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Is there BH4 supplement/medicine?

Messages
35
I'm homozygous for MTHFR 1298 and also have almost all BHMTs homozygous & both CBS heterozygous so I'm probably very deficient in BH4 since it's not created much and what is created is used up for detoxing ammonia.

Do you know if there is a BH4 supplement or a medicine or something that would contain BH4? Thanks!
 

beaverfury

beaverfury
Messages
503
Location
West Australia
I'm homozygous for MTHFR 1298 and also have almost all BHMTs homozygous & both CBS heterozygous so I'm probably very deficient in BH4 since it's not created much and what is created is used up for detoxing ammonia.

Do you know if there is a BH4 supplement or a medicine or something that would contain BH4? Thanks!

http://www.iherb.com/Cardiovascular-Research-Ltd-Norival-120-Capsules/23532

This is the closest i can find, though technically it's biopterin and not tetrahydrobiopterin(BH4). Not sure if that is useful.

Unfortunately it's got tyrosine in it which tends to make me a little agitated.

Triffid 333 has lots of good info on BH4 if you search her posts
 

beaverfury

beaverfury
Messages
503
Location
West Australia
I'm homozygous for MTHFR 1298 and also have almost all BHMTs homozygous & both CBS heterozygous so I'm probably very deficient in BH4 since it's not created much and what is created is used up for detoxing ammonia.

Do you know if there is a BH4 supplement or a medicine or something that would contain BH4? Thanks!
http:/

http://www.iherb.com/Cardiovascular-Research-Ltd-Norival-120-Capsules/23532

This is the closest i can find. Though technically this is biopterin not tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Not sure if that works the same.

I have taken this and it tends to make me agitated. Probably the tyrosine.

Triffid 333(?) knows a bit about BH4 if you search her posts.
 

aquariusgirl

Senior Member
Messages
1,732
Check my earlier posts for a us compounding pharmacy that supplies it. Don't think they wld ship overseas. U cld ask
 

Rolo

Too ill to twist
Messages
29
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Do you know if there is a BH4 supplement or a medicine or something that would contain BH4? Thanks!


The wikipedia page for Tetrahydrobiopterin mentions Kuvan as brand name. Maybe that's on option, but I'm not sure. It was just something I came across when I was doing my own research

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrobiopterin
http://www.kuvan.com/
According to http://www.rxlist.com/kuvan-drug.htm
Sapropterin dihydrochloride , the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Kuvan (saproterin dihydrochloride tablets) Tablets, is a synthetic preparation of the dihydrochloride salt of naturally occurring tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Sapropterin dihydrochloride is an off-white to light yellow crystals or crystalline powder.

Best Regards, Rolo
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Be cautious about taking BH4 unless you've addressed CBS and BHMT first. See the Heartfixer page (the link is in my signature):

In a sense, the key ultimate consequence of CBS/BHMT abnormalities will be BH4 deficiency. By neutralizing the consequence of your CBS up regulation and/or BHMT down regulations, your BH4 status should begin to return towards normal. We also can supplement you with BH4. It is strongly recommended that BH4 supplementation be held until all other Methyl Cycle pathways have been optimized. Pharmacological doses (200 mg/day) of BH4 has been shown to be safe and effective when used to treat endothelial dysfunction in hyperlipidemic individuals, and in dealing with Methyl Cycle defects, far lower nutritional doses (2.5 mg four times a day) are typically employed, but here a little bit of BH4 can go a long way, and we need to be prepared. If long-closed detox pathways are suddenly opened up, you could experience a detox reaction, so we need to get the rest of your systems up and running before we open these closed gates. If neurotransmitter generation suddenly comes back on line, and you are taking an anti-depressant drug or nutritional that preserves neurotransmitter levels, you could experience a neurotransmitter surge if we have not cut back on the drug dose. If we give you BH4 before you are ready, you will feel great for a day or two, and then “crash”, with fatigue and malaise, as we attempt to spin other metabolic wheels forward that are still stuck in the “off position”. Thus we need to be patient, take things step by step, with the long goal in mind.

