What supplements do you take for your ADHD-PI?

[greygreygrey]

The title explains. I'm referring to the supplements you take in order to remedy your symptoms. If those who reply could also briefly state any positive effects they've noticed, that would be great!
Here's what I've been taking for about four years:
Fish oil, 5-6g daily-->I think the effects from this built up too slowly to notice any difference, but it has enough evidence supporting it for health aside from ADD that I'm sticking with it.
Piracetam, on and off, 1200-1600mg daily-->subtle difference in focus, increase in general interest in things.

And just last year I started taking phosphatidylserine, 300-350mg daily. I noticed a *huge* difference in my memory and motivation the first month I began taking it. The effects tapered off over time, but since it's a nutrient present in foods that I probably don't get enough of in my diet, I stick with it. Expensive, unfortunately.

And in the last month I've added zinc (50 mg before bed). But I can't tell yet if it's made a difference.
I take 40mg Ritalin ER.

[425runner]

350 mg n-acetyl l-tyrosine BID on empty stomach, works especially well on drug holidays
800 mg phosphatidyl serine
400 mg Mg Citrate
100 mg Mg l-threonate
Ashwagandha, bid
200 mg l-theanine
100 mg B-complex
100 mg B-6; B-5
500 mg vit.C

Going to start Noopept (nootropic) and Huperzine 100-200 mcg/day to sharpen my thinking and improve memory.

[greygreygrey]

Originally Posted by 425runner

350 mg n-acetyl l-tyrosine BID on empty stomach, works especially well on drug holidays
800 mg phosphatidyl serine
400 mg Mg Citrate
100 mg Mg l-threonate
Ashwagandha, bid
200 mg l-theanine
100 mg B-complex
100 mg B-6; B-5
500 mg vit.C

Going to start Noopept (nootropic) and Huperzine 100-200 mcg/day to sharpen my thinking and improve memory.

How has the B complex worked out? I just found an unused bottle of it in my house that I'm going to start on tomorrow.

[Drewbacca]

I take fish-oil sometimes to supplement my diet, but not to treat anything. I don't like to waste my money on placebos. Unless you are deficient in something, you are wasting money. A better use of your time and money would be to see a nutritionist and/or buy a book on diet. I do, however, have a lot of fortified foods in my diet so I suppose I'm supplementing passively.

[greygreygrey]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

I take fish-oil sometimes to supplement my diet, but not to treat anything. I don't like to waste my money on placebos. Unless you are deficient in something, you are wasting money. A better use of your time and money would be to see a nutritionist and/or buy a book on diet. I do, however, have a lot of fortified foods in my diet so I suppose I'm supplementing passively.

I don't like to waste my money on placebos, either, which is why I look for research on safety and efficacy.
I suppose I'm a bit confused about why you're drawing a distinction between supplementing for general health (as you do with fish oil) and supplementing to treat a specific condition (as I do for ADHD) when you can draw on research to make a good decision about one as much as the other.

[Verile]

I've been looking into nootropics recently. Here's what I'm working with so far:

Noopept (racetam) - 10 mg. Improved cognition.
Choline CDP - 600 mg. ACh precursor.
Vinpocetine - 10 mg. Better brain blood flow and cerebral metabolism.
Fish oil - 1 gram. Apparently the panacea (or snake oil) of this era is composed of Omega 3s.

I take those in the morning in addition to memantine and Vyvanse and again at dinner with the memantine. Before bed I take a Centrum multi, 250 mg of magnesium, and 120 mg ginkgo biloba just to push the limits of supplmentation. Supposedly most of us are magnesium deficient, especially the stressed and ADHD, and could use a better ratio of Mg:Ca. Gingko is for the blood dilation and the Centrum multi I've been taking for years now just to fill any possible gaps.

I'm about as skeptic as they come; I'm not expecting much but there's clinical evidence suggesting racetams work beyond placebo so we'll see. The last couple days of studying did seem smoother but that could just as well have been due to the shadow of the looming exam today. I'll report my anecdotal experience after a few weeks.

So far I've been taking 2 grams of Nordic Naturals fish oil a day for about a month and I'm noticing a difference in skin health and fat composition. Significant reduction of fat despite same eating habits and work out routine. No signs of acne. But I've also been sleeping better and less stressed (due to the memantine) as well during the same time frame so I can't necessarily attribute it to the fish oil. I didn't notice any cognitive benefit taking it alone though for sure.

If all these things taken together can't produce some kind of effect, be it positive or negative, then I'm going to wash my hands of this nootropic/vital supplements mess. It's no small pain in the *** to sort through the disinformation and propaganda to get to real evidence or studies. We'll see how life is before, during, and after this regimen.

[Tyboulder]

Verile- I'd love to hear an update on the racetam. Isn't it supposed to work immediately?

