supplements taking

[sarahsmom]

Hi could someone tell me what else I should be giving my 6 dd who is 47 #'s. I know I need magnesium, but havent found the right kind or size. SHe gets Animal parade multi (2) in the morning and Natural factors omegas one in morn and evening. Plus she is taking adderall 10 mg once in morn. We just put her down to that dosage as she was hving tics with the higher dosage. the multi vit has 100% dv for most stuff except folate, cal, iron, Magnesium (3%) . Is 100% not enough for the vit b's? FOr the omega she gets Omega 3 -32%-83mg, dha 25% 65mg, Omega 6- 4% 10 mg, AA 2% 5mg, Evening Prim oil 168 mg, Omega 6- 80% 134 mg, gamma linolenic acid -9% 15 mg, cis linoleic acid -71% 119 mg. Im not sure why omega 6 is listed twice, except it has differant %'s in it. Any input, suggestions ect would be appreciated. Thanks Lisa

[catatonic]

Hi Lisa,
I hope the tics have gone away with the lower dose of Adderall? I have a couple of suggestions for your supplements...

Magnesium -- At your daughter's weight, a therapeutic dose of magnesium (which you would use if she is magnesium deficient) would be almost 300mg per day. A maintenance dose (if she's not magnesium deficient) would be just under 150mg. The 300mg would probably be hard on her stomach at first, so what you'd probably want to do is start her at the 150mg and see how she does. Do not buy magnesium oxide. This is very poorly utilized by the body. Also avoid magnesium hydroxide, as research studies indicate that magnesium hydroxide may interact with Adderall to increase the concentration of amphetamines in the blood. Anything else should work fairly well. Chelated minerals are the most bio-available (and also the most expensive). Source Naturals makes a reasonably priced magnesium chelate that comes in 100mg tablets. (http://store.yahoo.com/iherb/magnesiumsn.html)

Omegas - If you look at the clinical research, the amounts that have been generally found to be effective for ADHD are...480mg DHA, 720mg EPA, 50mg GLA (gamma linolenic acid). We do this with an evening primrose oil capsule (500mg) and 2-3 Natural Factors Rx-Omega-3 capsules each day. It's also important to provide 100IU Vitamin E along with your Omegas, to aid in metabolizing the fats and protecting against oxidative damage as they are broken down.

The B-vitamins can be a little tricky. There's clinical evidence that B6 reduces ADHD symptoms in a large percentage of children...and that it worsens symptoms in an equally large number. Plus there is some anecdotal evidence (not yet backed by any research) that high doses of B6 (200mg per day) may reduce some of the side effects of Adderall. I believe compulsive behavior and anxiety are the two specifically mentioned. A couple of the books I've read recommend including a B-50 each day. We don't do it because for some reason the B vitamins turn my Challenege Boy into Impossible Boy. Whole Health recommends a B-100 for ADHD, but I think that's overkill for a six-year-old. It's also more than twice the upper tolerable limit for a six-year-old. ( www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,962,00.html )

You might also want to consider adding the amino acid tyrosine. Among other things, it works to increase concentrations of the neurotransmitter dopamine (same as methylphenidate -- Ritalin -- does). Drug Interaction Digest lists tyrosine as a supplement that may improve Adderall's effectiveness. And tyrosine is also an effective stand-alone treatment. Clincial studies have used doses that ranged from 500mg - 1,500mg given 3 times daily. We use 750mg twice daily.

[sarahsmom]

Thanks catatonic,
Her tics seem better, only a few times do I see it at home. Although she was doing it a lot for her ot. But it seems less at home. THe lower dosage of adderall is still doing what it needs to do so that is good. THe tics might take a little to dissapear I was told. Although once they start that stuff its hard to break the habit of it then. I saw tghe magnesium 100 mg for source naturals, do they have a 150? that wouldn't have the oxide? I was looking but didn't see one. IF not Ill just go with the 100 mg, shoud I get one with calcium or would the pills be bigger than? Im a little wary about having her popping all these pills in a day. That she might think that popping pills is a good thing. ?!?!? Ok thanks for all your help. Lisa

[catatonic]

I don't use the calcium. My son eats enough dairy products that I don't worry about it. If you can't find a 150mg magnesium, you can get a pill cutter at Walgreens for a couple of dollars and cut a 100 tablet in half to make it a 50. (This only works for tablets, not capsules.) You can also get liquid or powdered magnesium so you have more flexibility with dosing, but in my opinion these all taste so awful, I'd rather swallow a pill.