Have you found any non-prescription supplements that help your ADHD?

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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.

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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

1 - N-Acetyl-cystein (NAC) - ?

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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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.

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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.”

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Try tyrosine and see if it does anything for you. Maybe with a good meal

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The best supplement is regular exercise imo

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Ketogenic diet helps with ADHD. So it's the opposite of a supplement, you have to take the sugar out of the food

I.e. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289133 Ketogenic diet ameliorates attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in rats via regulating gut microbiota

Not much research in human studies yet for ADHD specifically, but the anecdotes and n=1 case studies are compelling. Not eating sugar is free, so it's worth a try

Update - Even metabolic mind (the group funding most of the research, says ADHD is still a area of ongoing research.

We don’t have robust evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of ketogenic therapy for anxiety, ADHD and brain fog, but clinical experience suggests that in fact these conditions might benefit significantly from ketogenic and metabolic therapies. Early results from clinical trials for other diagnoses show that improved attention, clarity of thought, and decreased anxiety are common beneficial outcomes.

https://www.metabolicmind.org/faq

But its safe, and free, so worth a shot.

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That’s interesting, I always said I felt somehow more sharp and sort of “present” when I am ketoing. Though I’d advice anyone considering it to first talk to your doctors. For me, I shouldn’t do it due to problems with my blood sugar and liver, but we figured if it helps, ought to find a way to make it work. So I do keto “periods” alternating with normal periods, which hasn’t, it seems, had much of an impact on my lab results. But this is all to say, it might have consequences you ought to be wary about.

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Yes, if your taking any medications changing your metabolism can change how powerful those medications are (going to keto usually makes medications stronger, which could be dangerous)

If you don't mind me asking - What are your blood sugar and liver problems that prevent keto? Keto is well known for improving blood glucose control.

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Im not going to pretend to understand or really know, just what my general practitioner told me once I brought up the possibility of testing going keto long-term. I have pre-diabetes, which I suppose convinced the doc to go for it even if in an alternating fashion, since it’s good for my weight which is good for all of the rest. I could ask next time though, maybe mention this adhd connection in lab rats, seems like it changes things a bit more to favor ketoing

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Ok, I'm happy to provide documentation, medical texts, papers, and the like... But keto is excellent for glucose control, and improves liver function. If your GP was skeptical about keto, fair enough, but I can give you/them the resources to satisfy themselves to the efficacy and safety.

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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/

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A keto diet is far from without consequences. It's a very extreme change, that can only be done safely with a lot of care , as it implies cutting out most fruit and vegetables, for instance.

Afaik it's not medically recommended for anything but a few very specific serious neurological disorders.

I wouldn't go around recommending something like that.

If you want to enter a ketogenic state, intermittent fasting is a much less worrisome way to do it.

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It’s a very extreme change, that can only be done safely with a lot of care , as it implies cutting out most fruit and vegetables, for instance.

https://www.metabolicmind.org/is-keto-safe

You can still eat non-starchy veggies on keto. You can have fruit in moderation. When changing your metabolism care should be taken with medications and worked out with the prescribing doctor as the power of medicine change change in the new metabolism. The eating pattern itself is without harm, there is no essential carbohydrate for human nutrition, no deficiencies.

it’s not medically recommended for anything but a few very specific serious neurological disorders.

And ADHD isn't a a Neurological disorder might not experience some benefit?

Here is a medical textbook Ketogenic :
The Science of Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction in Human Health

But TLDR it is used in the treatment of type 2 and type 1 diabetes, the treatment of high blood pressure, etc.

More specifically for NDDs : https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821617-0.00006-1

While the brain is perceived as a glucose-dependent organ, ketone bodies are an alternative and possibly superior fuel, allowing patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia, and mood disorders to improve their glucose hypometabolic states and associated symptoms. Ketogenic diets (KDs) are an accepted standard of treatment for refractory epilepsies and alleviate neuroinflammation in other neuropathologies. Research on the KD in the treatment of these disorders is in its infancy, yet has demonstrable restorative potential begging further investigation.

I wouldn’t go around recommending something like that.

The bad part about learning about a better metabolism is you feel the need to help others, so I do what I can to make sure people are informed about the option.

If you want to enter a ketogenic state, intermittent fasting is a much less worrisome way to do it.

I would agree, but in the context of someone wanting general health improvements - and perhaps a good starting point for ADHD. For Neurological issues consistency is key, going in and out of sugar burning and insulin resistance may not be enough of a treatment to see positive results. Using your Epilepsy example - the benefit is seen only with consistent adherence.

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

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I thought even nuts and carrots were too much carbs to maintain a ketogenic state, and even broccoli had to be consumed with moderation, or symptoms would resume.

But to be fair my knowledge is from my complete memories of, like, Doctor Mike videos.

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

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haha, I don't know doctor mike.

There is a whole spectrum of glucose control.

At the one end we have

Carbaholic
Low Carb < 100-150g / day
Ketogenic < 20-50g / day
Zero Carb ~ close to zero

Throw in intermittent fasting of some type, and you have a bit more variability. The literature I've seen indicates most of the major benefits are seen proportionally to the time glucose isn't elevated.

Broccoli at 7g of carbs per 100g serving could fit into most of the keto protocols, its more of a carb budget then a restriction of all carbs.

The blood/brain barrier can become insulin resistant and when that happens the ratio of glucose and insulin in the brain itself isn't the same as in the blood stream, so even though there are major glucose levels in the brain it can't be utilized without insulin in the right ratio. Interestingly ketones pass through the blood brain barrier with no resistance, and can be utilized for energy for most brain function 70-95% depending on the keto adaption period... There are some non-human studies on how ketones can signal repair pathways in mice brains to dispose of misfolded proteins, though its a bit of a black box at the moment.

I bring up the mechanisms we know about the brain to indicate that some neurological conditions may benefit more from ketones persistently then just low carb, but i do agree intermittent fasting is a great place to start.

If the condition is serious patients can use a ketone and glucose monitor to track their carbohydrate tolerance and avoid events. I.E. everyone's carbohydrate tolerance is different based on genetics, muscle uptake, GI function, etc. The indexes above are conservative.

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

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I get whatever's on sale.

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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

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Have you found any non-prescription supplements that help your ADHD?