Does Chromium Cause Headaches and Muzziness?

Where can I buy Chromax?

Dr. McLeod,

I tried to order the new formulation of Chromax (250 mcg of chromium picolinate and 250 mcg of chromium histidinate) at the phone number you have listed in your book and they referred me to another phone number. I then called that number and they had no idea what I was talking about. I then called Iceland Health again and they said they did not have that formulation. Did the formulation change again? I can’t get the product you recommend.
Thanks,
DS

Dear Ms. DS
I’m so sorry you’re having trouble finding Chromax chromium picolinate, but pleased that you have contacted me. Here is the problem: Nutrition 21 sold the Iceland Health Chromax brand to Nature’s Products (NPI) and there may have been a lapse in placing Chromax on shelves. I contacted John Kelly, who is the VP of Sales and Marketing at NPI and told him that many people have contacting me because they can’t find Chromax. John tells me that you can purchase Chromax at Walmart, CVS, RiteAid and other places. Moreover, efforts are being made to make Chromax more visible and more available. John volunteered that he would be happy to receive your call. His number is 1(954) 233-3300. His email address is JohnK@Natures-Products.com.
Again, thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Malcolm McLeod, MD

Dosage of New Chromax

Dosage of New Chromax

hi dr. mcleod,
i stumbled upon your research and blog online today and am praying Chromax will help me in my 20 year battle with depression, pmdd, sad and 3 bouts of ppd. All of which run on both sides of my family along with diabetes.i noticed the 500 mg capsules of Chromax have 250mg of chromium picolinate and 250mg of chromium histidinate? If I need 1000mg of Chromium Picolinate according to your blog, should I take 2 or 4 of these pills each day? Have you studied both forms of Chromium? Think this is a new formulation of Chromax…..Thanks!

Answer:

Yes, this is a new formulation of Chromax. The hope is that absorption of chromium will be increased by adding chromium histidinate to chromium picolinate. You should take 2 pills each day.

Please let me know if this helps.

Malcolm McLeod

Can a Person with Kidney Disease Take Chromium

Can a Person with Kidney Disease Take Chromium?

QUESTION:

Hello,

I have many of the symptoms of atypical depression and am interested in taking chromium picolinate but I read somewhere that you should not take it if you have a kidney disease – which I have. Is that correct or could I take it maybe even at a low dose?

Thank you,
N. C.

ANSWER:

Dear N.C.:
I am not aware of the study that shows people with kidney disease should not take chromium. I would like to know your source. There are several causes. Probably type II diabetes is the most common. Whether you take chromium or not may depend on your type of kidney disease.

A caveat: I am not a specialist in kidney diseases. I recommend that you consult a nephrologist — a physician who specializes in diseases of the kidney — and obtain his or her opinion about taking chromium.

Sorry I can’t be more definite. Please let me know what your nephrologist says.

Malcolm N. McLeod, MD

Where Can I Find Chromax?

Where Can I Find Chromax?

Hi Dr. McLeod,

I was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes, with a fasting glucose of 150. I am working to control my BG through diet and exercise, and do not take any medication or insulin. I recently added 200 mg of Chromium Picolinate to my vitamins I take daily, and have been shocked to see my blood glucose drop into the non-diabetes range for a few hours whenever I take the supplement. After doing some research online, I am very interested in switching to Chromax to get the full benefit of CrPic. However, I have found in searching online that I cannot find Chromax at Costco, Target, Walgreens, etc, even though these stores are listed on the Chromax website. Is there a shortage of chromax due to its popularity?

Thank you,
M

Dear M,
I’m pleased that your blood sugar is being helped by chromium picolinate. Nutrition 21 recently started packaging Chromax under the label Nutrition 21 Iceland Health Chromax, so if you look on the shelves of many mass retailers, you will see Iceland Health Chromax. Try Walgreens. If you can’t find it, please get back in touch and I’ll see what I can do.
Malcolm McLeod

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WHAT IS THE PROPER DOSAGE OF CrPic?

WHAT IS THE PROPER DOSAGE OF CrPic?

Dr. McLeod:

After reading your book, I started taking chromium almost five years ago. It had a profound impact. I am wondering about dosage. I believe I have been taking 200 mcg after breakfast, and then again, at around 10:30 am. Odd as this might sound, I wonder if I initailly was taking 500 mcg, and then somehow purchased the 200 mcg. What is the proper dose? If I should increase, what is the best way to build up to the higher dose? I have gained weight in the last year, and wonder if that is because I changed accidentally from 500 to 200.

Thanks!

Best,

R H

ANSWER:

Dear RH

I usually recommend that people start taking 3 micrograms per pound of body weight of chromium picolinate daily. If that dosage does not curb appetite, give more energy, and lift depression within one week, I suggest increasing the dosage to 5 micrograms per pound of body weight daily. That ‘translates” to a maximum dosage of 1000 micrograms per day for a person who weighs 200 pounds.

If increasing the dosage does not achieve the desired effect, you may want to consider switching to another brand of chromium picolinate. Not all formulations are made with equal atttention to quality control.

Thank you for contacting me. Please let me know if increasing the dosage helps.

Malcolm N. McLeod, MD

Does the combination of an SSRI and chromium help PMS?

Does the combination of an SSRI and chromium help PMS?

QUESTION:

Hi Dr. McLeod,
I was taking 10 mg. of Prozac for approximately 4 1/2 years for what I thought was difficult PMS. Even with this small dose, I benefited quit a bit and even experienced benefits in areas that surprised me (overall confidence increased dramatically) I went off in January because I started an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle. IVF ended in April and I hit rock bottom. It has taken the last three months to allow the hormones from the IVF to leave my system, and I have to say I feel much better. However, I am still somewhat irritable, blue and am experiencing chronic insecurity. I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps I do in fact have low serotonin and perhaps always have. I went back on 10 mg. of Prozac this week.
Here are my questions:
1. Over the long term I gained 10-15 lbs on the Prozac. That was my only side effect but it is a big one and I am very concerned this will happen again. I bought Solgar brand Chromium Picolinate (500 mcg) after reading that it can help with this side effect of an SSRI. Is it safe to take long term along side the Prozac?
2. Are there any other supplements that should be avoided? I also take Asacol for mild ulcerative colitis, is this okay to take with the Chromium Picolinate?
I look forward to reading your answer on the blog.
Sincerely,
R. K.


ANSWER:

Dear Ms. K,

Thank you for contacting me with your interesting and important questions.

Not only is it safe to add chromium, the combination of chromium and Prozac (and other SSRIs) seems to work better than SSRIs alone for PMS and atypical depression. I do not know of any long term ill effects. Some of my patients have taken chromium along with an SSRIs for over a decade with great benefit and no side effects. In some cases, they have NEVER had another difficult period.

There are no reported interactions among chromium, Asacol and Prozac.

In case you don’t already know, women with severe PMS tend to relapse after discontinuing treatment with antidepressant medications, according to a recent study published in the May issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Dr. Dr. Ellen W. Freeman and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia studied 174 women with severe PMS, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Some of the women took the antidepressant medication, sertraline, for 4 months and were then switched to a placebo or dummy pill. Other women took sertraline for 12 months and were then switched to placebo. (Sertraline and Prozac are both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.)

Although 72 percent of the 174 women improved while taking sertraline, symptoms returned in roughly half of the women after discontinuation of sertraline.

This study suggests that the more severe your symptoms are before treatment, the greater your likelihood of relapse (return of symptoms) after discontinuation of treatment.

If you decide to add chromium, please let me know if it helps or not. Again, thank you for contacting me.

Malcolm McLeod, MD