• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Symptoms from B12 injections

Messages
12
Hi all! I've tried to search through these forums to see if anyone has had a situation like mine... I'm hoping someone might have suggestions of where to start or what I should have tested. I'll try to include as much information as I can, without being too lengthy... (for reference, I'm a 33 year old female with normal weight at 114ish, 5'4'').

In March 2013 I found out I was deficient in B12 (343) and Vitamin D (22). I was told to supplement with a sublingual and monthly injections for 3 months, and then they'd check to see if my levels changed.

Well, not knowing there was a difference in B12's, I grabbed the Trader Joe's B12 sublingual and started that daily for a week prior to my first injection (both were cyanocobalamin).

I had a handful of side-effects but didn't realize it was from the B12 until the second injection. It seemed crazy to me (and my Dr) that I never experienced any symptoms of low B12 until I started supplementing B12!

Major fatigue, dry & itchy skin (that has now turned into hives all over my body), brain fog, dizziness, weak muscles, rapid heartbeat, extreme thirst.
I declined the 3rd month of injections and did research while I waited for my bloodwork checkup.

My levels went up to 552 for B12 and 54 for Vit D, so my Dr wasn't concerned with pursuing it further, and I decided to find a Multi Vitamin with methylcobalamin (I chose the NOW brand), and see if I slowly got better.

A little bit of background, just in case it matters:

I had been vegetarian from 2009 to near the end of 2012, and in Oct 2012 I abruptly changed my diet to paleo/primal (eating meat again and removing all grains, beans, sugars and most dairy).

Other than totally out of whack menstrual cycles since 2008, prior to going paleo the only symptoms I felt were weight gain, horrible acne, crazy anxiety, unstable blood sugar levels. After adding meat back into my diet (and cutting out starches) a lot of these symptoms subsided.
For the first 6 months of eating paleo I kind of felt amazing!

I still had some hormonal acne, and also found out I had a uterine fibroid, which was removed late in 2013.

It's been almost a year now (since the B12 injections) and I knew I was very, very slowly feeling less and less tired. I'd have a bad day here and there, but for the most part I was managing things.

Against my best wishes I'm on an H-1 and H-2 (antihistamine) to manage the red skin/hives and itchiness, which has morphed and gotten worse since the B12 injections. I've sort of narrowed these issues down to a histamine intolerance (if anyone has experience in that), since meat (especially cured or left-over meats) are very high in histamines.

I'm not sure if the cyanocobalamin brought this out or it was purely coincidence that it happened 6-9 months after starting to eat meat again.

I'm finally posting on this forum, after months of looking around, because this week has been horrible! It feels like the first week after my injections, and I didn't realize I had been feeling so much better until I felt worse again.

I've had a very stressful month, but other than that nothing has changed. I haven't changed any supplements or eating habits. I used to be very active (triathlons, regular runs and yoga) but since the fatigue from the cyanocobalamin over the last year I haven't been exercising nearly as much as I used to (which is a bit ok, I'm a woodworker and work on my feet 80% of the time), but now even standing up (or sitting down!) is exhausting.

Months ago I tried experimenting with my diet, thinking maybe I wasn't getting enough carbs. I'd make sure I had a sweet potato with breakfast, and almost over-salt my food (I already like things salty). These two things seemed to help with the afternoon fatigue (this week, nothing has helped).

Was that the potassium? I also generally have low blood pressure, usually 100-110/80. Before the B12 injections, potassium was at 4.0, folate at 18.3, thyroid (T4) was 1.07.

My mother swears I have CFS... she had suffered from Epstein-Barr/Mono in the past, possibly CFS, and now has arthritis at 62. She also had her thyroid removed due to a benign tumor. My grandmother, her mother, has Fibromyalgia. I don't like thinking the cards are stacked against me, and want to make sure I'm taking care of things before they get worse.

I've read through the B12 protocol and have a very simple understanding of it. I have a checkup with my Dr coming up... are there any tests I should request them to run? I have my online cart full of supplements, but I guess I'm waiting for... I don't know. Guidance from someone other than my somewhat less-than-helpful Doctor. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
Hi, Can you go back and put a lot more paragraph breaks? I can't read so much text in one piece and neither can others.

Thanks
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
HI GoSailor, Yes, short paragraphs works!

