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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world to c/adhd@lemmy.world

I’d like to know what anyone is using that they really think is helping them that isn’t taking traditional prescription medication for ADHD. Please make sure whatever it is can be found “over the counter” or readily available commercially. Please keep it to simple items that are easily found separately - i.e. a B vitamin of B6, 12 and vitamin C along with Magnesium glycinate or something. If you notice it helping in a specific area, please say what it is.

I have to throw in a couple caveats, just to make sure we can get a decent picture of what is actually helping, so…

  • Please nothing illicit or illegal.

  • Please no blends or other proprietary herbal combinations. If a blend helps you, great…but we don’t know what is in the blend that is helping, and someone may not have access to that product where they live.

  • Please be specific, like making sure to differentiate between magnesium glycinate and magnesium L-threonate.

—————————————————

Edit: “votes” so far:

1 - Creatine monohydrate - short term memory

2 - Lion’s mane (a fungus) - brain fog

2 - Omega 3, 6, and 9 - brain fog

1 - exercise. Not really a supplement, but it’s a great idea for overall health.

1 - keto diet - brain fog

2 - N-Acetyl-cystein (NAC) - anxiety/hyperactivity

2 - magnesium glycinate - ?

1 - Magnesium carbonate

Stimulants:

2 - Coffee

1 - caffeine (via energy drink)

1 - Guarana

1 - Green tea (caffeine and L-Theanine)

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[-] Ceedoestrees@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids. There's been a fair amount of research done on its role in mitigating ADHD, specifically. I take them and notice a decline in mood and overall presence of mind when I've forgotten to take my pills for a while.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4968854/

Big props for the PubMed link, hard to take anything else seriously.

[-] Ceedoestrees@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I believe in good sources. Thanks for noticing ~

[-] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Interesting, thanks for the paper link, I'll have to come back to that!

[-] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago

Could you recommend your supplement? There are a LOT out there.

[-] Ceedoestrees@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I get whatever's on sale.

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[-] iPlayTheKazoo@feddit.nl 6 points 1 month ago

Creatine monohydrate helped for me. It's usually taken by athletes and gym-goers but there's a study saying that it may improve short term memory and intelligence/reasoning

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Added to the post

[-] theneverfox@pawb.social 4 points 1 month ago

Magnesium glycinate. Made every difference in the world for me - I still need my meds to perform at my best, but I can muddle through without them with magnesium and a good night of sleep

[-] StopSpazzing@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago
[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I’ll apply your “this” as a second person using it.

[-] voidspace@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I used take other forms of Magnesium, but recently found Glycinate has made a massive improvement in my sleep.

Best sleep I've had in years.

[-] UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

NAC - N-acetyl-cysteine. Psychiatrist recommended it for weaning myself off a THC dependency, but after reading a few PubMed-available research papers I found data supporting further research into its effects on ADHD.

Additionally, I kept researching in an attempt to improve brain fog and sleep issues I suspect are from long COVID. I found studies indicating NAC combined with guanfacine may help those symptoms.

I've found better results from 600mg NAC (standard daily dose is 1200mg) taken three times a day, and started 1mg guanfacine twice a day recently with plans to increase to 2mg twice a day in a week or two.

I would love to share the NIH papers with anyone interested. Educating yourself about your condition and its particular manifestation will get you far with an invested care team. I'm headed to bed bit will reply to any and every person interested in the research tomorrow morning.

The message I sent to my psych two days after she recommended NAC contained inline citations referring to the papers I had linked at the bottom. That due diligence communicated my dedication not only to my own care, but also to my dedication and respect for knowledge.

Don't take random supplements recommended to you on the internet. Discuss their use with a doctor or, barring that, ground your decisions in science.

[-] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

Doesn't seem to be that much evidence, but I'm in the mood for a new supplement obsession - on it!

I looked back through my NIH history and you're right about the sparse evidence for ADHD, actually. Looks like my interest in NAC, in addition to weaning off THC, came from the bipolar and autism angle, its ability to act a a lead chelator, as well as some tentative dots I connected between its glutamatergic effects and some reading into a mutation of the MC1R gene as passed down to me by my red-head mother.

Likely also conflated my more recent readings into the guanfacine+NAC combo for my brain fog and sleep issues and misremembered my findings from the initial research. Good catch, and an excellent example of 'don't listen to the internet dude.'

Here are some starting points

NAC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8211525 - NAC review

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763415001190

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35316513/

NAC+Guanfacine https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10960163

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I added the NAC, but Guanfacine is prescription, so I’m leaving it off.

NAC without guanfacine improved several of my hyperactive symptoms and the other poster's skin picking if you'd like to mention that in the post.

