Positives

• A patient (Tammy) said chromium picolinate "absolutely helped me with carb/sugar cravings" — she had tested as chromium-deficient with low-blood-sugar symptoms including an itchy scalp, and those resolved with supplementation Phoenix Rising.

Negatives

• An Annals of Internal Medicine case report documented chronic renal failure in a patient taking 600 mcg/day of over-the-counter chromium picolinate for six weeks for weight loss; people with kidney or liver disorders are advised to avoid chromium supplements entirely. Annals of Internal Medicine.
• The Merck Manual notes that the American Diabetes Association recommends against chromium supplementation for glucose control, and Merck cautions that patients on insulin or oral hypoglycemics may face increased hypoglycemia risk when starting chromium. Merckmanuals.
• WebMD reports chromium can decrease levothyroxine absorption when taken close together; patients on thyroid replacement need to space chromium 30 minutes before or 3-4 hours after their thyroid dose. WebMD.

Hurdles & Side Effects

• The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that chromium may decrease absorption of levothyroxine when taken together — separate the doses if you take thyroid replacement NIH.
• NIH flags an Adequate Intake of 25-35 mcg/day for adults with no set Tolerable Upper Intake, while supplements are commonly sold in the hundreds-of-mcg range — dose matters NIH.