I'm giving you a bunch of links. The first is a simplified FAQ for B12 protocols, includes info re both Rich VanK's SMP and Freddd's Protocol. Freddd's has been brilliant for me. With your family history, it's a good thing you're acting now. You need to be including folate, probably methylfolate, with the B12. The combination is needed to overcome some of the symptoms either can produce on its own,. It's possible that your hives is from B12 w/o folate. Also AdenoB12 and carnitine, probably L-Carnitine fumarate. These constitute the "Deadlock Quartet" formulated by Freddd, which get methylation working. You'll also need potassium to counteract the effects. I suggest NOW K+ Gluconate powder, most versatile. I've been on this protocol for a year, still slowly increasing my doses. And I feel better than I have in a decade, in some ways better than in my life.

Re tests, unfortunately, most of the tests show little of value to us. I'd say, IMO, but it's the opinion of many. I just watched a vid of panel w/ MTHFR expert Ben LYnch, he feels the same. History and symptoms trump tests, in the situation we find ourselves.

Re histamine, I've listed a number of resources that have helped me. The vid linked at lowhistaminechef talks about H1/2 drugs, and Dr. Castell says here that used prophylactically they're useless. Great news for me, as pharmaceuticals tend to give me histamine problems. I've been having great success w/ using rutin, royal jelly, and quercetin. Plus Vit C and Calcium to move histamine out of cells

You shouldn't be going near cured meats. I now freeze my meat in meal-size portions, unfreezing them as close to meal as I can. cheers, ahmo

http://howirecovered.com/active-b12-therapy-faq/

http://roosclues.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/overview-of-high-histamine-also-called.html

http://peelingbacktheonionlayers.com/could-histamine-be-sabotaging-your-digestive-health/

http://aminerecipes.com/low-amine-grocery-list/

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?attachments/allowed-restricted-foods-pdf.6408/

Video talk, incl. supps for histamine http://thelowhistaminechef.com/dr-janice-joneja-histamine-intolerance-interview-pt2/
 
Last edited:
Messages
12
Thanks @Sushi I edited the post and added more, but not enough!

Thank you for the links, @ahmo . I've recently gone through the FAQ and it was extremely helpful. It's been difficult doing research on multiple topics (methylation vs histamines) but according to you they're definitely involved with each other! So that makes me feel better... hoping that whether one caused the other or they're both symptoms of the same issue, that pursuing the B12 protocol could help clear up more than one set of symptoms.

Interesting about the Vitamin C and Calcium. I had yet to find information regarding removing histamines from the body. I've tried the Histame supplement while cutting back on high-histamine foods. It didn't help directly but at least it kept things from getting worse. It is expensive, though.

The 2 things I knew I was eating A LOT of (like, 6-8 times a week) were bacon and canned tuna.. Other than that, no cheeses or chocolate or fruits (some berries here and there), so once I cut those out I seemed to... not get worse, at least.

And, um, now that I think about it, in the week before this crash I had a couple of meals with bacon, probably one glass too many of red wine, and a tuna salad. Eeep.
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
@GoSailor: I LOVE BACON. If someone told me I could never have another beer or any alcohol again I'd be like "Whatever", but if they told me I could *never* have bacon again I'd be like "Them's fightin' words." ;)

Did you know that bacon is considered the #1 "gateway meat"? The smell of bacon cooking has corrupted and converted more vegetarians than any other kind of meat. :lol:

That said, if you have histamine problems you should definitely stay away. I don't eat it much at all these days, myself...only on very special occasions like Christmas or whatever. Just showing a little sympathy for your plight, I guess.

Anyway...cyanocobalamin never did anything for me. From what I understand it can actually make some people worse because their bodies can't handle the process necessary to split the active B-12 from what it's bound to. I wonder if you could be having a reaction to the binder (essentially, cyanide) rather than the cobalamin (the B-12 component).

Do you think you could get your doctor to let you try methylcobalamin to see if you react any differently? Most doctors don't keep it in their offices because it's pretty sensitive to light and thus has a really short shelf life (cyanocobalamin is much more stable), but it can be compounded at a natural pharmacy. You would probably have to get a prescription and then have pharmacy or your dr's office show you how to self-inject, but I tell you, my first injection of methylcobalamin was a game-changer for me. It was only less than a couple of months ago. But until then, when all I'd ever had was cyanocobalamin injections, I could never understand why people raved so about how great B-12 made them feel. Now I do.

