ADHD Blood Work Request Guide

Exactly what to ask your pediatrician to test and optimal ranges

ADHD-Relevant Blood Work Guide

How to Use This

How to Use This: Print this page before your pediatrician appointment. Use the table to request specific tests, then record your child's results in the tracking section below to compare against optimal ranges.

Key Terms

Key terms: 'Ferritin' measures stored iron (not the same as iron in blood). 'RBC Magnesium' measures magnesium inside red blood cells, which is more accurate than standard serum magnesium. 'Omega-3 Index' measures EPA and DHA fats in cell membranes.

Standard pediatric panels do not include several tests that are directly relevant to ADHD. Use this guide to request the right tests and interpret results beyond the basic 'normal' range.

Test	What It Measures	Standard 'Normal'	Optimal for ADHD	Why It Matters
Omega-3 Index	EPA + DHA in red blood cell membranes	>4%	>8%	Children with ADHD have lower omega-3 levels; EPA dose correlates with improvement
Ferritin	Iron stores (not just circulating iron)	>12 ng/mL	>30 ng/mL	Iron is essential for dopamine synthesis; low ferritin worsens inattention
Serum Zinc	Zinc status	60-120 mcg/dL	>80 mcg/dL	Zinc modulates dopamine transporters; deficiency is common in ADHD
RBC Magnesium	Intracellular magnesium (more accurate than serum)	4.2-6.8 mg/dL	>5.0 mg/dL	Magnesium regulates NMDA receptors involved in attention and sleep
25-OH Vitamin D	Vitamin D status	>20 ng/mL	40-60 ng/mL	Vitamin D influences dopaminergic pathways; deficiency linked to worse ADHD symptoms

At the Appointment

Print this page and bring it to your appointment. Say: 'I'd like to check some nutritional markers that may be relevant to my child's ADHD symptoms.' Most pediatricians will order these without resistance.

Important

Do not start supplementing before getting baseline blood work. You need to know what is actually deficient. Over-supplementing minerals like iron and zinc can be harmful.

Record Your Results

Test	Date Tested	Result	Action Needed
Omega-3 Index
Ferritin
Serum Zinc
RBC Magnesium
25-OH Vitamin D

Next Steps

Next Steps: Once you have your results, bring them back to this guide to compare against the 'Optimal for ADHD' column. Address the most deficient marker first, then use the ADHD Optimization Protocol Tracker to continue.