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Diary of a PWC on the Methylation Block Protocol

Messages
38
Day 5: Increased my dose of actifolate to half a tablet, no change.

Day 6: Stayed on half a tablet of actifolate, took half a tablet of neurological health formula. Took my meds late in the morning and had my dinner at lunch time rather than in the evening today (I was planning to attend a meditation class). After dinner, started feeling much worse. Very tired and achy, headache. Kind of dizzy, feel slightly anxious. Couldn't go to work, lay down for a couple of hours instead. I think it could be the neurological health formula, but I'm not sure.

I have ordered some FolaPro (L-5-Methyl Tetrahydrofolate) and some MegaFolinic (Folinic Acid) to take in place of the actifolate. I have also ordered some sublingual methylcobalamin to try in place of the hydoxocobalamin.
 

richvank

Senior Member
Messages
2,732
Hi, zen.

I appreciate your posting the updates. I'm sorry that you were unable to go to work. Other people have reported similar symptoms at first. If they are too severe, you might consider lowering the dosages even more at first. It is difficult to do this type of treatment and still continue working, but some people have done it. I think it requires slowing the pace of the treatment.

I realize that Freddd may have other views, but that's how it appears to me.

Best regards,

Rich
 
Messages
38
Thanks Rich, I will consider lowering the dosage :)

I think maybe it was a migraine I had, it was / is similar symptoms, I had lamb for dinner and that could have triggered it.

I quite often don't go to work on particularly bad days, so no harm done. I only work about 13 hours a week, and that's a struggle.

I'm hoping that me making these posts will be useful to other people thinking about starting the protocol. I will probably only post in future when there is a change in my symptoms or when I modify the protocol. :)

If I feel better tomorrow, I will take the remaining half of the Neural Health Formula tablet. Actually, it is a little less than half because when I split the tablet it did not split very equally. I took the larger half today.

Zen
 
Messages
38
Day 7: I feeling dizzy today (started yesterday). My nerves and my anxiety are bad. I feel a bit panicky and shaky. Not sure what is causing this.

My legs and arms are aching more than usual. I still have a bad / thick head. It wasn't a migraine.

I just took my meds. Didn't take the Neural Health Formula, and took only a quarter (more like a third) of an ActiFolate tablet.

I can't stand the increase in anxiety and nerves. I can cope with physical pain and even fatigue, but not the nerves / anxiety. Which supplement could be causing these symptoms? Phosphatidylserine - could it be interacting with the fluoxetine?
 

determined

Senior Member
Messages
307
Location
USA: Deep South
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I never used the phosphatidylserine and I had good results with mB12 and methylfolate. During the rough patches (lasted about a month for me) I was still able to work at my part time job. I started with a very, very small dose, though. Incidentally, I have never changed it since last year. I still see the positive results, and I don't want to mess things up by increasing it. My job is challenging now and I don't want to risk losing it.

Good luck, and go slow!
 
Messages
38
Thanks determined, that makes me a bit more optimistic. Are you working full-time or part-time?

Day 8: Today, I did not take any Neurological Health Formula nor the phosphatidylserine. I took only a quarter of ActiFolate, one selenium and one hydroxocobalamin.

My nerves are still a bit weird today and feeling a bit dizzy and anxious still. See I feel tomorrow.
 
Messages
38
Day 10: I changed the Actifolate for FolaPro (1/4 tablet) and MegaFolinic (was supposed to be a quarter ended up being a half), also I took 2mg methylcobalamin instead of the hydroxocobalamin. Haven't noticed any difference.

I usually feel worse (even more tired) on a Saturday and today is no different. Feeling totally drained and have had a bad head most of the day. Ironically, I usually feel more awake when it is time for bed.

Zen
 
Messages
38
It has been a few days since I last posted. A couple of days ago I started taking the phosphatidylserine and I am feeling very dizzy again. I think that it could be a symptom of low cortisol as stated at the beginning of Rich's sticky thread "Simplified Methylation Protocol Revised as of Today". The symptoms seem to match those possible for low cortisol.

So I'm going to leave it off indefintely, maybe switch to lecithin. I'm going to finish off my tub of whey powder this evening and then I'm going to leave that off as well for a few weeks. I'm not taking the Neurological Health Formula either, I may give that an other go in many weeks time or not at all.

I've been feeling particularly bad the last few days. Lots of aches and pains, extremely tired - also difficult to relax at night. A bit emotional, trying too keep it altogether.

Have been taking 2mg Methylcobalamin and sometimes 2mg Hydroxocobalamin as well (both sublingual), not sure if it is worthwhile taking both? Haven't noticed any difference.
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
It has been a few days since I last posted. A couple of days ago I started taking the phosphatidylserine and I am feeling very dizzy again. I think that it could be a symptom of low cortisol as stated at the beginning of Rich's sticky thread "Simplified Methylation Protocol Revised as of Today". The symptoms seem to match those possible for low cortisol.

So I'm going to leave it off indefintely, maybe switch to lecithin. I'm going to finish off my tub of whey powder this evening and then I'm going to leave that off as well for a few weeks. I'm not taking the Neurological Health Formula either, I may give that an other go in many weeks time or not at all.

I've been feeling particularly bad the last few days. Lots of aches and pains, extremely tired - also difficult to relax at night. A bit emotional, trying too keep it altogether.

Have been taking 2mg Methylcobalamin and sometimes 2mg Hydroxocobalamin as well (both sublingual), not sure if it is worthwhile taking both? Haven't noticed any difference.

