ADHD & Zinc : What Your Pharmacist Wants You to Know

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Let’s start our chat on vitamins and supplements vs ADHD. What your pharmacist wants you to know!

I get questions about this A LOT and it is a stellar question for a conventional and functional medicine pharmacist! Let’s dig in. This is going to be a multi-part series so stay tuned!

First up, Zinc!

Zinc has in indirect role in regulating dopamine - which we know, our spicy ADHD brains are lacking in. Zinc improves the brains response to dopamine which, if zinc levels are low, it’s hypothesized that it may make your stimulant medication more effective.

Some studies have shown that many children diagnosed with ADHD had lower zinc concentrations when compared to children without ADHD, although more studies need to be done before an adequate cause vs effect conclusion can be reached.

Zinc supplementation may reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity in patients with low zinc levels.

One study showed that taking a zinc supplement with a stimulant medication reduced the dose necessary for effective ADHD treatment.

That all sounds pretty great, right?!? Well here’s what your pharmacist wants you to know before you go rushing out to buy a bunch of zinc!

1. Get it from your food. Before supplementing with a product, consider incorporating foods higher in zinc like spinach, shellfish, cashews, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and red meat.

2. Confirm low zinc levels. Here’s the deal, supplements and vitamins are helpful for people who are DEFICIENT. If you aren’t deficient in the vitamin you’re supplementing, you’re peeing out money. Your body doesn’t need it so it will eliminate it. If your zinc levels are fine, you’re unlikely to see any benefit in your ADHD symptoms by taking a supplement.

3. Talk with your doctor and pharmacist prior to starting any supplementation. Vitamins, minerals, supplements, and herbs may interact with your medications and health conditions, just like prescription medication. PLEASE speak to your doctor and pharmacist prior to taking zinc or any supplementation.

4. Not all supplements are created equally. Supplements don’t have to undergo the same required testing and regulation that prescription medication do. Look for brands that have been tested by a third-party company and have a Certificate of Analysis (COA).

5. Yes, you can take TOO much Zinc. Only take the dose recommended to you by your provider. Too much zinc may result in nausea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches.

6. Zinc interacts with thiazide diuretics, penicillamine, and tetracycline antibiotics. Speak with your pharmacist about adjusting the timing of when to take your zinc supplement with tetracycline antibiotics or penicillamine (a drug used in rheumatoid arthritis) and how thiazides increase the amount of zinc lost in the urine.

Want more neurodivergent health and wellness tips? Sign up for my newsletter or book an initial consult with me where we can chat and see how I can best support you!

You deserve help. You make sense. You are understood.

Virtual hugs to you all!

Kalin Johnson, PharmD, The Neurodivergent Pharmacist

Clinical Pharmacist, Healthcare Advocate, Functional Medicine Specialist & Neurodivergent Mentor

None of the information presented should be used as personal medical advice. Please consult with your doctor.

Resources Used for this Blog:

1.      https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/#:~:text=Can%20zinc%20be%20harmful%3F,-Yes%2C%20if%20you%20get

2.      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037197/

3.      https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

4.      Zinc sulfate as an adjunct to methylphenidate for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: A double blind and randomized trial [ISRCTN64132371] - PMC (nih.gov)

5.      [The role of zinc in the treatment of hyperactivity disorder in children] - PubMed (nih.gov)

6.      Zinc in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - PubMed (nih.gov)

7.      Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of zinc sulfate in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - PubMed (nih.gov)

8.      Zinc for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Pilot Trial Alone and Combined with Amphetamine - PMC (nih.gov)

9.      https://www.additudemag.com/treatment/vitamins-and-supplements/

10.  USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 28.  The National Agricultural Library.  2015; Volume 28:Pages 1-224.

11.  https://www.consumerreports.org/supplements/how-to-choose-supplements-wisely-a2238386100/