If you keep up with the current treatments page, you may have noticed quite a bit of editing lately. I have been backing off of some of the vitamins and supplements that I was taking. There were a few that were not providing a benefit and just adding to the money pit that is chronic illness.
Many vitamins give you in the thousands of percentage of the daily recommended value. Our bodies can only utilize so much of a substance. The rest is waste that has to be filtered out. I don’t know for sure, but I can’t imagine that being a productive process for our bodies to go through.
Vitamins also have fillers and additives that are not well-regulated. We saw what happened to Zantac. People were taking it for years before finding out that it contained a carcinogenic compound. So, I have shifted my attitude from “why not” to “take only what I am deficient in or what demonstrates an obvious benefit”.
Vitamins and supplements I have discontinued
Vitamin B6
I started taking this at Mayo’s recommendation because in decreases inflammatory cytokines in the brain. Nearly everything I eat has vitamin B6, so I am sure that I am eating plenty to experience the benefits. The supplement I was taking has 5882% of the daily recommended value. That seems crazy!
Vitamin C
I began taking Vitamin C at Mayo’s recommendation to reduce inflammatory cytokines as well as boost the immune system. My immune system has been a disaster, so it certainly isn’t helping me in that department. Also, Vitamin C has to be one of the easiest nutrients to acquire. When is the last time you heard of someone getting scurvy?
Coenzyme Q10
I took the antioxidant CoQ10 for almost 6 months and it didn’t seem to provide any benefit. I discussed this with my neurologist and she said she’s only had one patient whose fatigue improved by taking CoQ10 every four hours. So, it’s not a bad idea to try since some people have success and its use makes sense in theory. But, since it didn’t make a difference for me, I stopped taking it.
Quercetin
Quercetin is supposed to relieve allergy symptoms by decreasing mast cell activation. My neurologist said that a few of her MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) patients have had good success with it. I am glad I tried it, but it wasn’t effective for me. I tried it for about two months.
Multivitamin
I am not deficient in anything that was in my multivitamin and it had excessive amounts of many of the things in it. Look at Biotin! Dang!
Ginseng
I had to go off of this for a few days prior to getting allergy testing and I didn’t notice a difference going off of it. So, I’m going to see how I do discontinuing it. Ginseng is expensive so I’m actually hoping it doesn’t do anything for me anymore. Without a doubt, it gave me an energy boost when I began taking it. But, sometimes our bodies change and things no longer have the same effectiveness. For example, when I first began taking Propranolol, I saw a very mild boost. But, by the time I weaned off of it, there was zero benefit.
I am not refraining from all supplements and vitamins, just the ones that I feel are not crucial or impactful. It has been several weeks since I started this process of paring down what I take and honestly, I have been doing better (except for when I’m sick). So, good riddance.
Have you backed off vitamins or supplements before? What affects did you notice?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Statements on this site are not meant to be taken as medical advice. These statements reflect my personal experiences having mild-ish post-viral POTS and ME. Due to the wide spectrum of these diseases, comorbidities, and everyone being different, your experiences may be very different than mine.
Note: If you post a comment, this site does NOT have a feature to notify you of responses to your comment. I have not found a good solution for that yet. However, I usually respond to every comment in a timely manner, so be sure to check back.
5 Comments
I’ve seen a lot of documentation about the connection between vitamin B1 deficiency and its co-factors and dysautonomia.
Yes, that is true. My neurologist, Dr. Svetlana Blitshteyn, recommends testing for it upon diagnosis because B1 deficiency can both mimic and exacerbate dysautonomia.
I take a multivitamin for 50+ but I wonder how effective it truly is. My chiropractor once told me we pass many “over the counter” vitamins right out, they’re too hard to break down to be truly effective. I also take D3 as I am deficient in that per my blood tests, I wish I could find them in another form, I actually have to count them on my WW points! It’s just 1 point, but really! And it ‘s the “gummy” format that has sugar. (I guess I need to go somewhere other than Wal-Mart! LOL!)
Keep on truckin! Your blogs are very instructional. I’m learning how my body/brain works & trying to apply some of this knowledge to the “run of the mill” type issues I have being over 60,
I love the blog about sugar & what happens to your tongue when you eat it, That sure explains why you “lose your taste” for things.
Donna
Hm, that’s interesting about what your chiropractor says. Oh wow, that’s crazy it’s enough to be 1 point on WW. Those gummy ones sure do taste good though haha. My D3 supplement also has a few ingredients i wish it didn’t. When I run out I will switch brands. I usually shop at Target and they do not have many good options either. Online, I like shopping at IHerb.com for that kind of stufff. They have more options, are reasonably priced, and have a good rewards points program that makes it all more affordable. Thanks Donna! I’m encouraged that you are learning things to apply from them.
The only supplement I take now is Vitamin D3. With Hashimoto’s and also being over the age of 50, I get tested for several vitamin deficiencies. Luckily D3 is all I need. I used to have to take Iron supplements, but my Iron levels are good now. And for years I thought I needed a multi vitamin, but I haven’t had one in over a year and I’m just fine.