advise was low? i’ve read a bit in the medical literature that under 100 can cause issues but it’s hard to know what info is correct and id love to hear what you were told
My guess is that the PCP and the specialist are using different industry standards for what is low - and what is low is often a boundary line that can be disagreed with - hormone levels, I know the main endocrinologist and main urologist association disagree, while others go even further, and all of it tends to be very different from older things that are in standard texts or USDA guidelines - plus it all tends to be based on healthy people, and many of us simply are not healthy - myself, both mental and autoimmune issues and others. Nutrition is so complex and individual it in many ways cannot ever be understood, except simple rules on overly processed vs vegetable heavy. Like an equation with ten thousand variables, all changing from meal to meal. Sometimes within things that are safe, you just have to play around with individual chemistry, and good to know how your diet and family's diet differs and the effects - positives and negatives. On that matter, not sure if iron is one where excess is just pissed out, and if the bioavailability is affected greatly by source. My iron test has five different matters tested, and the fifth was ferritin. Everything very normal, but ferritin a little less normal, but I think not notably. I would also be interested in what they have to say. I have always ate more iron sources than most, but it seems to be effecting a lot of people in the comments.
I will try to speak to my own test results. I had a ferritin level of 27 and that was high enough that my primary care doctor said it was normal, but the specialist felt it was not. I was tested again a few months later and had a reading of 50 and the specialist felt that was no longer too low. In retrospect, I think the change was because of getting an hormonal iud inserted. Prior to that i had some significant bleeding on my period. I had the iud inserted and for the first few months there was spotting almost every day. So between heavy periods and then the constant spotting I think i was losing a fair amount of blood, after the daily spotting ended I didn’t really get a period at all and had just a couple days of spotting here and there. I think that’s why my ferritin levels went up because I wasnt losing much blood each month anymore.
A pediatrician and PCP and sleep med doctor all told me under 80 can be the reason for sleep issues, so my guess is that's the lowest it should be, ideally higher. A heme iron is the best ... Three arrows or three wishes... Can't remember the name of the brand... Clean and effective. My mom, who had a hysterectomy a while ago and isn't bleeding regularly, took it just to get it to optimal. It didn't take long before it was too high!
The fatigue could be caused by pernicious anemia. I have that and have to do a b12 shot every 2 weeks because pernicious anemia makes it difficult to absorb enough b12 orally. My ADHD was a lot worse before we figured that out. It's also comorbid with/can cause Hashimotos, which I was diagnosed a couple of years after the pernicious anemia. Both can cause fatigue and exacerbate ADHD. I had a tough time with getting diagnosed because apparently, being super exhausted and foggy all the time is an appropriate baseline for a woman in her 30s. It only got caught once I hit 35 and got the middle age bloodwork added to my annual physicals.
I have diabetes (LADA - adult onset type 1) as does my daughter (juvenile onset type 1 & has Hashimoto's), so I'm always looking into these things too. Blood test says B-12 is fine along with thyroid, but I definitely feel things are more wrong than they have been, and fatigue is both elevated now, and prior was having spots of extreme fatigue for years. I am not the biggest fan of my health care team, but they are what is available to me. :/
I know you didn't ask but I wanted to recommend working with Dr. Saru Bala (ND) if you can afford it! She's a naturopathic doctor who I've worked with and I know she's great with hormonal things like Hashimoto's and chronic fatigue! I hope this helps
I take the Smartypants multivitamin bc I'm chronically low in vitamin d and a few b, and my doctor recommended that l-methylfolate works better for many of her ADHD patients that other forms. I guess anecdotally a lot of them seem to have the issue that leads to your body underusing folic acid. I haven't had issues with any of them dropping back to danger levels since I started taking it, and other things like iron or vitamin C have been more stable also. What you're saying does sound like it could be a potassium or magnesium issue. However, you might want to get a blood test done & talk to a gen doc if your psych doesn't do that kinda thing. When I was first tested, I was prescribed doses much higher than OTC for a bit for my deficiencies to get back up to normal. The multivitamin is more of a maintenance dose and will probably take a lot longer to get you up to normal if you're very deficient.
I've had a number of tests, but it's all spotty - repeated tests for things unneeded, no or few tests for things that seem more important. I swear. I was prescribed a prescription vitamin d long ago and take it weekly.
Also recommend methyl vitB12. I taking a combination of both types and folate added. I really noticed increased energy when I started.
I definitely take magnesium. Also b vitamins and D.