Elsewhere on the page, he talks about metals blocking BH4. So checking for metals and chelation might be in order too before trying BH4.
 

aquariusgirl

Senior Member
Messages
1,732
hmm... I am getting more detox with BH4.. but I'm not crashing..and it seems to be helping with cognitive stuff. I take it with lithium though... didn't notice the same effects taking it on its own.

:thumbdown:hmm.. penny may have just dropped.. maybe if you take BH4 w/'out lithium, it just runs your lithium down more....

see james clellands paper on Bh4 & lithium
 

Rolo

Too ill to twist
Messages
29
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Hi Aquariusgirl,

Nice to hear that BH4 is somehow working for you. If you cognitive functions are improving, how would you then describe your detox symptoms?

What product (brand) do you take?

Thanks,
Rolo
 
Messages
29
Any sources I've come across, in postings, for purchasing BH4 are either broken web links, or the product is no longer available. Anyone know of somewhere the purchase this? I've even contacted Pharmaworld in Zurich - they can't sell it either. Before this was so scarce, did anyone try this for their A1298C (I have no CBS, etc. issues) and possibly anxiety/low BH4 levels? If so, how did it go?

Also, **I am not recommending anyone buy this by any means**, but I'm curious how this compound is different from the kind meant for human consumption, or as was previously available. Note: this product page clearly warns that it is not for human nor veterinary use!
https://www.caymanchem.com/app/template/Product.vm/catalog/81880
 
Messages
29
hmm... I am getting more detox with BH4.. but I'm not crashing..and it seems to be helping with cognitive stuff. I take it with lithium though... didn't notice the same effects taking it on its own.

:thumbdown:hmm.. penny may have just dropped.. maybe if you take BH4 w/'out lithium, it just runs your lithium down more....

see james clellands paper on Bh4 & lithium

@aquariusgirl are you still taking BH4? Curious if u are, how much, what r the benefits. If not, why not, etc. :)
 

Mimi

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Medford, OR

Mimi

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Medford, OR
Hi Aquariusgirl,

Nice to hear that BH4 is somehow working for you. If you cognitive functions are improving, how would you then describe your detox symptoms?

What product (brand) do you take?

Thanks,
Rolo

BH4 was extremely helpful to me. I was had been taking s-acetyl glutathione for about a year and had done a lot of mercury detox (Cutler) and other supports (minerals, idebenone, virus-killing herbs and supplements).

I also gave some to my ME/CFS friends. One friend, who ordered it on her own, found it reduced her chemical sensitivity. She has severe MCS. Other friends felt their moods improve noticably within an hour or two. Another friend, who has severe orthostatic intolerance, found that his blood pressure dropped dramatically. He's now trying it again and is going to start low and go slow this time, like our friend with MCS.

After a few months of good recovery, I stopped getting a response to BH4 and quit taking it. But I may try it again soon, as my mood is rather low today and I'm extremely tired. That could also be because I ran out of s-acetyl glutathione, and because I'm doing some deep emotional/energetic clearing right now. In general, my health is quite good and I feel metal detoxification was the key. Perhaps it's all that Fiji water that I took to detox aluminum this fall.


Mimi
 
Last edited:

kyzcreig

Senior Member
Messages
141
Location
Houston
BH4 was extremely helpful to me. I was had been taking s-acetyl glutathione for about a year and had done a lot of mercury detox (Cutler) and other supports (minerals, idebenone, virus-killing herbs and supplements).

I also gave some to my ME/CFS friends. One friend, who ordered it on her own, found it reduced her chemical sensitivity. She has severe MCS. Other friends felt their moods improve noticably within an hour or two. Another friend, who has severe orthostatic intolerance, found that his blood pressure dropped dramatically. He's now trying it again and is going to start low and go slow this time, like our friend with MCS.

After a few months of good recovery, I stopped getting a response to BH4 and quit taking it. But I may try it again soon, as my mood is rather low today and I'm extremely tired. That could also be because I ran out of s-acetyl glutathione, and because I'm doing some deep emotional/energetic clearing right now. In general, my health is quite good and I feel metal detoxification was the key. Perhaps it's all that Fiji water that I took to detox aluminum this fall.


Mimi
That's great! How much do you take, isn't 2.5mg too small a dose?
 

Mimi

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Medford, OR
No, it's quite effective. I take it with l-tyrosine to get more dopamine out of it. I also take it twice a day.