Vitamins and Supplements for ADHD

15 Comments & Reviews: Vitamins and Supplements for ADHD

1. So as I became older now, turning close to 32 now with this annoying adhd learning battle. I had major difficulties with memorization, lost jobs because I couldn’t memorize things faster, had major anxiety, masked depression, learning issues and not being able to control my thoughts and going everywhere specially if I need to study for some work project or learning I need to do, but I just learn from lessons of life. over the years I have made up a combination of supplements that work for me when I need to memorize super hardcore and learn. it’s almost like do or quit the job. I hope some of these supplements can help someone

   adrafinil 100 mg helps stay a little flexible occasionally
   Brain md focus and energy definitely helps x4
   ciltep x 3
   dopamine from natural stacks x 1
   exogenous ketones- brain power as keto is best for me 2100 mg + protein breakfast
   blueberry extract at least 1700 mg
   DHA highest you can find. I have of DHA about 700mg-900 DHA
   GNC multivitamin energy and metabolism x2
   Uridine 300 mg
   Lion’s mane 1500 or a little more helps me process faster, speak with flow and comprehension
   Procera AVH ginko (not the advanced) x 1 every 4 hours. helps brain power
   Calm focus from Raydian which is not sold anymore but is 500mg rhodiola, 200 ashwaghanda, 100 lemon balm.
   Lithium orotate 10mg

   I may add L tyrosine 1000 mg
   Alpha lipoic acid 100 mg
   Coq 10 100mg
   Acetyl-L cartinine 1500 mg
   Procera AVH mood x2 to reduce the mood swings as you get depressed when you can’t concentrate the more you try.
   It’s helping me again to learn and keep learning hard subjects. I would recommend it

2. I take these in the morning for the day. Should I be taking them any other time as well? I know this is not really the place for this question, but I’m not sure who to ask about vitamins and ADHD. My doctor wants nothing to do with my ADHD. I thought about taking these before bed to help with sleeping.

3. Having raised two children who were ADHD I found that following the Feingold’s program very effective. The diet is an elimination diet that helps you find out if certain foods or artificial additives, flavoring, colorings and preservatives are triggering the problems you are seeing, such as focus, frustration, fidgeting and behavior problems. We kept a diary of everything the kids ate and if there was a reaction we immediately took it out of their diets, gave it about 4 weeks and then tried again. If the same problem arose they never had it again. I did a lot of home cooking as by do so I knew exactly what was in everything. I also added vitamin D, B and C into their diets. By the time they were 18 the synapses in their brains were firing properly. Both my children are now adults who have University degrees. I truly believe that most of the problems children with ADHD face is due to all the rubbish that is now in processed foods.

4. I have a son who was put on a gluten free diet at age 10. The biggest surprise for us was that he would FINALLY sleep through the night. I put him on this diet after I discovered a need for myself to be gluten free (at age 38). His gastro “issues” were so similar to mine that I decided to just try it. Yes, the gut issues resolved as well. But the sleep issues resolving was an amazing gift to the entire family. Finally, his meds worked more consistently and we all got to sleep through the night.

   It has to be 100% gluten free, neither of us currently tests as having celiac, but we need to act as though we do.

5. We have been using the SNAP natural medication from adhdsnap .com for nearly one year. We are using it to manage my teenage son’s ADHD, ODD and depression. It is a liquid medication that he drinks with juice and this is nice since he refuses to swallow pills.
   He is using the suggested dose in the mornings and the supplemental half dose later in the day.
   we have found this to be very effective in helping him keep up in school and it has curbed his behavior problems. He nearly was expelled from school due to anger issues and outbursts.
   At home, he also had a lot of emotional problems and at times, he was rather frightening to be around.
   Once we started him on the SNAP, he settled significantly.
   Now he doesn’t have problems in school anymore. He is able to keep up with the classwork and the behavior issues have stopped.
   At home, he isn’t having the moodswings as before either. He has become rather calm and easy going.
   His symptoms of depression are non-existent these days too.
   Some time before finding the SNAP, he had been on Adderall and Prozac.
   We were having a lot of anger problems in the afternoons and the prozac didn’t seem to help with him.
   We had also tried Risperidone but he ended up with a puffy chest.
   It has been wonderful to find the SNAP and get his symptoms under control.
   I feel like I finally have my sweet boy back, he isn’t so sad anymore and it’s great to see him this way.
   I feel like he will have a much better chance to succeed with the rest of school now that he is finally doing better.
   SNAP says it helps to balance the brain and I can say that it sure did do that for my son.
   He is so much improved with this and the other things we tried never brought him to such a stable state of mind. I can’t say enough about how much better our life is now that he is better.