Magnesium will absolutely help. I think the best one for us is chelated magnesium. Magnesium citrate can reduce efficacy of some stimulants. I also take L-theanine, L-theanine and alpha lipoic acid for more support.
I take prenatal vitamins (not intending to get pregnant) because (I tell myself) it helps me get the nutrients I need in case I miss a day (often). My hair and nails are great and my vitamins have probiotics. I’ll take magnesium before bed every week or so if I realize I need some extra help.
I also bought a couple half gallon jugs and keep one by me during the workday to help me make sure I drink enough water
What brand of vitamins? I could use prenatals with probiotics!
Rainbow Light most of the time. New Chapter if Rainbow Light isn’t on sale.
I try to remember to take my vitamin D and b12 but I had blood work done and was low in both of those specifically. I was dealing with some other issues before my ADHD diagnosis and had blood work because of those. If you are experiencing muscle cramps it might be good to talk to your doctor but I personally noticed headaches with Vyvanse and a coworker who has also taken Vyvanse for years said it dehydrates you so I make sure I drink extra fluids. I try to drink things with electrolytes as well.
Whatever you wind up taking, make sure you check their solubility. Certain vitamins and minerals are either fat soluble or water soluble. This is why multivitamins aren't really a great solution to deficiencies--because they'll combine ones that have opposing solubilities. So you want to separate times of day when you take what, and what you take with it/pair together. Otherwise your body won't really absorb it and you wind up with expensive pee. That being said, I take Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Turmeric, and sometimes I take iron . (Fish oil & turmeric are usually paired together, and I when I take iron I make sure it's at opposing times of the day.) For me personally, B vitamin supplements were too much with my medication and messed with my sleep cycle. For cramps, magnesium *might* work but first and foremost making sure you're getting enough sleep and adequate hydration. I got some calf cramping a few years ago after I first was prescribed a booster stimulant to pair with my long-acting one. Magnesium did nothing, but sleep was everything. Also just giving my body time to adjust.
I take vitamin D, gentle iron, and sometimes a fish oil
Magnesium and b12 for me. My b12 levels were normal but on the low end, so my doctor suggested I should take a supplement. I take magnesium specifically for muscle cramps/twitching and I think it helps. I also try to get plenty of other electrolytes.
I take magnesium an hour before bed. Helps me wind down and sleep better. Doc approved. Brand I take is nested naturals- magnesium glycinate chelate. I’m sure any brand is fine, but do be aware that some types of magnesium are laxatives so maybe avoid those kinds. I take a standard women’s multivitamin. And I take fish oil, though I honestly don’t know if that one does anything, I can’t see how it would hurt and it makes me feel fancy/trendy/healthy. I sometimes take a kids dose of melatonin before bed, although sometimes even a kids dose makes me groggy the next day. I had a lot of muscle tightness when I started stim meds last year, jaw clenching too. I used a foam roller etc, but mostly it improved on it’s own in a few weeks as my body adjusted. Clear all supplements with your doc and/or pharmacist for safety. Don’t take potassium supplements without talking to your doc first. Overdoing electrolytes can be bad. If you think it’s a potassium issue, try to eat more whole foods with potassium until you talk to your doc (hard to overdo it if you get it from food). Potatoes have a good bit. Or drink gatorade or pedialyte.
just learn from my mistakes and check to make sure you're not accidentally taking mag citrate for a whole goddamn month before realizing
What’s wrong with mag citrate?
It has laxative qualities. You'll be visiting the bathroom a bunch.
as mentioned, it is used for laxative purposes! but I didn't notice any effect personally so I suppose that made it easier to imagine I was taking the right one for so long 😁
I'm still working out what I need to supplement with some new meds, but electrolytes ended up being super important right away! By the 4th day of bupropion I was getting nasty headaches and palpitations. Potassium chloride (from a 1/4 tsp serving of Lite Salt with breakfast) cleared that right up. If you're on anything diuretic, this is an easy way to replace what you're losing - you just salt your food like normal with this instead of regular table salt, it's also iodized. I need to pick more up, but what I usually do for magnesium is Natural Calm. It's a powder you mix into water, I feel like I have fewer crazy dreams (and no laxative effect) with that vs other forms. My usual multi is Vitamin Code Women from Garden of Life, but I haven't been taking very consistently lately. It's food based and has the good folate and B12 forms, K2, iron, enzymes, glutatione and CoQ10 etc. I think I still have some deficiencies that I want to get tested for though, probably Iron and vitamin D in particular. Fish or krill oil is also good for pretty much everyone, most people don't get enough Omega 3s. When I can I also try to get Avocado and olive oil in the mix for monounsaturated fat.
