Vitamins/Minerals - Am I overdoing it on something?

[sleepnrain]

I started taking some new vitamins and minerals earlier this week and have been feeling SO weird for the last few days - Foggy-headed, headache yesterday, today I feel like my arms and legs are wet noodles and I've just been lying down for a few hours because anything else just seems impossible.

Here's what I've been taking:
- sublingual B12 (methylcobalamin) - 1000mcg
- magnesium citrate - 400mg
- folate (as metafolin) - 400mcg
- zinc picolinate - 22mg (also contains 20mg calcium)
- omega-3 from cold water fish oil - 1000mg
- milk thistle - 1200mg
- a probiotic with 15 billion organisms
- increased apple cider vinegar intake

My reasoning: I have a documented mild B12 deficiency that I haven't properly investigated to see if I need B12 injections. I'm planning to take these high-quality sublingual tablets for a few weeks, then have my levels tested again and see where they are. I have strong inattentive ADHD tendencies, frequent anxiety, joint pain, digestive problems and skin problems. I also don't eat as well as I should, although I'm attempting to do better. I've been thinking that my digestive system is probably not functioning as well as it could be, which is leading to poor absorption of B12 and some of the other problems. I'm taking the folate because I read it should be taken with the magnesium.

If you're familiar with these kinds of supplements, do you see anything wrong with this lineup? Am I missing something? I thought I had a pretty good group of supplements here and wasn't expecting positive results right away. But I also wasn't expecting these other side effects!

Thanks so much for any insight!

[nichole]

I read too much zinc can cause headaches. or...Maybe it is a detox reaction from the milk thistle? If you took too much mag, your bowels will let you know

[KimPM]

It might be a sensitivity to one or several of the supplements, or their excipients. Try backing off all the new ones until you feel back to how you were before. Then try adding only one new one at a time and see what happens.

[tanyalynn]

If I had to guess, I'd go with the B12, maybe the ACV. Some people do better with a hydroxy form of sublingual B12 instead of methyl, and sometimes still it can start up chemical pathways that have been dormant for quite a while, and headaches and junk can occur.

When are you taking the ACV? I had an odd reaction to lemon juice (all alone, not as a normal ingredient in things), I think it's the acidity, it was on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I didn't feel bad, but I did have some strangeness. Perque makes a hydroxy b12, there are some liquid B12 drops around too, I haven't ever tried them, just read about them....

http://www.holisticheal.com/supplements/b12-products

If it's an issue of circulating toxins (B12 suddenly restarting your methylation and things being imbalanced for a while), consider vitamin C, as much as you can take w/o getting gastro side effects. Maybe skip the B12 for a couple days, add in the C, see if anything changes?

Those supps do seem like most of the heavy hitters, things we tend to be low in. Um, you may want to add a B-complex, the Bs tend to work together, just to prevent any subtle imbalances there. I wouldn't think that would be the cause of the things you've described though, just to help smooth the way, prevent subtle stuff later on. Thorne makes supps with real folate (half 5-mthf, half folinic acid), you can look through their offerings and see what fits (either a multi or just a b-complex).

[JonahRoo]

Could be the ACV killing off yeast in your system and you are experiencing "die-off" symptoms. It might be that you are just taking too much ACV and you need to work up to larger amounts. When you experience die-off then it means that yeast is dying off too quickly in your body and even if you have yeast overgrowth it is best to lower your dosage of ACV to reduce the amount of die-off happening. This is my understanding of yeast. I am not sure about anything else in your list but google yeast die-off symptoms and there is a wide range from headaches to fatigue etc.

[xekomaya]

I would suspect yeast, but you could easily be reacting to one of the sups. I second the suggestion to take them out and add back in one at a time.

[sleepnrain]

Thank you for the responses! Lots to think about.

I'm not sold on suspecting the ACV, only because I've taken it frequently in the past with no side effects. I've been taking it recently either in water or in things like salad dressing, always with food and never more than a tablespoon or so.

I'll have to read up on circulating toxins and yeast die-off symptoms, I don't know anything about those. Does anyone know how quickly they usually start happening and how long they usually last for? I haven't taken anything so far today and I feel much more normal, so maybe I'll just skip them today and start adding one every 2-3 days tomorrow. I was excited about getting started on these because I feel ready to start feeling better, but you're all probably right that I went too fast.

In general, do the amounts I listed seem reasonable? Am I missing anything major in that lineup for trying to get started on a path to better digestion and neurological functioning?

So much great information!

[KimPM]

Originally Posted by sleepnrain

In general, do the amounts I listed seem reasonable? Am I missing anything major in that lineup for trying to get started on a path to better digestion and neurological functioning?

Some of the amounts are over RDA values, but nothing I would worry about.