Of course it's been up and down since then, so it's not like methylcobalamin solved all my problems or will solve all yours. It will not. But it might work better for you, and give you a better experience and foundation from which to continue on the healing path.
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
@GoSailor: I LOVE BACON. If someone told me I could never have another beer or any alcohol again I'd be like "Whatever", but if they told me I could *never* have bacon again I'd be like "Them's fightin' words." ;)

Did you know that bacon is considered the #1 "gateway meat"? The smell of bacon cooking has corrupted and converted more vegetarians than any other kind of meat. :lol:

That said, if you have histamine problems you should definitely stay away. I don't eat it much at all these days, myself...only on very special occasions like Christmas or whatever. Just showing a little sympathy for your plight, I guess.

Anyway...cyanocobalamin never did anything for me. From what I understand it can actually make some people worse because their bodies can't handle the process necessary to split the active B-12 from what it's bound to. I wonder if you could be having a reaction to the binder (essentially, cyanide) rather than the cobalamin (the B-12 component).

Do you think you could get your doctor to let you try methylcobalamin to see if you react any differently? Most doctors don't keep it in their offices because it's pretty sensitive to light and thus has a really short shelf life (cyanocobalamin is much more stable), but it can be compounded at a natural pharmacy. You would probably have to get a prescription and then have pharmacy or your dr's office show you how to self-inject, but I tell you, my first injection of methylcobalamin was a game-changer for me. It was only less than a couple of months ago. But until then, when all I'd ever had was cyanocobalamin injections, I could never understand why people raved so about how great B-12 made them feel. Now I do.

Of course it's been up and down since then, so it's not like methylcobalamin solved all my problems or will solve all yours. It will not. But it might work better for you, and give you a better experience and foundation from which to continue on the healing path.



I don't think you are experiencing any remaining issues from the cyanocobalamin, especially since it was such a short duration of use.. The best thing to do now is try Fred's protocol and see how you feel.. Also the hives and skin issues are VERY common with b12 supplements a quick google search will show a lot of this.. I never understood why it happened until now though, it is because people did not adequetely also supplemented with methyl folate and were using low grade cyano b12..

Also for H1 and H2 receptor help to block the histamine response there is a natural supplement called Neuroprotek that is highly regarded for this exact issue, a lot of people with mast cell activation disorder use it.. Though I think in your case it is stemming from folate deficiency.. Meat is good for you though in good portions don't want to cut that out.

Here is a great site for all your nutritional needs, and when you get the chance check out this article series.. In my opinion one of the most informative articles ever written on nutrition!

http://chriskresser.com/

http://chriskresser.com/perfect-health
 

Tito

Senior Member
Messages
300
@GoSailor

I personally always felt worse with B12 and I never understood what the hype about Fredd's protocol was about. When you eat meat, your body replenishes with the nutrients (including B12 and iron) you need at the speed it can cope with. It takes time, but your body is biologically made to function that way. In my opinion, these massive doses injected at once should not be done on a regular basis.

Why not try eating non-processed meat and eggs and anything that does not cause problems on a very regular basis without any supplements and re-assess the situation in 6 months? After all, your body was deprived for 3 years. It is then normal to expect it to catch up during a similar period, re-adjust itself, etc. During the 3-year vegetarian diet, your body found a way to deal with the deficiencies (the human body has evolved over time to survive through famines). That functioning is no longer necessary, but a new one (the normal one) is. If you eat "a bit of everything", it will also be easier to cope with histamines related to some specific foods (as you eat less of each of those).

Good luck.
 
Messages
12
@whodathunkit Bacon is seriously crack in food form. While I was a vegetarian I would 'cheat' with fish once or so a month, but definitely bacon a couple of times a year. Even before this histamine issue I'd try to limit the bacon consumption, mostly due to the sugar and other additives they put into it.

After I narrowed the symptoms down to a histamine issue I fully cut out the bacon, canned tuna, and afternoon tea (still had to have my coffee! the crack of drinks, I suppose), as those were the main histamine related items I was consuming. (Until this last week, apparently.) My husband and I go to a good butcher a couple of times a week, so we always have fresh pastured & grass-fed meat available. I did cut back on the large meals I was making to limit the left-overs as well.

In my research regarding the cyanocobalamin it seemed that the two possible issues were either a reaction to the cyanide binder or the major influx of B12 after being deficient for so long. Either way, my Dr looked at me sideways when I described my symptoms, and then found an article on the internet that backed up my theory. He said that I was free to experiment with other forms of B12 on my own... gee, thanks.