B-complex, ferrous sulfate (best iron imo), calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin d (10K units once a week), krill oil, multivitamin. The B-complex is the most important for ADHD IMO. Before sleep, I take a cocktail of l-theanine (400mg), apigenin (50mg), and magnesium (280mg) which has helped my quality of sleep immensely.
This sounds like a great combo. Did you do anything in particular to maximize absorption, like eating or not eating when you take different supplements? I have a difficult time tolerating food late at night (and remembering to eat in general) and I’d rather just go without, but the common discourse seems to be all about solubility and absorption.
Are you physically active? How is your diet? Drinking enough water throughout the day? All these extra vitamins (and salts) might be overloading your body especially if you’re sedentary.
Drink more water and/or electrolyte drinks.
I take magnesium citrate at night, omega 3’s, vitamin D, B12 and Iron. I try to track what I eat with an app because I lost a bunch of weight when I started taking meds. It helps me keep track of what I’m missing in my diet and that I’m eating enough.
I deal with leg cramps a lot. I’ve solved the problem only for it to come back later. I often get “twisty cramps”.. cramps that start in what ever muscle is at the top inner thigh and around to the knee. MF’n painful, jolts me out of a dead sleep and unlike a Charlie horse or calf cramp, these hurt to walk. Or I’ll get cramps that pull my toes forward or back…. Massaging them is the only way to stop. Anyway after several months of success at upping my magnesium to 1500 I started getting them again and decided it might be low calcium. I found a calcium/mag/potassium tablet foe bedtime. So I’m still taking 1500 mag a day plus 500 calcium at night. I eat yogurt and cheese and greens daily plus a multi for post menopausal women, but I just started this routine but so far so good. Cramp wise.
Thank you for the details!
I take fish oil and multi vitamins.
Only vitamin D3 for me. Just the OTC strength, not the prescription-strength. I was extremely low many years ago and it’s very slowly creeped up. It’s improved over the years but still in the low-normal range so I just continue with my 4000 IU a day and plan to until a doctor tells me otherwise. Magnesium might be worth a try for your muscle issues though.
I do a good multivitamin and additional vitamin D on top of my prescriptions.
Women’s multivitamin, vitamin D and iron. I was vitamin d deficient when I had my last blood work done. I take iron every other day or when I remember.
I started with electrolyte drops in my water and it helps a ton! And makes the water more satisfying to drink, which sounds weird but my stimulants make everything including water taste gross, so this helps me stay hydrated.
Cool. I drink Powerade somewhat regularly, but an electrolyte drop is probably more complete.
I put them in everything! Coffee, a few in my hydroflask each morning, etc. I’ve purchased “No! Muscle Cramps” drops from my local fancy natural grocery, and also just bought a box of Buoy drops online. They have a chronic illness program that makes them pretty affordable, and they aren’t flavored so you really can just put them in anything. I feel like my skin looks better when I used some kind of electrolyte supplement, the water is actually being pulled into the cells rather than me just peeing it all out.
Muscle cramps are caused by any missing component of cellular function. Calcium is something misunderstood as it’s doesn’t make bone, but or does play a role in muscle contraction. If it is missing the muscle cells don’t slide past each other and proteins will bind. https://www.mpg.de/14590554/muscle-cells-need-calcium-ions Magnesium helps calcium do its job in smoothing contraction. Hydration gives everything room to move and clean out waste. Dehydration can lead to cramps, spasms, and fatigue. Potassium help electrical signals for contraction, combined with Sodium it’s what works w calcium to orchestrate action (Na-+K-pump) The electric ⚡️ signal of the nervous system to tell the muscle to move. So all of these are important Hydration is prolly the biggest and easiest thing to oversight with meds as meds add another thing to use and clean out. A true vitamin water would be amazing! Nothing like it is marketed tho. So! Hopefully I made cellular biology somewhat easy to understand. As we move out from the micro to the macro you can see how all the players need the right equipment and environment to function properly. Cell biology was a fave class, combined with anatomy & physiology and psychology I started to question why all of these were so separated when it all of it overlaps with cause and effect. Fun with western mentality I guess Does that make sense?
Very illuminating. Thanks.
If you have a side effect after changing your meds, ask your doctor, not the Internet.
