Multivitamins and Antidepressants/psychotics ?

Posted by ReneeJ @jre9576, Jun 12, 2019

Hello,
Looking for some direction and or experience from others. I want to aid my daughter's health by having her take a multivitamin, but everything I read states that certain vitamins can cause adverse reactions while taking antidepressants/psychotics. She takes one of each - lexapro 10mg and seroquel 100mg. I know from my past experience, when I was on the antidepressant effexor, I was extremely sensitive to any sort of stimulant, including any multivitamin - I would get terrible headaches and nausea, dizziness.
So is there anything she can take to supplement her diet safely?

Thank you!

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zoobditty | @zoobditty | Jun 12, 2019

SSRI veteran here - effexor gives me panic attacks, and I just switched off from lexapro to zoloft. This isn't fun at all, and I hope you find something that works.

I do take multivitamins, and haven't had much of a problem with it. I HIGHLY recommend you consult with a registered dietitian. In my experience with depression and food, I've found that eating as healthy as I possibly could helps my mood as well. Fresh or frozen veggies and fruits, lean meats, nuts, fish, and whole grain or high fiber carbohydrates. Avoid sugar and white flour, because those cause insulin spikes. (Edit: Make it a rare treat.) That's an initial short burst of energy, then feeling sad and tired as blood sugar drops.

You and she don't have to eat anything you don't like. Figure out what you do like that's nutritious. When you're ready to try new foods, you'll have fun enjoying different flavors!

Again, I encourage seeing a registered dietician. Be careful, there are a lot of unqualified 'nutritionists' out there, working without any medical licensing. Also, I'd discourage a keto diet, since the body needs some carbohydrates to make seratonin.

Guener | @guener | Jun 12, 2019

I do not have any problem with taking a multi-vitamin interfering with my Lexapro (20 mg) and Abilify (5mg). My psychiatrist has me take an additional 5000 units of vitamin D per day as well as a "stress complex" vitamin B each day. All of these together with a healthy diet that is not restricted in any particular way have worked fine for me.