Supplements

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Dahlia308

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Jul 1, 2022
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Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
09/2004
Country
US
State
NY
I've been taking a multi-vitamin for fibromyalgia for years now. The one I've been taking has been discontinued. Do you take a multi-vitamin? Does it help your fibromyalgia symptoms. If so, which multi-vitamin do you take?
 
most multivitamins are just to darn big for me - too hard to swallow - so no, i dont take them.

I do, however, take specific supplements that are known to be low (from testing) - like Vit D.. i was very deficient last year.
i should be taking an iron supp as well, but that tends to cause constipation, which is something i already struggle with (ibs-c), so that one is kind of problematic...

Pain management has ordered a bunch of other tests for my upcoming lab draw next week... B vitamins, magnesium, etc... so will be interesting to see where those are at.
 
I don't know of a specific multi vitamin that helps, but there are specific supplements that some people report as helping. I suggest you try some of those to see if anything helps. Others here can tell you what they are taking so you can try them. I take acetal L-carnitine, which is not found in a multivitamin. Some people take turmeric.

Your best bet is to get tested and find out if you are low in any vitamin and take that as a supplement. It is possible to get too much of something if you take it on top of a multivitamin unless you are deficient in it.
 
I (also) can't see much sense in using a general multi-vitamin if we don't know what we need.
I tried a specific supplement protocol for fibromyalgia, which didn't work at all for pain, fatigue or anything, and about 100 individual supplements. Of these ~45 work for muscles, sleep and energy. But most (also) are all far from the beaten track, like specific amino acids, which I have to dose fairly high.

The most striking experiences were deficiencies recently that chime in with the other two's recommendations: phosphate (mineral), proteins and riboflavin (vit.B2), all important for energy. The first two were chance findings, and riboflavin was deliberate, wanting to know how all my B-vitamins were behaving.
The normal ones that are often checked, D3 & B12, were low, but didn't make a difference, same magnesium which can't actually be checked properly.

Multi-vitamins often have too few amounts and cheap & ineffective forms of vitamins & minerals.
My new practitioner has recommended two specific combination products for my conditions amongst other things, with many less usual contents, and I already supplement most singly, however much higher (some 10x as much) and in more effective or better forms for me. Some supplements need to be taken before meals, so it wouldn't be effective to have them in with a combination product.

Starting point to build up your own individual collection would be targetting your personal symptoms using more reliable webpages & the recommendations on this forum, flanked by the protocols of fibromyalgia functional docs like Jacob Teitelbaum (SHINE protocol) or Rodger Murphree.
 
i should be taking an iron supp as well, but that tends to cause constipation, which is something i already struggle with (ibs-c), so that one is kind of problematic... Pain management has ordered a bunch of other tests for my upcoming lab draw next week... B vitamins, magnesium, etc... so will be interesting to see where those are at.
Don't think that magnesium can be tested properly...?
And I'd be interested if they automatically really ordered all B, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 12, as many of them had been neglected by mine.
Wouldn't supplementing a laxative form of magnesium like citrate solve your iron problem? Or do you do that already without effect?
 
Don't think that magnesium can be tested properly...?
And I'd be interested if they automatically really ordered all B, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 12, as many of them had been neglected by mine.
Wouldn't supplementing a laxative form of magnesium like citrate solve your iron problem? Or do you do that already without effect?
Magnesium is regularly checked for - low levels can lead to muscle cramps/spasms/tremors - high levels tend to cause extreme fatigue and low blood pressure (something I do have) - last Mg test was at the upper end of the range, so, probably not a good idea to add to that.

she is also looking at specifically B12, B9 (folate) and B6... I figure since the only one that is done on a regular basis is the B12 (have been running at the low end of "normal" range), not a bad start... time will tell...

I dont typically take laxatives.. I dont want my body to become reliant on them, which can happen - and stool softeners (not laxatives) do pretty much nothing for me.
 