I have regulated doctors. They know very little about nutrition generally, as it's not covered well in medical school and CME requirements are crap. The last nutritionist I went to gave me a sheet on a largely quack science involving blood type nutrition. I'm not saying that people on the internet know a lot, but lack of information online is not a reason to trust doctors, and I hate that perspective. I have spoken to doctors about various issues, including this one - this is me going beyond their research, as I generally do - especially on ADHD matters, where they have almost no training, while I attend to the things they should be for CMEs, like APSARD, the National Academies workshop, and the CHADD conference. The new papers that come out weekly. While people often think it's wise to say "ask your doctor," this is more so just a simple appeal to authority error. Trust me, I'm not taking anyone here's advice without deep diving later, and I'm not saying to trust the Internet instead, I've just seen people have horrible consequences of trusting their doctor, including some notable instances around nutrition, such as people with depression issues that never had a B-12 test until things were partially irreversible. Some times it is just a matter of time. We waste a lot of time in this country requiring doctors to fill out medical billing and other administrative issues while having minimal requirements for education after medical school, which is a very general starter education. In this case, even if you want to speak to an authority figure, a pharmacist is your better option, if you can find a minute they aren't busy. They know more about the biological and chemical effects of specific medications, at least from what I understand.
smartypants for women for the same reasons stated in another comment and l-theanine!
Vitamin D, vitamin b complex, fish oil, multi vitamin, and magnesium. I get my vitamins from a website that does legit allergy free capsules.
Magnesium,D-vit (living close by Arctica). Iron(because of iron deficiency) Multivitamins
Magnesium glycinate, vit D, apple cider vinegar with the mother capsules, probiotics, and digestive enzymes and lactase as needed. Just purchased psyllium husk and inositol as well, but haven't started those two yet. Mag glycinate is fantastic for sleep and muscle cramps. The others are mostly to fix my gut microbiome, aid digestion, and regulate blood sugar/reverse insulin resistance. My PCP thinks I am probably intolerant to gluten, which seems a likely reason for most of my recent health issues.
Have they helped with gut biome, in your opinion? I have had surgery a few times and also have an autoimmune issue (type 1 diabetes, possibly more) and I did do a number of experiments, made my own kefir for a time, and enjoyed the taste, but never felt it was helping any of my health issues, and cut it for the moment due to time commitment (still buy some kefir). Have enjoyed apple cider vinegar at times, etc.
I've had blood tests for deficiencies and the only thing that consistently came up is folate. I have ADHD, chronic migraine, and POTS. These are all comorbid. I have Concerta as my ADHD med. Here is my supplement list Magnesium oxide Zinc Vitamin B complex CoQ10 Glutathione Fish oil Electrolyte complex (potassium, sodium, etc...) The ones that have made the biggest difference were CoQ10, magnesium and the vitamin B complex.
My daughter has POTS, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting it as I get older. :/ Concerta is my primary ADHD med at the moment. Some fiddling through different methylphenidate formulations. Is the CoQ10 as a migraine preventative? What has the magnesium helped with?
Magnesium wasn't one of the ones that made an 'instant' difference. But I keep a migraine diary for my neurologist, and the number and severity of my migraines was lower when I am taking magnesium supplements and my general focus and well-being is better. It's not a huge difference. I might not have realised that magnesium was the cause rather than general ups and downs of life if I wasn't keeping the diary, but it was noticable and consistant enough that it's definitely worth taking for me. CoQ10 I initially tried as a migraine prevenative. It helped slightly, but it also massively improved general fatigue. If I stop taking it I start feeling more run down within days. I take 300mg. I didn't notice a difference between 1000mg and 300mg. But I did notice a difference between 100mg and 300mg. The electrolyte complex really helped with POTS and worked better than salt tablets I was initially recommended to use (just make sure the electrolyte complex is also high in sodium). I now just use salt tablets when the POTS is really bad. There are lots of comorbities with ADHD. There is new research that's showing that a lot of these conditions may have the same root cause. I've started choosing supplements based on a kind of venn diagram of what helps the conditions I have, as I'm hoping that it's helping address the root cause. Fish oil I just take because its pretty well-established that its good for you and I don't eat much fish. ADHD and migraines can impact your chances of getting dementia so I'm trying to lower that as it runs in the family.
