@
girlfromeurope
unfortunately in my experience and reading this methylation thing is not always linear and it doesn't always feel good.
I, too, started with extremely weak adrenals, and I think that my weak adrenals are part of the equation.
There are so many opinions about different points to start (i.e. focus on methylation as a priority, focus on healing adrenals... and so on). I have worked with a number of health professionals, and what I have learned is that you have to experiment, and not give up. Unfortunately, I find they often can only give you a good tip, or point you in the right direction, but the real answers will come when you fiddle with your own unique set of issues, and experiment until you find something that works.
That being said
I can offer you the following advice mostly based on my own experience..
a) for methylation getting my genetic testing was key. I thought that I knew what my results were going to be based on my own extrapolation from reading my symptoms and I was wrong. I was experimenting with methylation supplements prior to getting the testing done & was having somewhat mixed results. As it turns out I was COMT -/- all around, versus COMT +/+ as I thought because I would have such severe fatigue resulting from methyl donors. The fatigue was likely detox reactions, versus an intolerance to methyl.
b) I read somewhere that some people are not able to proceed with increasing methylation supplements until they address their mercury issues, and they have all kinds of issues with excito-toxicity (over-stimulation) and relapses with fatigue due to heavy detoxification. This definitely was the case with me. I could only tolerate a fraction of the methyl supplements prior to getting the amalgam filling left in my mouth removed.
c) as per genetic testing addressing my CBS status was key. This is somewhat of a controversial mutation, as many believe that it is not as problematic as some people like Dr. Yasko claim it was. I dunno. I don't have enough of a science brain to get into that debate. What I know, is that avoidance of sulphur is key for me. If I don't, then I get real sick, real fast.
With respect to potassium, I absolutely agree with @
SickOfSickness above. In my experience, I am averaging about 700-800mg per day supplemental, and as much as I can get into my through diet. And, I'm still craving more, and am still experiencing potassium drops periodically, especially when I have upped my methyl donors.
I did read a post awhile back that was asking that question that I think you have in regards to salt vs potassium especially in the case of adrenal fatigue. I thought it was interesting, and something worthy of consideration as well. Again, I'm limited with respect to the science, so it didn't go much farther than that! Lol
What I'm doing is still adding loads of sea salt to almost every meal I eat, and still continuing with the potassium supplement/diet as outlined above. My hope is that they would balance each other out as to not create any extreme excess or deficiencies in my body. I'm not sure that by eating added salt one would completely void the value of the potassium, as even though I'm eating lots of sea salt, I seem to derive great benefit from the potassium (decreased fatigue, decreased water retention, decreased cravings).
*I think the real trick is to find a dose of methylfolate and methyl-B12 that doesn't give you such severe potassium drops and start-up symptoms (high anxiety, drained feeling, palpitations, muscle spasms, insomnia). When I first started I could only tolerate 1/16th of my 1000mg methylfolate pill (62 mg) every 3rd day. I also could only tolerate 1/4 of my 1000 mcg B12 (250mcg) on opposite days - *I wouldn't take the B12 and methylfolate on the same day*.
I also stared with hydroxy-B12 and folinic acid instead. I think I was extremely deficient in all kinds of folate, and had detox symptoms just from the small amount folinic acid I started with.
The real important thing is to follow your symptoms, but ensure that you are not panicking. Experiment with very small doses. Open up the capsules, and split them into tiny doses as to not create such a roller coaster of symptoms.
Don't subscribe to the "one-a-day" mentality with supplements. I have heard of some people only being able to tolerate once/week methyl supplementation in tiny, tiny doses to begin with.
When you are experiencing the anxiety, agitation, insomnia it doesn't necessarily mean that you are going down the wrong path, but likely, that you are over-supplementing, and need to decrease your doses.
If you find that you are just not making headway, maybe you want to dial the methylation supplements right back and focus on building some adrenal health whether that be through adaptogen or glandular supplementation. Ensure that you are well rested, and not engaging in stressful activities. I have recently been benefiting greatly from IV Vitamin C, which is such a supportive therapy for adrenals/liver, and anti-inflammatory - great for whole system. In my mind since methylation can cause additional stress as it starts to ramp up one's natural detoxification pathways, & there often can be a huge backlog in toxins that have accumulated over the years, one must have healthy enough adrenals to support the detox process once it has been initiated.
Hopefully that helps
All the best,