6. I have heard that lithium as orotate DOES cross the blood-brain barrier.

   I have been taking it for almost three weeks. It eliminates that feeling of being irritated and sad in a minor way due to feeling overburdened.

   It is as if you know you can deal with your problems, yet there is no mania and no sense of being stimulated or tranquilized.

   I am in my late 50s and I have taken a lot of vitamins, am a personal trainer, with a degree in general science, and I have done some very effective work on my personality using a variety of techniques such as bio-energetics and primal type therapies.

   They helped immensely, but this is the single best supplement I have ever had. Choline, DMAE, aminos: they all help. Take them, but lithium’s effect is a keeper.

7. I have never posted before. I have not seen any posts on this subject. But, I am so excited about what I’ve seen so far I thought maybe someone could benefit from this info. I have a 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son with ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, which explained so much! My daughter has been on Concerta since 3rd grade and then Ritalin SR in 8th (doesn’t last her all day ). My son has been on Ritalin (severe ADHD) and Zoloft (for extreme anxiety) since 2nd grade. decided to try natural route this summer. Heard, read about Dr. Nieper’s research, then tried lithium orotate with the promise of increased concentration, memory and mood stabilization and because it is all natural, safe in the OROTATE form (as opposed to the prescription form). Cannot believe the results!!! My daughter has been on it for a week, saw definite results by day 2 (no moodiness, or mood swings, able to follow through on chores/tasks, her demeanor is calm and can carry on a meaningful conversation, no spacy-ness) she has been off the Ritalin for the same week. I am taking it too and not having to take my Ritalin or antidepressant med and I actually FEEL good and am functional and my appetite/cravings are actually controlled. I am going to a naturopath doctor tomorrow to help me with my son’s dosing. Although I see the positive effects he is getting ,he gets sleepy and nauseated with it.

   1. Would love to hear if your kids are still taking the lithium orotate. I have heard that it does not cross the blood brain barrier. I have recently started taking it at night and I think it is helping me sleep better and feel calmer during the day (maybe it’s the placebo effect). What dose are your sons on? I did try my ADHD son on it before and I thought it might be causing him to break out in little bumps/acne all over his body so we stopped. Did you sons have this reaction? I certainly don’t want a case of acne at 49!

8. I have been using 2 supplements.

   However, they seem to be effective for those with a hyper active, anxiety and overstimulated type. This works like a charm for me, but we are all different of course. there are 2 supplements which focus on proper nerve conduction and parasympathetic (stress reduction) response.

   1. l tyrosine: An amino acid working as a precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. This helps to alleviate physical symptoms of stress and resulting in less mood swings (also works as an antioxidant, even though that’s kind of off topic).

   2. GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric acid ): This targets the central nervous system more directly and has a profound effect on over stimulated brain function. Since this neurotransmitter functions as a nerve impulse inhibitor, it can help those with ADHD to stop unnecessary firing of the brain as I like to call it.

   Since everyone has a different ADHD type, it does not work the same for everyone, I am just sharing what works for me thus far. This, along with a good nutrition and exercise, seems to do the trick for me! I use the brand “NOW” and it is great on purity and potency. I use 500mg a day of each, but I think you can go up to 1000mg.