@Martial Thanks for the Neuroprotek rec. I'm currently stretching out my H1/2 intake as long as I can possibly stand, (the Zyrtec lasts me almost 2 days) so I'm hoping that is possibly better than taking more than I need. They were really my Dr's last ditch efforts to control the itching and hives, and since they make life tolerable again (while I figure things out) I stayed on them. The H-1 is starting to work less and less, though.

Also, I've read many of Chris Kresser's articles, as he's somewhat in the Paleo-sphere. It was difficult for me to find a clear way to approach these symptoms from his suggestions. It sounded like there were too many supplements I could try or not try, whereas Freddd's B12 protocol, though still complicated, is a bit more straight forward? I did try out Chris's 'stomach acid' remedy, supplementing some meals with HCL, and felt the effects from one pill... so I don't think I have too little stomach acid, at least.

@Min @Tito I do plan to try sublingual mb12. I do agree that the most natural way to approach this is through diet. Although I was a pretty healthy vegetarian (cooking my own meals, a lot of vegetables, little soy or processed protein) I had never heard of B12 deficiency issues. Thankfully I don't think I'm as low as most people with a deficiency, so I don't have to go crazy in my supplementation. But now that I'm low I do think it's beneficial to have just a bit more than I'm able to eat every day.

So, does everyone think I should start with only a methylfolate? Or try that for a bit and then start a sublingual mb12 and the rest of the protocol?
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
No you need methyl folate and methyl b12, the two are dependent on each other for absorbtion.. If you take folate and no b12 you can actually make yourself more deficient in b12. I would do at least 5,000mg of folate a day to 10,000mcg and at least 5,000mcg methyl b12 sublinguals a day to 15,000mg.

Keep in mind for the methyl b12 sub lingual it needs to be taken on an empty stomach at least twenty minutes before a meal.

No problem on the neuro protek I hope it helps you out! haha yeah he has great stuff! good to know you are familiar! Also I did not mean to forward you to his site for info on this manor but rather just general health and nutrition stuff that is incredibly valuable to know... Fred's protocol is what would work ideally for you, this is for sure!

Also one more thing if your b12 levels are not at least 1,000 then you are pretty deficient in my opinion.. Different countries have a much higher standard of normal b12 levels then the United States.. Japan especially has a great system for this. Tests are also hardly ever fully accurate so its best to go by symptoms.. Just because someone has high serum levels of b12 doesn't mean this is how much is being atively used, likewise supplemental b12 and shots can create a false high serum level that does not indicate how much is being used either.. Your test of 500+ is not a false high though, the ones like that usually show ranges of 1,500 to over 2,000. Usually this happens if someone gets blood drawn shortly after having a shot, or from using methyl b12 sublinguals which also create a false high serum blood result as well..
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
You should try to hold the methyl B-12 in your mouth for at least 45 minutes, as well. Freddd and others say Enzymatic Therapy 1000mcg tabs, or Country Life 5000mcg, product #6403 are currently the best. Apparently manufacturers change their formulas from time to time so these brands are different from brands recommended in older posts. These recs seem to work well. I take injectable MeCbl in the morning, but the sublinguals help keep me going during the day.

Main point about sublinguals is to hold it in your mouth for as long as possible (between 45 min and 2 hours). I prefer between gum and lip rather than under my tongue because under tongue dissolves faster.

Other point is if you hold it under your tongue for 10 minutes or so and then chew up the remaining bit and swallow, you're not getting enough to do you any good. It needs to stay in contact with your tissue so it can diffuse from there into your bloodstream. To build up a useful concentration to diffuse takes a longer time.

For an interesting read of B-12 deficiency, and the problems it can cause try the book

http://www.amazon.com/Could-Be-B12-...s&ie=UTF8&qid=1393711325&sr=1-1&keywords=b-12

It says a lot about B-12 deficiency caused by vegetarianism, and also pre- and post-natal deficiency in infants accidentally precipitated by vegetarian mothers who breastfeed but aren't supplementing B-12. You might find the book interesting. I've read it all once and am going back and re-reading parts again. Still finding it interesting.

However, for info on how to actually handle the deficiency and what forms of B-12 and folate to take, etc., Freddd's recs are IMO superior to most health professionals. Most health practitioners just don't have the experiential knowledge with this stuff. I've been messing about with supplements and natural health pretty heavily for over 30 years, and his protocol is by far the most effective thing I've ever tried. It also seems like it works more universally for a larger number of people than most stuff I've tried or heard about or read about on other forums. Not that it works for everybody, but an interestingly large number of of people seem to get at least some good out of it. Judging from anedotes, anyway. So IMO Freddd is a good place to start. If he doesn't work for you, then branch out.