[Verile]

I've actually stopped taking the choline and racetam combo because it seemed like it was blunting the effects of my Vyvanse and Namenda combo. Felt like I was unmedicated. It also gave me headaches. Racetam is thought to agonize NMDA receptors so maybe it was interfering with the memantine, my NMDA antagonist, which in turn interferes with my amphetamines. I'll try the noopept/choline combo again when my memantine titration is over and stable so I can isolate how it effects me then. Bear in mind because I'm on memantine my experiences with it may not be applicable to anyone not on it.

I'm still taking the vinpocetine though and I suspect it's helping. After I take it my head feels more...flushed. It actually feels like there's better blood flow in my brain. It reminds me of how I feel when drinking water after a run or stretching in the morning. Taking the vinpocetine feels refreshing for my head.

Can't rule out placebo though clinical studies seem to suggest it does actually decrease inflammation and promotes metabolism in the brain. Even if it doesn't improve cognitive function if it's helping keep my brain fed and clean so that other meds work better that's good enough.

[Fuzzy12]

Whenever I remember omega 3 (fish oil at the moment) and multi vitamins. I haven't noticed any effect though but that's probably because I usually forget to take them.

For a while I took omega 3 supplements + ground flax seeds on my morning cereal and that really seemed to make a big difference in my energy levels. Flax seeds has plenty of omega 3, proteins & other nutrients as well and is supposed to stabilise blood sugar levels so that would have helped with energy too. Also because it's so high in fibre I made sure that I drink lots of water, which might have helped as well. I feel very tired when I'm dehydrated.

[fracturedstory]

Roasted hazelnut dark chocolate.
Sometimes the cashew version.
Nom.

[whaddyacallit]

Originally Posted by Tyboulder

Verile- I'd love to hear an update on the racetam. Isn't it supposed to work immediately?

I think it does! I don't take anything other than 2.5 mg Desoxyn a couple times a day but bought some Pramiracetam a couple days ago just for fun.

Yesterday morning I took 500 mg along with the recommended 1 g Choline and boy, my thinking sure seemed clearer. Seemed to last all day, and going to sleep seemed easier too.

Took the same again this morning and 1½ hours since, I think I feel its effects again. Subtle, but nice.

[greenbamboo]

Currently, I'm taking omega 3s in fish oil form and ginkgo biloba. But I'm such a flake with them, which might be why they're not helping right now.

When I was taking the fish oil regularly though, it definitely helped my mood, but it took a few weeks. I'm not sure about the ginkgo biloba yet. I was just recommended this a couple months ago to help with forgetting. ...and ironically (or not?), I forget to take them. -_-

[LaMbaL]

Crap, I wrote a pretty extensive reply, but somehow my internet bugged and it got lost, and I cant be bothered to write it again ;(

Anyway, short summary: I take a couple of supplements on a fairly random basis (avg 1-2/week)

- L-Tyrosine: no amazing effects, but good stuff

- Acetyl-l-carnitine: supposedly good for ADHD, havent noticed too much. Marginal plus.

- Zinc: completely unclear effects

- B-Complex: may slightly elevate energy levels. And cause neon-yellow pee. Weeee!

- Multivitamins: catch-all, cant hurt

- Vinpocetine: great stuff, first got it to help against Wellbutrin headaches: worked like a charm. Generally feels like it helps to alleviate strain on the brain, refreshing. Most clearly positive effect out of all Ive tried. Recommended.

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by greygreygrey

I don't like to waste my money on placebos, either, which is why I look for research on safety and efficacy.
I suppose I'm a bit confused about why you're drawing a distinction between supplementing for general health (as you do with fish oil) and supplementing to treat a specific condition (as I do for ADHD) when you can draw on research to make a good decision about one as much as the other.

Whoops! Better late than never, right?

I misspoke. I don't take it for general health, but rather, for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I recognize that I don't have enough omega3 fatty acids in my diet. Although I haven't been specifically tested, I know that I am deficient.

My point was simply that vitamins and other supplements are not a cure and will do nothing unless you are deficient. That's not to say that you shouldn't experiment... you just can't, for example, turn water into wine.

For what it is worth, studies have shown a benefit for ADHD when taking a combination of omega-3 and omega-6.

[Fuzzy12]

I'm not sure if it can't hurt. Some vitamins like Vitamin D can be toxic when taken in excess. Also there was a bbc article about a study that found that statistically people who take Vitamin supplements for an extended period of time have a lower life expectancy. The study is still in its infant stages though and i don't think that they have yet proved the link between vitamins and mortality. It could be a case of co relation without causation. I think their theory was that our bodies need some free radicals whig multi vitamins tend to kill. Still i think unless there is a deficiency it's probably safer to not go overboard with supplements. Especially since they aren't as highly regulated as prescription meds.