9. I at one point wanted to try Synaptol for my 7-year-old son. I could not find anyone on message boards that said it worked for them either. We tried Focus factor for kids my son takes 3 in the morning he is a big seven almost eight now. My husband and I see a difference in him when he does not have it. He also takes Omega 3 (a pretty big dose) as well.

10. I started taking lithium and also SAM-E before I was ever diagnosed with ADHD. It took the edge off my mood swings, especially the irritability and sensation that I was going to climb the walls… The SAM-E keeps me out of the basement emotionally and the lithium from flying through the roof!

    I prefer the orotate form. I tried lithium carbonate but it seemed to make me nervous. Both forms are supposed to be helpful.

    I’ve never experienced side effects from either supplement. Oh, and by the way, I have always been acne prone and have not broken out from the lithium. Swanson vitamins offers the best prices I’ve seen.

11. My husband and I both tried Melatonin years ago. We both felt like we were hung over in the morning. Him a lot more then me. I think it’s one of the supplements that either works for you or not.

    I am huge believer in a good antioxidant and mineral and we both could tell a difference when we went on those. A natural path or chiropractor can help a lot with supplements.

    Here is a page that from a site I usually use for side effects. But they have good information on Melatonin and some savings information.
    http://www.pharmacydrugguide.com/Melatonin_Coupons

12. Has anyone ever heard or read about any connection between Vitamin D and Sleep?

    I am a very poor sleeper, I sleep very lightly, and have a very poor quality sleep. I sleep to little/short time as well. I at times have so much thoughts in my head that I’m not sure if I’m up or dreaming at night in bed. So now that I got diagnosed this week I’m trying to put sleep and ADHD together which the Doctor said it “might” get better if my thoughts are treated.

    First, I only started taking meds yesterday so I know it is not the pill.
    The reason I’m asking about Vitamin D and vitamins in general, is because I have a worse problem sleeping for at least the past week and a half. Instead of officially waking up after five I’m fully awake before 4 AM. I try not to nap or sleep before 9:45 -10 PM even though I’m so tired after work. Because the reason would be obvious if I would sleep before bed time. So I was thinking what could of changed that keeps waking me up so early? Maybe its the cold weather? Even though I’m covered well but sleep to close to the window, etc..

    Then I came up with a thought and went right to Google. I put in vitamins and sleeping problems, and what came up was very interesting. I see there are a lot of different writings about people with a deficiency in vitamin D and sleepiness during the day. And also that many people claimed that if they took vitamin D at night before bed they couldn’t sleep well. And they explained that if the their is truth to it, it might be because Vitamin D comes from the Sun as well so it might be the reason why they are tired during the day if you don’t get enough sun. I’m not so clear with that.

    I’m checking on it because I recently went to the doctor for an annual checkup, and the only thing that needs improvement on my lab work is Vitamin D. The doc told me to take 1000 units of Vitamin D daily. So since he told me that about just a few weeks ago I started taking all my vitamins again. Multivitamins and omega-3 in the morning and Multivitamins and a vitamin D in the evening.

    1. I found what you wrote very interesting and I never thought of that with the Vitamin D and what time of day to take it at. I take mine in the morning. Like you said, you get it from sunlight, which most of us don’t get enough of. To me it would make sense to take it in the morning. It does make a difference in mood swings and the other thing in some people Vitamin D can cause headaches. I take a good antioxidant and a mineral also and started those long before I had an increase in my Vitamin D. After I started those I noticed after a few weeks that I was able to stay up later at night but still feel rested in the AM.

       My levels are acceptable but I still take 5,000mg a day and my doctor actually thought about doubling that during the winter months. Of course, at my expense and not as a prescription.

13. My son is 12 years old and we have been using Kid Calm by Natural Vitality. It has been amazing for him. We were able to eliminate other supplements and just use the Kid Calm. It has the omega 3 and all natural vitamins including magnesium. It is orange flavored and we add it to his orange juice in the morning. He has been using it now for about 3 months and we have seen a noticeable improvement in him and his teachers have all made comments on how much better he seems to be doing in school. We will continue to use this product.