I'm afraid I'm beginning to sound like a "Freddd Fannn Girrrlll" or something :lol:, but that's the truth.
 
Last edited:
Messages
12
@whodathunkit "Freddd Fannn Girrrlll" sounds alright with me! I can see how some people might get over their fears of injecting themselves, instead of dealing with a sublingual for 2 hours, possibly multiple times a day, in between meals.
And @Martial thanks for the tips. As my supplements have been coming in I've been taking A, D, E, calcium, C, & zinc, and should start with the protocol next week. I'll update as I go.
 
Messages
12
Hey @Martial and @whodathunkit ! I was coming back to see if there were more tips on how to manage Freddd's protocol better. I'm having some startup symptoms, but nothing worse than I was having before... so I can't tell if I should go more slowly or not (I tend to be a bit impatient). I *think* I'm starting to get the hang of it:

With breakfast: A, E, D, C (1000) and Calcium/Magnesium (900mg/450mg), Zinc, B-Right, Metafolin (800mcg)
Then a couple of hours later I work in two 1/4 tablets of Jarrow mb12 (not at the same time, one about 45 minutes after the other). A couple of days I worked in 1/2 tablet of Country Life Dibencozide with the mb12... the first day I felt a good 'rush' instead of the uncomfortable mb12 rush I get (lightheaded and tired). The second time I wasn't sure it was the same.
With a late lunch or dinner (I'm now thinking dinner works best): another D, C (1000), Cal/Mag (900/450), B-Right

I'm also taking some Potassium Chloride powder in water, around 800-1200 mg, usually in the afternoon. My symptoms are the worst then and I can't tell if the Potassium helps or not. The fatigue is kind of throughout the day, the headaches are in the afternoon. I don't know if the lightheadedness and muscle weakness are time specific or not, or only if I notice when I'm moving around a lot and working with my hands.

Should I be taking more Metafolin? Today I read about maybe taking 1 adenosylb12 daily, and then very slowly starting in with the mb12. How can I tell if a daily or weekly adenosylb12 works best, or does it matter? Either I feel better or I don't, or I'm just wasting pills.

When I first started the mb12 I was taking two 1/4 tablets between breakfast and lunch, and then two more 1/4 tablets between lunch and dinner. It seemed it wasn't letting me fall to sleep... but now that I've cut back to just the two 1/4 tablets to the morning I kind crash around 9pm. Thoughts?

In histamine news, I think the vitamin C and calcium are really helping. It's all still there, but less.

Thanks so much for the help and advice.
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
Hey @Martial and @whodathunkit ! I was coming back to see if there were more tips on how to manage Freddd's protocol better. I'm having some startup symptoms, but nothing worse than I was having before... so I can't tell if I should go more slowly or not (I tend to be a bit impatient). I *think* I'm starting to get the hang of it:

With breakfast: A, E, D, C (1000) and Calcium/Magnesium (900mg/450mg), Zinc, B-Right, Metafolin (800mcg)
Then a couple of hours later I work in two 1/4 tablets of Jarrow mb12 (not at the same time, one about 45 minutes after the other). A couple of days I worked in 1/2 tablet of Country Life Dibencozide with the mb12... the first day I felt a good 'rush' instead of the uncomfortable mb12 rush I get (lightheaded and tired). The second time I wasn't sure it was the same.
With a late lunch or dinner (I'm now thinking dinner works best): another D, C (1000), Cal/Mag (900/450), B-Right

I'm also taking some Potassium Chloride powder in water, around 800-1200 mg, usually in the afternoon. My symptoms are the worst then and I can't tell if the Potassium helps or not. The fatigue is kind of throughout the day, the headaches are in the afternoon. I don't know if the lightheadedness and muscle weakness are time specific or not, or only if I notice when I'm moving around a lot and working with my hands.

Should I be taking more Metafolin? Today I read about maybe taking 1 adenosylb12 daily, and then very slowly starting in with the mb12. How can I tell if a daily or weekly adenosylb12 works best, or does it matter? Either I feel better or I don't, or I'm just wasting pills.