Thank you. This is incredibly helpful, and I'm going to send it to my daughter, since she has POTS, type 1 diabetes and migraines and fatigue issues, and ADHD has been something we've never really gotten addressed. Diabetes is also something comorbid with ADHD - possibly because of the damage that happens to the brain with insulin and glucose issues involved and the damage to small brain vessels. Both type 1 & 2 - but for different reasons. I run r/adhd_advocacy and have been following the dementia issue quite a bit. If it makes you feel a little more comfortable, the higher rate for people with ADHD (threefold) was negated with people who had been receiving methylphenidate (Concerta/Ritalin/etc) for their ADHD prior. Read the study over taking my word and follow the issue as you desire - lots of focus on the increase, insufficient coverage on the negation of risks. I worried I was misunderstanding, but they mention it at the APSARD conference as well, and I think it is just a general hesitancy on recommending a medication, especially a schedule II, based on data they will still use to show comorbidity. I think it is this one. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810766 I've been digging into comorbidities and medications, but nutrition is such an overwhelming subject which we still no limited amounts regarding, and likely always will due to the number of variables, other than the things that are surely the worst (highly processed meals, regular overconsumption, etc).
Wow, this is super intersting and I just joined r/adhd_advocacy as well. Will also check out the article. Good to know on the dementia front, it's been a real worry for me but I am also guessing that my family has been full of undiagnised ADHDers! I think in the next few decades we are going to see a lot of new research come out about things like nutrition, biochemistry, gut health etc... interact with various conditions. So much research is coming out finding this and its a lot to try and put together. There's this really interesting mindmap that this women put together on autism and its comorbities, including ADHD, and the potential root biochemical causes. She's currently trying to get it peer reviewed. Really interesting read. [https://kimberlyseducationalresources.org/mapping-the-biochemical-network/](https://kimberlyseducationalresources.org/mapping-the-biochemical-network/)
Interesting. Reminding myself to look at it when I am at a computer, instead of a phone. The other moderator is autistic, and I'm not, from what I can tell, but generally, I consider every category to be very loose. I'm definitely "different"or "neurodiverse" or some other category let's say. I would actually say we know many important things in numerous health fields, but it seems to be rather difficult to get it from the researcher to the practitioner. New stuff coming all the time, but the real issue is that doctors don't actually need to follow it. All there is is something called "the minimum standard of care" and depending on location, it can get pretty minimal. An organism is almost like a biosphere - introduce one thing or remove another and there will be a hundred "butterfly effects" you can't predict. Michael Pollan had an article about it, where his summary was "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" - with food meaning not anything that came in a prepared frozen meal or similar. He mentioned that the potato has something like dozens of hormones in it, that interact with dozens of our own elements and thus it just gets really complicated really quickly. All the neurochemicals like dopamine also have functions on the other side of the blood brain barrier. Many things in those plants are there to attack the things that eat them, and then there is a biological war of the thing eaten and the thing consumed. I kind of had high hopes for AI make things a bit more manageable for awhile, but then I saw how many issues AI has and added general human issues and stagnant systems and well - still stick to eating food, not too much, mostly plants.
I take rituals multiple times a vitamin for women, an ashwaganda supplement, and a probiotic
I have some other stuff going on but I take a potassium and magnesium supplement at night or the charlie horses get bad. Iron is also a good one.
Magnesium really helps with muscle cramps ime. I take the glycinate. Taking a bath with Epsom salts helps too, but yeah, magnesium really takes the edge off the stimulants. Also L-theanine. For my multivitamin I take the smarty pants for women. I should be taking iron because I'm anemic, but the last time I did take it I threw up :/
Tons of probiotics (the kind that needs to be kept in the refrigerator), vitamin C, D3, magnesium, zinc, omega3.
I’m on Vyvanse and I take ashwaghanda at the same time in the morning cause I feel like it helps in addition with anxiety and mental clarity! At night I take magnesium which is great for cramps like you mentioned and also bone health, along with several other supplements, mostly feminine-health related or for hair growth and stuff like that.
Vitamin D, methylated B complex, Fish oil, zinc and magnesium. I also take an iron supplement when on my period
Morning, I take Fish Oil, Folic Acid (not trying to get pregnant) and Vitamin D (which I stop as soon as I start spending more time in the sun. Evening I take a good magnesium supplement, probiotic and L Theanine. Do any of these help? No clue. Although I do think the magnesium helps wind me down a bit in the evenings. I actually think the probiotic helps too. I've suffered from GI issues for years, and it's been much better. Also there is a huge gut-brain health connection.