A double-blind trial tested a broad mix of vitamins and minerals against a placebo pill in adults with ADHD. The study included 80 people recruited in Canterbury, New Zealand. All were at least 16 years old, and 7 were under 18. None had taken ADHD medication for at least 4 weeks. Just over half also had another mental health condition (56%). The researchers split the group evenly, with 42 people taking the supplement and 38 taking placebo for 8 weeks.
By the end, both the participants and the observers who rated them reported larger drops in ADHD symptoms than the placebo group. The self-reports showed a moderate effect. The observer ratings were close behind. Clinicians who rated the participants did not see a clear difference.
More people taking the supplement improved by a meaningful amount. Nearly two-thirds cut their symptoms by at least 30% on one measure (64.3%). In the placebo group about a third did (36.8%). The two groups had similar rates of side effects.
The authors call this early evidence only. The trial lasted 8 weeks, the sample was small and from one region, and the results did not agree across all raters. Anyone thinking about a supplement like this should talk with a clinician about their own situation.
The numbers Stats and what the terms mean
The statistics behind the plain-language claims above.
- Rucklidge, 2014: ADHD symptoms compared with placebo, effect size 0.61 for self-reports, 0.59 for observer ratings and 0.23 for clinician ratings.
What the terms mean:
- Effect size shows how big a difference is. Roughly, 0.2 is small, 0.5 is moderate and 0.8 is large.
Source: Julia J. Rucklidge, Chris Frampton, Brigette Gorman, et al.. Vitamin–mineral treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2014). doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.113.132126