Hi Zenzero,

Adb12, Source Naturals appears to work well, and I at least am unable to notice any difference from the Country life as they both maintain me in saturation of adb12, might make a sizavble difference. It is most effective of the cobalamins for fatigue and lack of energy. With L-carnitine fumarate the pair can make a night and day difference. Also, holding the mb12 and adb12 for 45-120 miuntes makes a huge difference. Also, using a 5 star mb12 is very important as others are nowhere near as effective.
 
Messages
38
Thanks for the info Freddd.

I can only make the cobalamin last 10 mins or so under my tongue, I don't think it is possible for me to make it last 45 mins!
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Two days ago I started taking a crumb of methylfolate (metafolin) and methylB12. I switched from an antioxidant protocol to this to try it. I was starting to get results from my antioxidant protocol, which I always do. I am also still on LDN (3mg).

In the last three days I have written three blogs, read hundreds of pages of complicated science, written way more posts than usual, and have started writing what might turn out to be a book. Coincidence? Was is the antioxidants instead? Was it a combo? Stay tuned. Tomorrow I plan on trying a full tab of each.

I have never done methylation before because I had to give up all treatment. For years I was so broke that not eating for a week was not uncommon, and for a while I was relying on food banks - and from them much of the "fresh" food is rotten. Sometimes that would happen because I was too ill to cook or go shopping though, not just from lack of funds.

I went straigth to methylfolate and methylB12 because regardless of where a problem is these should work. I react extremely badly to phosphatidyl serine, I have no interest in trying it again any time soon. Also I tested negative for any MTHFR abnormalities, although I suspect the quality of the testing was pathetic. I do however have a history of high homocysteine.

Bye, Alex
 
Messages
15,786
Try under your upper lip. Another 50 minutes can make a HUGE difference.

The tissue under the tongue is better at absorbing than tissue in the gums. This might be relevant in the case of B12, which has relatively large molecules for sublingual absorption.
 
Messages
38
Thanks for the suggestions everybody, I really appreciate it. Actually, I have been feeling a bit less rubbish today. Saturdays and Sundays are my worst days, we will see how they go.

Very interesting what Alex had to say. If I miss a single meal I feel terrible - hypoglycemic symptoms. If I didn't eat for a week I would surely die!
 
Messages
38
Hi Everybody

It has been a while since I last posted. I began feeling a bit better (only very slightly) last week. I was still just as physically tired but I felt a bit brighter mentally and had a bit more energy.

I had a bad weekend. On Friday night I tried going out to a nightclub for the first time in many years. I took some ginkgo biloba and some korean ginseng to help pep me up, just in case I met a nice lady. But I think it negatively affected my mental state instead. Difficult to tell, because going out depresses me anyway.

This week I have been feeling worse again. I have started getting tenderness and pain in my ankles, which is new. I've also noticed that I have ezcema on the top of my feet near my ankles, but I think I've had this for quite some time. I also have ezcema in my groin and in the fold of my ear (again I have had for many months, before I began this treatment). I am experiencing some pain and tenderness at the inside top of my leg, near the groin (which is also new). In the past, I have had some swelling in my groin. I think this is all related to the immune system.

I've increased my dose of FolaPro and MegaFolinic to half a tablet each, mainly because it is too difficult to cut the FolaPro into quarters. The MegaFolinic cuts quite easily, but the FolaPro is just impossible to cut properly. Am I taking too much FolaPro and MegaFolinic?

I've been feeling very depressed since the weekend about my health and about relationships. Sometimes, I worry that CFS is a progressive disease and that I will just get worse and worse no matter what treatments I try :(

Yesterday, I began the whey powder again because I think it does me some good.

I have been toying with the idea of trying sam-e, but am not sure because I already take fluoxetine. Has anybody tried this combination? I am on 20mg fluoxetine.

Zen
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
Hi Everybody

It has been a while since I last posted. I began feeling a bit better (only very slightly) last week. I was still just as physically tired but I felt a bit brighter mentally and had a bit more energy.

I had a bad weekend. On Friday night I tried going out to a nightclub for the first time in many years. I took some ginkgo biloba and some korean ginseng to help pep me up, just in case I met a nice lady. But I think it negatively affected my mental state instead. Difficult to tell, because going out depresses me anyway.

This week I have been feeling worse again. I have started getting tenderness and pain in my ankles, which is new. I've also noticed that I have ezcema on the top of my feet near my ankles, but I think I've had this for quite some time. I also have ezcema in my groin and in the fold of my ear (again I have had for many months, before I began this treatment). I am experiencing some pain and tenderness at the inside top of my leg, near the groin (which is also new). In the past, I have had some swelling in my groin. I think this is all related to the immune system.

I've increased my dose of FolaPro and MegaFolinic to half a tablet each, mainly because it is too difficult to cut the FolaPro into quarters. The MegaFolinic cuts quite easily, but the FolaPro is just impossible to cut properly. Am I taking too much FolaPro and MegaFolinic?

I've been feeling very depressed since the weekend about my health and about relationships. Sometimes, I worry that CFS is a progressive disease and that I will just get worse and worse no matter what treatments I try :(

Yesterday, I began the whey powder again because I think it does me some good.

I have been toying with the idea of trying sam-e, but am not sure because I already take fluoxetine. Has anybody tried this combination? I am on 20mg fluoxetine.

Zen

Hi Zen,

The excema should heal quickly with mb12 and methylfolate. What you are saying sounds like you have an induced folate deficiency, possibly by the folinic acid or possibly the whey or possibly glutathione if you are taking it. But you clearly are not getting the epilthelial healing that would indicate suucessful methylation startup.