I take teaspoons of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt for trace minerals. I don't know what exact minerals I lack.
That's not nearly enough to make up an extreme mineral deficiency.
I strongly second
@sregan about magnesium. Most of us are deficient in it anyway, because industrial farming methods leave little to no magnesium in the soil to get into our food, but especially with your long history of using proton-pump inhibitors, it's an extra risk for you.
For me, high dosing magnesium (600mg-1000mg per day) for a couple of years did wonders for stabilizing me with a lot of things. It improved my mood/mood swings a lot, improved my sleep, and helped me tolerate and benefit from iodine (for thyroid). I think the fact that I was "topped out" with magnesium and some other crucial minerals *before* I started methylation therapy is one reason I was able to start it more easily than a lot of people seem to, and get by with less severe sides. I did have to increase magnesium again for a while during the break-in period with methylation, but now I'm back down to normal levels. Normal being a relative term. I put magnesium powder in the water I drink daily (I mineralize distilled water) and I also take a few pills before I go to bed at night.
Minerals are crucial in all health but especially when pursuing therapeutic avenues that could fundamentally change your health for the better.
Other crucial minerals I needed to see improvement in my health even before methylation include:
--Selenium (I alternate two types: selenomethionine and selenocysteine, but some people can't take one or the other form)
--Zinc
--Copper
Lithium has been very helpful since I started methylation, but I only take a few hundred micrograms per day *at most*. Lithium can help with B12 absorption and utilization, but it can also have a deleterious effect on thyroid if you take too much. Others seem to need more lithium than I do. A reliable small intake of lithium has helped stabilize my mood and generally added a lift to my outlook. It's subtle but there. I dissolve lithium tablets in water and then drop some of the resulting conentrated lithium mixture into the water I drink every day.
Recently discovered I also needed manganese and molybdenum.
I also put a mineral supplement in my water called "Concentrace Mineral Drops". Using that is not enough to make up deficiencies by itself, but it can help you while you're making up deficiencies, and help you stay topped up once you're no longer deficient. Be careful about using too much of it, though...it can give you the runs and it tastes like ass.
Of course this is all very complex, and you need to do a lot of reading and research to help guide yourself, and then make a choice based on what you learn.
If I was in your position I might consider adding in more potassium in some powder form, a largish dose of magnesium, some selenium, and some zinc to start. Please do your research on the safety of these supplements and their potential viability in your situation, then make an informed choice.
My experience is that potassium is best taken as powder in juice or water because if taken as pills it irritates my stomach, as
@Johnmac noted. I like to dissolve my dose into a shot glass and shoot it because it tastes terrible, and that gets it over with quick.
Then I chase it with a much larger glass of something that doesn't taste bad to dilute it in my stomach. Dilution being the key for me to not get stomach irritation from it. Your mileage may vary if you choose to try this, especially since you're been on the proton-pump inhibitors. Also, if you decide to try, it might be best to not take these minerals all at one meal, or on an empty stomach. Space them out through the day. Taking a couple or few at one time is okay, but spacing them out is better. Less rough on the stomach and also reduces the risk of absorption conflicts.
Anyway, let us know what you decide to do. Correcting mineral deficiencies can be a lot of work but very rewarding. Magnesium in particular is one that many people see a nice benefit right away. Good luck!
