# What vitamins/supplements have you found beneficial? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847 "2019-07-30T01:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/1 "2019-07-30T01:33:48Z")
I’ve struggled with restless leg syndrome most of my adult life. I started taking magnesium supplements and my symptoms have all but disappeared. I don’t care if it’s a placebo effect or not, my legs don’t twitch anymore. What have you found works for whatever ails you? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/2 "2019-07-30T01:40:40Z")
I was having a lot of trouble with my nails breaking and splitting, especially considering the art work I do. Then I started taking 10,000 mcg of Biotin every day. I could see that my nails were getting thicker, but it took 9 months for the thicker nails to grow out to the tips. I still had a little breaking, so I upped the dosage to 15,000 mcg. They’re still growing out. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/3 "2019-07-30T01:43:32Z")
I notice when I eat a green smoothie everyday I have more energy and dont get as fatigued by a bad night’s sleep. My fingernails started growing faster after I started taking a multivitamin. When I quit they stop growing so fast. No idea if that is good or not. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/4 "2019-07-30T02:29:51Z")
I believe the glucosamine I take helps my knee pain and stiffness. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/5 "2019-07-30T02:38:42Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I believe the glucosamine I take helps my knee pain and stiffness. When I was a distance runner, glucosamine was a big help with my knees. I could throw away the knee strap. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/6 "2019-07-30T10:51:52Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I believe the glucosamine I take helps my knee pain and stiffness. I took triple-strength glucosamine/chondroitin for several years. It did absolutely no good whatsoever. I wound up having knee replacement surgery… which is NOT a panacea. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/7 "2019-07-30T18:56:07Z")
5-HTP for sleep. Melatonin makes my throat feel like it is swelling and choking me. I take 5HTP 30 minutes before sleep while traveling and it works like a charm. Now it is recommended for general mood smoothing, but I only use it for red-eye flights and time shifting. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/8 "2019-07-31T01:57:11Z")
When I was a kid I would get cold sores a couple times each winter (usually following a cold), and the visible scabs on my lip or nose would render me a social outcast. A Dr. suggested I take L-Lysine regularly to ward them off, and I believe there was a reduction in the frequency and if one did emerge, it was smaller and shorter-lived than without the supplement. Like the OP, I cannot conclusively credit L-Lysine with preventing my cold sores (it could have just had to do with me getting older, less illnesses, etc), but at the time I felt like I was “doing” something about it rather than waiting to be a victim. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/9 "2019-07-31T02:52:58Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > When I was a kid I would get cold sores a couple times each winter (usually following a cold), and the visible scabs on my lip or nose would render me a social outcast. A Dr. suggested I take L-Lysine regularly to ward them off, and I believe there was a reduction in the frequency and if one did emerge, it was smaller and shorter-lived than without the supplement. > > Like the OP, I cannot conclusively credit L-Lysine with preventing my cold sores (it could have just had to do with me getting older, less illnesses, etc), but at the time I felt like I was “doing” something about it rather than waiting to be a victim. From [Examine.com](http://Examine.com)(which is an exceptional source of info on supplements) [L-Lysine](https://examine.com/supplements/lysine/) > [@](#): > > Lysine is an amino acid commonly paired with Vitamin C in many supplements. While an essential amino acid it does not hold much promise as a supplement beyond reducing the symptoms of herpes simplex. > > To supplement Lysine to reduce symptoms of herpes simplex, take up to 2g of lysine daily in divided doses with meals. It should be noted that ingesting supplemental L-arginine at this time will be counterproductive for this purpose and, if the diet is modified to increase lysine intake, then L-arginine should be controlled. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/10 "2019-07-31T03:08:07Z")
I don’t know if I had any symptoms of anemia but my hemoglobin was quite low when I went to donate blood (like 9 or 10? It should be 12.5 or higher), two times in a row. I take an iron supplement now and it’s consistently good. Except for that one time I stopped taking it out of laziness (ran out, didn’t buy more) and it was too low to donate again. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-vitamins-supplements-have-you-found-beneficial/837847/11 "2019-07-31T06:11:50Z")
I’ve had colitis issues. Taking probiotics had a big positive effect.