What supplements help with chemo brain?

Patients with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy who also took a probiotics supplement had significantly fewer symptoms of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) ― often referred to as "chemo brain" ― compared to a control group taking placebo capsules, reports the first study of its kind.


What helps with chemo brain?

Managing chemo brain symptoms
  • Repetitive exercises to train your brain. Memory and thinking exercises may help your brain repair broken circuits that may contribute to chemo brain.
  • Tracking and understanding what influences memory problems. ...
  • Using coping strategies. ...
  • Stress-relief techniques.


What supplements should chemo patients take?

In these cases, your doctor may prescribe calcium and vitamin D to support your bone health. Also, some chemotherapy can lead to decreases in potassium and magnesium, so those may also be supplemented during cancer treatment.


What supplements help with chemo side effects?

Herbs and Other Supplements
  • Ginger can help you manage nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. ...
  • Zinc may help prevent taste changes, a side effect of radiation, chemotherapy, and some pain medicines.
  • Astragalus might ease the side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea and vomiting, if you have colorectal cancer.


Can chemo brain be reversed?

Does chemobrain ever go away? For most patients, chemobrain improves within 9-12 months after completing chemotherapy, but many people still have symptoms at the six-month mark.


WHAT IS CHEMO BRAIN? | tips & tricks to help you cope!



Does chemo permanently damage the brain?

Michelle Monje and her colleagues found that the chemotherapy drug methotrexate can affect three major types of brain cells, resulting in a phenomenon known as "chemo brain." More than half of cancer survivors suffer from cognitive impairment from chemotherapy that lingers for months or years after the cancer is gone.

Can chemo brain lead to dementia?

Some clinical studies show a direct link between chemotherapy treatment and cognitive decline that possibly leads to dementia later in life. Other studies argue instead that a positive relationship exists between chemotherapy and dementia, with cancer survivors less likely to develop it.

Which vitamin is best during chemotherapy?

Some vitamins or minerals could interfere with how well cancer drugs work. Antioxidant supplements such as co enzyme Q10, selenium and the vitamins A, C and E can help to prevent cell damage.


Does B12 help chemo patients?

Among participants undergoing chemotherapy (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel): Use of vitamin B12 both before and during chemotherapy was related to poorer disease-free survival and overall survival.

What vitamins should you not take with chemo?

Dangers of Herbal Supplements

Echinacea, curcumin, St. John's wort, valerian root, and allium (an extract of garlic) — all are examples of herbal supplements that can disrupt the toxicity-efficacy balance of chemotherapy.

What helps chemo patients feel better?

10 chemotherapy tips from cancer patients who've been there
  • Get some rest. ...
  • Stay hydrated. ...
  • Eat when you can. ...
  • Create a sense of normalcy in your routine. ...
  • Look to your support and care teams to have your back through treatment. ...
  • Keep things around that bring you comfort. ...
  • Stay ahead of your nausea. ...
  • Stay positive.


Does vitamin D interfere with chemotherapy?

Vitamin D has been shown to enhance many types of Chemotherapy. So, be careful about taking vitamin D IF your doctor is unwilling to reduce the amount of chemo to be given. Chemo dosages were established for the majority of people who have low levels of vitamin D in their blood.

What foods help chemo work better?

Plant-based Proteins. Some of the best foods to eat during chemotherapy or other cancer treatments are plant-based proteins. They offer the highest levels of vitamins and minerals, Rajagopal says. This means eating lots of vegetables as well as beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.

What does chemo brain feel like?

Feeling of mental fogginess. Short attention span. Short-term memory problems. Taking longer than usual to complete routine tasks.


Will exercise help chemo brain?

Staying active before and during chemotherapy may help limit the severity of cancer- and treatment-related cognitive issues.

How do you get rid of chemo headaches?

Treating and managing headaches
  1. Over-the-counter pain relievers, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
  2. Prescription narcotic pain relievers, like codeine.
  3. Tricyclic antidepressants.
  4. Triptan medications, like sumatriptan (Alsuma, Imitrex, Zecuity)


Why do you need B12 before chemo?

Vitamin B12 and folic acid (FA) supplementation (B12-FAS) reduces hematologic toxicity with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy (PEM).


What is the fastest way to recover from chemotherapy?

Try to include strength training at least two days a week, with at least one day off in between. As you recover and adjust, you might find that more exercise makes you feel even better. Sometimes you won't feel like exercising, and that's OK. Treatment side effects, such as fatigue, can keep you sidelined.

Can I take magnesium while on chemo?

Hydration with 15 mEq magnesium is effective at reducing risk for cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in patients receiving cisplatin (≥50 mg/m2) combination chemotherapy.

Can chemo brain cause personality changes?

The emotional impacts of chemo can look like shifts in mood, depression or anxiety. Personality changes are common, too. These can be linked to chemotherapy treatments, the disease process, and coping with a cancer diagnosis.


Does your body ever fully recover from chemotherapy?

Most chemotherapy side effects are temporary and disappear once your treatment is over. For some people chemotherapy can cause long term changes in the body months or years after treatment. Many people feel more tired than usual for a long time after chemotherapy treatment.

Does chemo cause permanent brain fog?

Often, the fogginess will fade when your chemo ends. But for some people, the fuzzy feelings will linger for several months or sometimes a year or more.

Does Adderall help with chemo brain?

Some people find that taking stimulants like methylphenidate (Quillivant ER, Quillichew ER, Ritalin), a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine (Adderall, Adderall XR), or modafinil/armodafinil (Provigil/Nuvigil) can help their fatigue, attention, and concentration during cancer treatment.


Which chemo drugs cause chemo brain?

Often referred to as cancer-related cognitive impairment, chemo brain can be marked by severe memory problems, a lack of mental sharpness, and what many people who experience it describe as “mental fog.” The chemotherapy drug cisplatin is commonly linked to chemo brain.

Can chemo cause mental confusion?

Many things can cause confusion in cancer patients, including: Cancer that has spread into the brain. Cancer in the fluid around the brain. Certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy drugs, radiation to the brain, surgery, or stem cell transplant.