
Preventing Nutritional Deficiencies on the Pill
by Laura J Hieb, ND on December 22, 2021Supplements to Take While on the Pill or Other Forms of Hormonal Birth control
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low Sex Drive
- Poor Blood Sugar Metabolism
If you've been using hormonal birth control for a while and suddenly experience the above symptoms, supplementing with the following can help.
Nutrients that are depleted by hormonal birth control are:
- Vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3. B-6, folic acid and B-12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Tyrosine
- DHEA
- Coenzyme Q10 (aka CoQ10)
If you have just started using hormonal birth control, and do not have the above symptoms, you can probably get by on a good quality multi vitamin and mineral supplement, taken daily with food, for most of the above. But you might need extra magnesium, AND Tyrosine, DHEA and CoQ10 are typically not included in multi vitamin and mineral supplements.
The best forms of magnesium include magnesium glycinate, threonate, taurate, malate and citrate. Take 300-600mg daily, with or without food. If you notice loose stools, decrease your dose and/or avoid magnesium citrate.
Tyrosine is an amino acid that is important for making many hormones. It is found in all animal foods but you can take a supplement. Take 500-1000mg daily on an empty stomach which means up to 1 hour before eating or 2 plus hours after eating.
DHEA is a hormone that balances out cortisol, our stress hormone and can also helps make testosterone. It also helps improve metabolism, energy, sex drive and sense of well-being. It is truly a versatile hormone. Take 5mg at bedtime. It also should be taken on an empty stomach. If you take other hormones at bedtime, you can add the DHEA to them. If you notice pimples, try taking it 2 times per week.
CoQ10 is necessary to make energy on a cellular level. If you are on a statin, you definitely need to be taking CoQ10 because the statin impairs your liver's ability to make it. But it also helps prevent migraines and bleeding gums and helps lower blood pressure. The dose is 100-200mg daily with food before 6:30pm. Taking CoQ10 late in the day can sometimes interfere with sleep.