When I first started the mb12 I was taking two 1/4 tablets between breakfast and lunch, and then two more 1/4 tablets between lunch and dinner. It seemed it wasn't letting me fall to sleep... but now that I've cut back to just the two 1/4 tablets to the morning I kind crash around 9pm. Thoughts?

In histamine news, I think the vitamin C and calcium are really helping. It's all still there, but less.

Thanks so much for the help and advice.


You should be taking both adeno b12, and methyl b12 daily, along with the folate, you can eventually add L Carnatine in when you feel ready, if carnatine causes too much anxiety you can wait until the other pathways are running efficiently before doing so.

Does the B Right complex contain folic acid? I am pretty sure it has both methyl folate and folic acid, if your version has folic acid then find a b complex that does not contain it. You are also taking two b complex pills a day? You never need more then one that goes slightly above the RDV for the different b vitamins, if you take too much of the other b vitamins it can mess with methylation a bit and give impossible potassium demands to fulfill..

You also should be taking methyl folate in the 5,000-10,000mcg range, a lot of people try to start low with it and build up but Fred told me this is a mistake. You need to start with enough folate so that you avoid paradoxical folate deficiency. I talked about this on another thread and qouted the conversation but do not remember where it is. I will try and find it to add in.

You want to take the methylation supplements daily, and if it feels too much lower doses can help. Though be sure to titer everything to avoid any folate deficiencies, always be sure to keep enough potassium demand, and avoid all methyl trappers; I.E. Folic acid, folinic acid, whey protein powder, NAC, and Glutathione supplements.

In response to histamine issues again Neuroprotek is you best bet. This has natural substance flavonoids that will shut the allergy response of both H1 and H2 receptors. You can get the same benefit from zantac and an acid blocker but this both come with their share of side effects. If histamine issues are happening from sulfur problems then take some molybdenum to clear it up, 300mg daily, along with changes in the diet. Glutamate and Quinolinic acid toxicity can be an issue for many so a diet that is low in these things will help a lot.
 
Messages
12
Woah, 5000 mcg of methylfolate is a lot of pills! Is there a ratio of mb12 and adeno b12 to methyl folate that I should be aiming towards? I think that's what I'm totally confused by. I was taking 2 B-rights because I thought Freddd said to?

Also, starting last night I'm having horrible stomach pains. I feel the pain of being bloated and gassy without actually being. I can't stand up straight and have to lay down with a heating pad.

Every time I come back here to search for things I get a little more confused each time. I think I need a 'for dummies' version of Fredd's protocol. The fatigue is somewhat manageable, these stomach issues are totally incapacitating, unfortunately.
 
Messages
12
@Martial I see in your earlier post you said to take '5,000mg of folate a day to 10,000mcg and at least 5,000mcg methyl b12 sublinguals a day to 15,000mg.'

If I'm starting at less than 1000mcg of mb12 a day that should mean 800 mcg of methyl folate should be adequate, right? And if I add in 1000mcg of adeno b12, is that another 1000mcg needed of methyl folate?
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
Well it seemed that others mentioned this was not really necessary, Even so I still l have doubts that very low doses of b12 will do much.. Even Fred mentioned using only 800mcg of b12 will not do you much favor. Sure, It will start healing and the like but still a pretty low amount over all. Keep in mind that with 10,000mcg of folate, and 10,000-15,000mcg of b12s or whatever it may be that it is not what is fully absorbed. You will only absorb a very small percentage that is why doses are so high, unless you are doing inject able shots. An injected shot of 1000mcg gets you about 100% absorption and benefit, with 1000 mcg sublingiul it would take 4 weeks to get the equivalent of one shot from what I have read before; memory judging right of course.

Stomach issues could be related to potassium, too much is always hard on the stomach depending on the form; chloride version can be quite hard on the stomach for one. No you definitely don't want to over do the b complexes just one a day, and if the doses are high on the bottle then empty the caps to about half or less so you get proper amounts without overdoing it. The stomach issues could also be from the other supplements you are taking as well.

Now brandname offers a potassium supplement in the form of a powder, if you get it this would cover you for the daily amount of potassium in supplemental form. Get potassium gluconte, or glycin over chloride though!

I think it is always easier to keep some good heardy doses for each because then you know you will not run into problems of not getting enough, and again 5,000mcg to 15 or even 30 sound like ALOT but it really isn't. If you take 30,000mcg of methyl b12 a day and the sublinguils are all absorbed correctly then that would be the equivalant of a single 1000mcg injection of methyl b12 a day.