Also, I think it's chelating effect on lead and other heavy metals in the bloodstream is valuable on it's own since we're still using leaded AVgas and such. Leaded gasoline is why engineers need history classes; the Romans showed us how great ingesting lead is, and then 2000 years we decide aerosolizing it sounded like a good idea‽

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Leaded avgas is so low on the overall reasons to get lead contamination it’s not even worth mentioning. Not all aircraft use 100LL. You’d have to be a fueler at the airfield, spill gas on yourself regularly, and fly aircraft with leaky exhaust to even start to show signs of contamination. I’ve been around aircraft for decades and don’t have lead in blood tests, we all got checked when one of our kids did have it. Come to find out there is still lead in toy paints and “lead free solder” in electronics when manufacturers lie. Far more likely to come into contact with lead in products, house paint, or even plumbing than from any other source.

Thanks for providing context on how NAC might help.

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[-] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

Weed helps, in edible form, when taken with ritalin and adderall

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[-] ImmersiveMatthew@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

I hyper focused on my gut microbiome and the results are very interesting. No more anxiousness, amazing sleeps, and way better ment focus. Almost never forget things now. There is a lot of scientific support here too as the microbiome really does play a large role in our mental state.

[-] loonsun@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago
[-] ImmersiveMatthew@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

It was not one thing but months of things starting with a 7 day water fast then on to rice porridge and then onto streamed sweet potatoes and carrots and over time more and more options. It was brutal but my circumstances dictated such extreme measures as I had developed a severe histamine and glutamate sensitivity. AI was amazing at navigating it all, but it is not perfect so I used 2 AIs and many other sources to validate each step of the journey. I am honestly shocked it worked so well.

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[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

It sounds like you’re improving your overall health. That’s always valuable.

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[-] Zoldyck@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

The best supplement is regular exercise imo

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Added. It’s not really a supplement, but improving one’s health can do a lot for stress and sleep. That can take some of the edge off the related ADHD issues.

[-] Apocalypteroid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I find a combination of St. John's Wort and Lion's Mane Extract help with my mood and focus.

[-] piecat@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

FYI, St John's wart can affect serotonin, which can be dangerous if you're on anti depressants.

[-] El_Scapacabra@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

It can also reduce the effectiveness of hormonal birth control.

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[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Adding my own, and I just started these a month or so ago so I’m not entirely sure that the effects are correct, but they seem to be helping slightly.

Magnesium Glycinate

L- Threonate (1/2 dose, found it made me sleepy too early at full dose)

D

Standard multivitamin (no “extreme” values, everything is 100% or less)

Omega 3

I have absolutely noted a better sleep. Far less mind-churning time when trying to fall asleep. I would guess a little less brain fog and stress, but I don’t know if memory is any better. Having a little less anxiety does help a bit, because you’re not focusing on the stressful thing and have a chance to remember what you were supposed to. The last three I was taking anyway for general health reasons. The magnesium and L-Threonate I picked up just to see if they might help with ADHD.

[-] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

Magnesium, D and Omega 3 are, as far as I know, all things where you gain a lot if you have a deficit that they compensate, otherwise nothing.

I too took shots in the dark, as I didn't find a doc who was willing to do some more tests. But recently I found out that in some countries, you can just go to a lab directly and they'll draw the blood.

Currently on Magnesium, too (Carbonate though), paused the D due to long times in the sun recently, Omega 3 currently through engineered staple foods & rape oil.

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Added.

It’s super hard to “OD” on D, so probably not much need to stop it other than just not consuming the $ as fast. Added to the list.

[-] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

afaik, 25µg D3 in combination with 20µg K2 should cover it in theory, even when there is hardly any natural source. Some supplement nerds have some reasoning for 100µg, which is near the upper bound of "harmless".

Much more than that can be quite dangerous, though! One drop of the stuff I have is 25, so it's not just theoretical.

EDEKA are the ones where too much is harmful.

[-] Pistcow@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

I mean, chelated magnesium helps take the edge off of Adderall but no, I doubt you'll ever find anything otc that is effective as something prescribed.

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I wouldn’t expect any supplements, vitamins, or similar to be as effective, but to use your words, maybe some things that help “take the edge off.”

[-] double_quack@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Coffee, fasting during mornings, and lowering carbs

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[-] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

p.s.: argh, typed this over 12 hours ago and just found this open page. It's clearly not working. But here we go anyway:

  • Guarana, for example in a capsule. Effectively a mild stimulant, basically extended release coffee.
  • Get out of the slow cycle of: symptom -> doctor -> check for specific deficiency -> supplement. Check for everything proactively. In many countries, you can go directly to a lab and have your blood taken there, if your doctor doesn't play along.
[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Added guarana as a stimulant

[-] Jtskywalker@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

Lions mane extract seemed to help me, before I knew I had ADHD. Just seemed like when I had it regularly I had less brain fog. I used a few ml every morning in stone water.

I stopped using it because it seemed pricey, and I only bought it from one guy at the farmers market because I know a lot of commercially available supplements dont have what they say they do in the US.

I should try to find another good source to see if it helps now that I have other things as well.

Also black coffee but fresh roasted / fresh ground specialty coffee seems to help way more. Grocery store coffee gives me heartburn

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Added to the post

[-] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Just grow it, to be honest. Not that hard, though might be a little pricy?

[-] Son_of_Macha@lemmy.cafe 1 points 1 month ago
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this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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