Which vitamins are autistic's commonly deficient in?
One of my mom's friends has a child with AS and she told me that I should be taking 5,000 IU's per day of vitamin D-3 as a treatment. I started taking 4,000/day and I am noticing an improvement. My mood is more stable, I'm having less melt downs, and I'm less depressed.
This has me wondering if there are other vitamin's that I should try. Are there any other vitamin's that are commonly deficient in autistic's? I really have no idea what to take.
Can someone clue me in to what vitamin's I should try?
Thanks!
Richardf269
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I honestly have no idea, but maybe B-6 or B-12, as well. Vitamin C is a definite one you should take (maybe not a high dose and if you don't drink a lot of OJ). My friend has lupus, so taking a lot for her is good (1,000mg). I've taken one before (the 1,000mg), and it didn't leave me with any problems.
STOP RIGHT THERE!
Is this woman a trained and licensed medical practitioner (e.g., "Physician"), or is she just another busy-body know-it-all mom with not enough children of her own, and therefore too much time on her hands?
Have you documented your observations? Did you make note of when you've had your meltdowns before you began taking the vitamins? Did you use a fixed time period (i.e., ten days) each for pre- and post-vitamin observations? Have you taken into account other factors, like changes in your personal life, scholastic environment, or employment conditions? How about your diet; any changes their?
Skepticism aside, taking an over-the-counter vitamin supplement probably* wouldn't hurt. I take "Centrum for Men" - one tablet, once per day - as a bit of dietary "insurance" against the possibility that I could not be getting everything I need with each meal.
IF you want to try different vitamins, I suggest* that you first try an ordinary multi-vitamin supplement, and not exceed the recommended daily dose. I also suggest* that you avoid dosing yourself with more vitamins than you need -- yes, you really can overdose on vitamins, sometimes with very serious results. Please consult a real physician and please be careful.
(*I am NOT a medical practitioner. The reader of this post and any quotes from it who follows my suggestions does so solely at his or her own personal risk. I will not be held accountable for any other person's choice to follow, modify, or disregard my suggestions and advice. I am just another busy-body, know-it-all Aspie with good intentions, and no medical expertise on my part is suggested or implied.)
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
You put "fine print" in your post LOL!
She's definitely just a regular autism mom, but I really don't think that's much reason to discredit her advice. After all, I've gotten far far more help from autism parents and autistic's right here on wrong planet than anywhere else.
I guess I could document my observations. It's probably not a bad idea if I'm going to add other vitamins. I'd hate to lose track of which ones are helping and which aren't.
What kind of a Dr. would I see to find out how much I should be taking? And is there any way to know if I'm taking too much without a doctor telling me?
Thanks!
STOP RIGHT THERE!
Is this woman a trained and licensed medical practitioner (e.g., "Physician"), or is she just another busy-body know-it-all mom with not enough children of her own, and therefore too much time on her hands?
Have you documented your observations? Did you make note of when you've had your meltdowns before you began taking the vitamins? Did you use a fixed time period (i.e., ten days) each for pre- and post-vitamin observations? Have you taken into account other factors, like changes in your personal life, scholastic environment, or employment conditions? How about your diet; any changes their?
Skepticism aside, taking an over-the-counter vitamin supplement probably* wouldn't hurt. I take "Centrum for Men" - one tablet, once per day - as a bit of dietary "insurance" against the possibility that I could not be getting everything I need with each meal.
IF you want to try different vitamins, I suggest* that you first try an ordinary multi-vitamin supplement, and not exceed the recommended daily dose. I also suggest* that you avoid dosing yourself with more vitamins than you need -- yes, you really can overdose on vitamins, sometimes with very serious results. Please consult a real physician and please be careful.
(*I am NOT a medical practitioner. The reader of this post and any quotes from it who follows my suggestions does so solely at his or her own personal risk. I will not be held accountable for any other person's choice to follow, modify, or disregard my suggestions and advice. I am just another busy-body, know-it-all Aspie with good intentions, and no medical expertise on my part is suggested or implied.)
lostonearth35
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Location: On a planet where I don't belong.
There is such a thing as too many vitamins. And they're ridiculously expensive. All I take are OTC one-a-day vitamin pills for women (generic brand!) and occasionally vitamin C tablets, although I have no idea if I'm getting enough or too much or not. I read not long ago that you should only take liquid vitamins because your body absorbs them faster, but if I bought them I'd be lucky to have enough grocery money for actual food! Also the vitamins I take now seem to be the only kind that don't induce nausea that forced me to stop. So I'm doomed, I guess. ![]()
Recommended vitamins and minerals:
Magnesium.
B12.
B6.
It's recommended that you take some folic acid, and small amounts of zinc.
It's thought that DMG HCI & betaine HCI can help.
There are some really nasty possible side effects, which you could get from taking large doses of certain vitamins and minerals. I would try to find out if you are deficient in anything first, before you start supplements.