Others may suggest different but if I were you I would try and go at least 5,000mcg of methyl b12, 5,000mcg of adenob12, and at least 5000 or ideally 10,000mcg of methyl folate a day. This would absolutely cover you and prevent any paradoxical folate symptoms. That would be my begineers guide to Fred's protocol as well lol, alongside supplemented potassium of up to 3,000mg a day and a single low dose b complex vitamin, or empty the capsule content to smaller amounts if necessary. be sure the b complex contains the bio available P5P form of b6 as well.

Metafolin Solgar brandname offers 1,000mcg folate versions, that would be 10 pills a day, or you can find 5,000mcg versions of methyl folate from other people. Thorne offers it, as well as biogenisis pharmaceuticals and a few other places.
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
Todd-
methyl folate can range from 400, to roughly 1600mg a day.. Do you think that low dose of folate would even trigger paradox deficiency? It seems most people that had that were using much higher doses...

Fred-

This one you have 100% backwards. A low dose like this almost always triggers donut hole paradoxical folate deficiency. Higher doses relieve it. Low dose methylfolate PFD can cause massive inflammation.

Daily doses of B1 and B2 above 30-50mg a day and B3 above 100mg a day can cause an insatiable need for methylfolate and potassium, so make sure that is ok. Remind me that you are not taking NAC, glutathione or Whey.

If you want to get rid of low folate symptoms and inflammation try 4mg of l-methylfolate or so each 4-6 hours Typically it will start turning around within a few hours and after a day or 3 you should know for sure. Now it is possible you are one of those who needs 30mg a day to make any headway but that is rare without folic acid or folinic acid or large amounts of vegetable folate.

Try 8mg before you go to bed tonight. Metafolin has no side effects different from sugar pills. That is what the Deplin study says at doses up to 30mg/day. Best results are at 15 and 30mg daily. That is what all my experience says. The people who take tiny doses have terrible reactions and think it is because of so much folate instead of so little. They have even worse responses with 200 mcg of folinic and 200mcg of mfolate. Wow do they get hit. That is because of a double whammy paradoxical folate deficiency. Without the folate you are wasting your money and wasting 90% of the b12. You could get equally bad results from 500mcg of b12.

Try it cautiously, 4 mg and then 4rmg in couple of more hours to avoid possible stomach distress or take 8mg and some food and go for it. You could be a new man in 2 days.

After you get rid of all the folate deficiency symptoms, then is the time to adjust other things. Doing it otherwise is bass akwards.

Now this is my opinion and experience. Everybody who takes the small doses has terrible results and a rough time. The people who use the larger doses get healing going. You can always go back but I would bet you won't want to. Do as you wish. It is your game of you bet your life. I would bet on the bigger "go for it" doses.

Fred
 
Messages
12
@Martial Well, this all contradicts the 'starting slow' for minimal startup reactions! Does the 'paradoxical' part of the folate deficiency mean that by taking just small amounts of folate you can actually cause a deficiency? Is the only side effect of taking too much folate compared to b12 that it robs me of more b12? Is there any logic in taking a handful of folate for a day or two and then starting back up with the b12, at much higher doses than I'm currently taking?

The Jarrow's B-right does have folic acid in it. The Country Life dibencozide also has folic acid in it. Does this negate some of the b12 I'm absorbing or does it screw other things up? I'm not taking any NAC, glutathione, or whey. I'm also 99% gluten/grain/legume and dairy free, and the only sugars I have are in the forms of minimal fruit, honey, or wine. :) So, besides the additives in these supplements I mostly know exactly what I'm eating and have very... consistent, I guess I'd say, digestion.

I got the NOW Potassium Chloride because of a post that said the potassium gluconate lowers blood pressure, and I already have pretty low blood pressure (100/70 or 80). I don't know if the lightheadedness and dizziness is a part of that, but I definitely didn't want to be fainting all over the place, and wasn't sure by how much the gluconate might lower it further. In the first week I didn't notice any stomach upset from the potassium diluted in water... I think I've been upping my daily intake, though.

Do I need to scrap the Jarrow's B-right and change the Country Life to a different brand? I know I opted for the Jarrow's mb12 even though the Enzymatic Therapy was more highly recommended. I wanted to keep the initial costs down to even see if this protocol was possible.

I do hope one day I'll be an expert at this, like so many of you seem to be. So, thanks for the hand holding in the interim!