I’m just upset that I can’t take Flintstone Vitamins for the rest of my life. They tasted like candy, and I could have it with breakfast. It was a perfect love affair. But sadly, my bones are fully formed now and I’m not getting any taller, so I need to graduate to some big-kid vitamins. I’m 24 years old so this is certainly long overdue, but vitamins are one of those things you’re not really in a rush to figure out. Plus, where do you even start?
Right before I started my first serious full-time job I got really nervous about how my body would react to the change in routine and schedule. I knew it was a big transition and I knew I wouldn’t perform well if I was dragging my feet out of bed every morning. I also have a lot of issues maintaining focus and keeping myself on task. I have a prescription that helps with my attention span in the office, but it’s not a perfect fix. Plus, I don’t want to always rely on a prescription to keep me going. I wanted to find some natural boosters to support a healthy routine during the work week. Hence, my introduction to the thrilling world of vitamins (heavy on the sarcasm).
I’ve been taking Meg-3 Fish Oil pills (2000 mg. 600 mg Omega-3) and Spring-Valley Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc with D3 pills. I want to make sure it’s clear that I am in no way trying to support these specific brands of vitamins. For one, it’s too early for me to even say if they’re effective, but also I can not vouch for the fact that these specific brands are good at all. I’m just didn’t really want to shell out $50 a month for vitamins since I’m still figuring out what works best for me. I paid approximately $15 for both of these bottles, which I don’t necessarily recommend, but again I wasn’t sure if this exploration into Vitamins would even stick.
I followed the recommended dosage on the back of the bottles, which put me at two fish oil pills and 3 of the CMZD (an abbreviation of the calcium, magnesium, zinc and D3 pill). It’s pretty jarring to take 5 massive pills every day, in addition to the prescriptions I already take, just because it’s an additional step that I haven’t fully integrated into my routine yet. I’m getting used to it though- and I must admit I’m pretty [proud of myself for how well I’ve been keeping up with it. I’ve been taking these vitamins daily for about 3 weeks now, and I’ve probably only missed about 4 days. I don’t know if that’s shocking to anyone- but for me that’s a success. I can barely remember my lunchbox in the morning- vitamins are just another thing on the list.
I started my research by looking into the best vitamins for adult ADHD management. Fish Oil was a very common suggestion so that really stuck with me. I had always heard that Fish Oil was a great vitamin for a multitude of reasons. (Side note: I’ve heard that it’s really good for you to drink a shot of apple cider vinegar every morning, but I can confidently say that I would rather watch my body slowly deteriorate than take a shot of that stuff.)
Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc were three common players as well during my research so when I found a bottle of vitamins that claimed to include all three, in addition to Vitamin D3, I was sold. Again, I don’t necessarily recommend getting an All-in-One vitamin like me, but this made sense to me at the time so damn it, I did it.
Together these three function as a total power-house for brain health, according to a lot of the articles that I read. I really wanted to focus on supporting healthy symptom management for my ADHD, as well as maintaining solid energy levels throughout the day.
Here is one of the main sources that I kept referring back to during my research. I really trust this source, ADDitude Magazine, because of their centralized focus in ADHD symptom management and education.
Best Vitamins for ADHD- Supplements to Promote Focus- ADDitude
I am pretty interested in learning more about natural health remedies because I do wonder about the sustainability of some of my prescriptions. What if I could maintain a routine of natural remedies and dietary supplements that would properly manage my ADHD symptoms? That is certainly something I’m willing to look into.
As for now, I’m keeping up with these vitamins and I’m eager to see how my body feels in a few more weeks. (My primary care doctor told me that most vitamins require 6-8 weeks of regular intake before they’re truly effective so I’m keeping to that timeline). I’ll be sure to update my thoughts and ideas on this subject.