I took vit B for a while, and while it seemingly helped a little (with anxiety) at the first, after a while of me taking it I became very depressed, because I wasn't deficient, and my body didn't respond in the same way as some other autistics do to large doses of vit B.
Last edited by JellyCat on 31 Dec 2012, 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
An ordinary General Practitioner should be able to advise you on your best course of action.
The fine print is included to keep me out of litigation, and to give notice that I am aware of the apparent hypocrisy of my post.
On another note, I just noticed that I made that stupid "their-there" mistake again! ![]()
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
Yeah, taking nutrition advice from random people isn't particularly useful. They haven't studied your diet or your physical health. You really need a doctor or nutritionist for specific advice.
The vitamins autistic people might be deficient in depends on their diets.
If you have a restricted diet or lots of taste/texture sensitivity issues, you may be missing some nutrients. In order to figure out whether you are, analyze your diet. A nutritionist is trained to do that sort of thing and can help.
If you have a reasonable amount of variety in your diet, you probably do not have any deficiencies. Many foods are fortified with a wide range of vitamins, so that you may be getting most of what you need even with a restricted diet. Vitamin D is notable--you can get that by being out in the sun as well as by eating fortified foods. Other vitamins/minerals/amino acids can be had just from your diet or manufactured by your body.
Autistic people who have restricted or repetitive diets are vulnerable to deficiencies, but the autism is only the indirect cause--it's more that you can't stand to eat more than a narrow range of foods, or use repetitive eating patterns (eating the same thing every day) to simplify the problem of keeping yourself fed. The autism itself doesn't directly cause any particular issues.
If you're worried you might have gaps in your diet, ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist or occupational therapist (depending on what particular issue is causing the most trouble) and see if you can either modify your diet to cover more nutrients, or take supplements to cover gaps you can't fill with food.
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Last edited by Callista on 31 Dec 2012, 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
OUTSTANDING!! !
A real physician giving valid advice!
Giving too many supplements (or the wrong supplements) may be worse than taking no supplements at all, and may actually cause some of the very conditions that Aspies are trying to avoid.
I like Dr. Clark.
_________________
The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
The vitamins autistic people might be deficient in depends on their diets.
If you have a restricted diet or lots of taste/texture sensitivity issues, you may be missing some nutrients. In order to figure out whether you are, analyze your diet. A nutritionist is trained to do that sort of thing and can help.
If you have a reasonable amount of variety in your diet, you probably do not have any deficiencies. Many foods are fortified with a wide range of vitamins, so that you may be getting most of what you need even with a restricted diet. Vitamin D is notable--you can get that by being out in the sun as well as by eating fortified foods. Other vitamins/minerals/amino acids can be had just from your diet or manufactured by your body.
Autistic people who have restricted or repetitive diets are vulnerable to deficiencies, but the autism is only the indirect cause--it's more that you can't stand to eat more than a narrow range of foods, or use repetitive eating patterns (eating the same thing every day) to simplify the problem of keeping yourself fed. The autism itself doesn't directly cause any particular issues.
If you're worried you might have gaps in your diet, ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist or occupational therapist (depending on what particular issue is causing the most trouble) and see if you can either modify your diet to cover more nutrients, or take supplements to cover gaps you can't fill with food.
Thanks, this is super helpful! I do have a fairly restricted diet (I eat the same things every day), and I don't get a lot of sunlight. That's probably why the D-3 is helping, actually.
I'll figure out a way to see a nutritionist and see what they have to say about things
AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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This is probably good, middle-of-the-road advice.
AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Age: 63
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,665
Location: Houston, Texas
I'm going to include a reference to something which is way out there, or speculative, let's just say speculative.
“ . . . many autistic people have a genetic defect which interferes with their sulphur metabolism. The Clostridia in their guts could thus be pushing them over the edge. . . ”
I think this would squarely be in the category of some autistic persons, one possible cause, that kind of thing.
I do think you have a right to know.
And please be careful. Sulphur probably is something a person could get too much of.
First and foremost, asking about a general vitamin deficiency in people with an ASD is, pardon me, quite silly to put it politely.
In order to seriously investigate the question of vitamin deficiency you would need to include many other aspects like nutrition and the quality of drinking water as well as sleeping habits and countless other variables. Furthermore, it had to be a long--term study.
Vitamins and dietary supplements are a billion dollar business and taking them without prior investigation and consultation with an expert is not only wasting your money but can also lead to serious effects.
The intake of omega 3 fatty acids as I don't eat fish gave me a goiter and Graves disease although my GP recommended it. And he knew I'm allergic to iodine. When I stopped taking the capsules my goiter disappeared within less than three months, so did the alleged Graves disease including all the symptoms.
Don't fool around with stuff only because laymen recommend it and it's an over the counter product!
I'm happy to see so many posts that are based on good common sense and well-thought research.
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