I am 72 and have had FMS for 20+ years. I take glucosamine chondroitin, magnesium malate, elderberry and turmeric. I am not on any medication. This combination of supplements, along with healthy eating and daily exercise seem to keep me functioning at a fairly normal level. I do have quite a lot of FMS symptoms and pain, but have always had a high pain threshold (3 children, natural birth) which is a huge plus. That being said, my body does not seem to tolerate any medication well, including over-the-counter, so I have to find alternative ways to deal with this. I think it's a lifelong learning experience, trial and error, just seeing what works best for you individually. Hope you find the right tools for you.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I just may stop taking a multivitamin and see what happens. I do take D3 and B12 as well as a combination of malic acid and magnesium. I'm 78 years old and just adopted an eight-year old dog. That will up my exercise considerably! I don't eat right, have a sugar addiction and really need to work on that in the New Year.
 
a combination of malic acid and magnesium
Is that the compound magnesium malate, or malic acid together with a different magnesium form?
Definitely good to keep those up. Magnesium malate is one of the best forms, esp. for fibro.
Some experts suggest D3 should be taken with vit. K2 in the MK-7 form, others disagree.
Most experts say it's a waste taking B12 in the normal cheap form of cyanocobalamin, the other 3 forms are better. With gut issues it might be better to take any or all of those as an s.c. injection.
Both I('d) adjust according to my blood levels, so D3 I dose fairly high (20.000) with K2-MK-7, cos I'm on the lower end without the latter. And B12 my wife gives me methoxycobalamin injections every few months, that rockets that (but doesn't improve symptoms).
 
The label says "it's from magnesium oxide". Maybe I'll have to find the magnesium malate. I only take 1,000 mg of D3 (doubled in the winter when the sun doesn't shine here). I try to use a light box every morning. As for the B12, it's methyl cobalamin, 1,000 mcg. And I only take it three times a week. What about all the people saying it's better to get all these vitamins from real food rather than supplements. Or is it that as fibromites, we don't absorb the nutrients as well (or can't eat enough food to get what we need)?
 
There are very few nutrients in our food....
JAYcs is right to use an injection /B12/ on a sublingual solution if there absorbtion problems.
senior
 
The label says "it's from magnesium oxide".
Whoopsie - that's a cheap form and least bioavailable, 4% is the estimate. Used for extended release, but some docs say it's like trying to eat rocks. (So you're saying they've combined malic acid and magnesium oxide in one product? How strange, maybe they're trying to suggest it's the same as malate, just extended release.)
Maybe I'll have to find the magnesium malate. I only take 1,000 mg of D3 (doubled in the winter when the sun doesn't shine here). I try to use a light box every morning.
You mean 1,000 IU (= 25mcg = 0.0025 mg). Daily? If someone's deficient: >20,000 IU/wk.
As for the B12, it's methyl cobalamin, 1,000 mcg. And I only take it three times a week.
The type is good, the amount would be OK per day, again depending on your levels.
What about all the people saying it's better to get all these vitamins from real food rather than supplements. Or is it that as fibromites, we don't absorb the nutrients as well (or can't eat enough food to get what we need)?
Exactly. Also intolerances/IBS can cause problems, e.g. I can't tolerate natural vitamin C or any anti-inflammatory spices. But what is crucial is first to get as healthy a diet as possible (e.g. Mediterranean) and tolerated, because supps are hardly any use in making good for an unhealthy one.
Before fibro I didn't take any supps. In my first year none of them helped at all.
There are very few nutrients in our food....
I know you don't mean that like it comes across, @seniorzala! 😁
 
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There are very few nutrients in our food....
I know you don't mean that like it comes across, @seniorzala! 😁

Actually, seniorzala is not that far off - commercially grown fruit & veg is not as nutritious as it once was.. over use of the land has depleted the soils of vital nutrients, and early harvesting reduces things even more (some crops - mostly fruits - get harvested before they are fully ripe in order to make it to stores before they go bad, and chemicals are used to both preserve and ripen the product)

If you want more nutritious food, it is best to grow your own in good soil, naturally fertilized (compost and manure), and harvest only as it ripens - but this is not feasible for a lot of people.
Next best option is farmer's markets - where you buy directly from the small grower - but again, not always feasible, depending on location and time of year.
Granted, eating as healthy a diet as possible - as much fresh fruit & veg as one can get, lean protiens, etc - is the best way to go, but, we cannot ignore the fact that modern produce is not as nutritious as it once was. For those of us with digestive and malabsorption issues, that gets compounded even more, so supplementing is almost a necessity.
 
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