• 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.

Is there BH4 supplement/medicine?

Messages
1
Did anyone have luck with this BH4 powder? I bought it and took it all last week and didn't notice any changes at all.
 
Messages
66
Hello just wondered if there's anyone in the UK who knows where to get a BH4 supplement from? Is it worth trying Royal Jelly anyone?
Thanks Annie
 
Messages
10
So, we are coming up on 2 years since the date when BH4 apparently lost orphan drug status. It seems this should mean that it is now classified as a supplement. Yet there is still no sign of it from any supplement manufacturers, and the Pteridin-4 that we did have previously is still gone from the market. Something about this situation has a pretty rotten stink.

I guess I will save my pennies for one of those far infrared saunas that is reported to raise BH4. I see Ben Lynch's site has a recommended vendor for one.

I also have found vitamin C (2g/day) and royal jelly (150mg/day) to be helpful on the BH4 front.

And I am working on eradicating a chronic candida infection using Boron supplements (raising slowly to 15mg/day), which should help to preserve whatever BH4 I do have. I also suspect Lyme and possibly other co-infections play a role in my low BH4 symptoms.

Has anyone found an online source for BH4 supplements lately? The ones I do see are all backordered indefinitely.

Any other tips for raising BH4 that we may not have discussed yet?
 
Messages
29
Anyone experience with them? Does shipping to Germany/Europe work? Is shipping cooled? Are 50mg mixed with some (which) filling powder otherwise it would be a tiny amount?
Bought there twice. BH4 worked as expected but effect differs, I assume its the cooling issue. In winter (when cold) it works better. Got problems with customs, though (Germany). Powder amount is tiny, difficult to portion it. The longer I store it the lesser it works, which is to expect because of instability of BH4.

But what else should I do, this stuff saves me!
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
But what else should I do, this stuff saves me!

What effect does BH4 have on you? I have never tried BH4, but wonder if it might improve my depression symptoms.

And what daily dose do you usually take to get the positive effects?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
The longer I store it the lesser it works, which is to expect because of instability of BH4.

Have you checked you fridge temperature? While testing my own fridge, I found although some areas can be quite cold in the 4ºC to 8ºC range, other parts of the fridge can have temperatures as high as 13ºC.

BH4 shelf life times given here:
Freezer (-20°C or colder): 36 months
Freezer compartment of a fridge (-10°C or colder): 18 months
Fridge (+5°C or colder): 4 months

Source: here.

You can also try contacting Schircks Laboratories and asking them if they are now stocking BH4 again (they used to sell it), and asking if you can buy some BH4. But don't tell them it is for human use, otherwise they may not sell it to you. Just say it is for research purposes. Search this forum on "Schircks" for more info on this supplier.
 
Last edited:
Messages
29
What effect does BH4 have on you? I have never tried BH4, but wonder if it might improve my depression symptoms.
I would say BH4 could improve depresion symptoms. In my case it does work but since biochemistry and genetics and intoxication and etc. etc. etc. are very complex issues this is a very individual question.

I would just advice caution. Read Amy Yasko. BH4 might trigger heavy detox which can actually worsen everything. I treated MTHFR, mercury, gut-dysbiosis and other things first before I tried BH4.

Regarding effects on me please read:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-supplement-medicine.22480/page-4#post-597791
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-supplement-medicine.22480/page-4#post-598031

And what daily dose do you usually take to get the positive effects?
Very low doses work. Two capsuels of the Ecological Formulas worked. That is 5mg a day. Now I take higher doses without additional positive effects because it is difficult to portion the powder.
 
Last edited:
Messages
29
Have you checked you fridge temperature?
This is not a question of the fridge! It is a question of shipping. It takes around 5 to 7 days till the shipping arrives at my place. Assuming an average temperature of 20°C most of the BH4 is gone untill I receive it. Now (in winter time) it works better (lower temperature on the way).

BH4 shelf life times given here:
Source: here.
Thanks, I am aware of that already.

You can also try contacting Schircks Laboratories
I know them http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-supplement-medicine.22480/page-5#post-670444
I am not sure if I shall contact them. What if they suspect I am a "user" instead of a "researcher" they might not sell me anything ever again. It would be a one time gamble.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
This is not a question of the fridge! It is a question of shipping.

You said "the longer I store it the lesser it works, which is to expect because of instability of BH4," so it seemed that you were indicating your BH4 gets weaker while stored in your fridge. Thus I wondered whether you fridge was cold enough.
 
Messages
29
You said "the longer I store it the lesser it works, which is to expect because of instability of BH4," so it seemed that you were indicating your BH4 gets weaker while stored in your fridge. Thus I wondered whether you fridge was cold enough.

Sorry I was not precise on that. Both is valid (shipping and storing in fridge). At my workplace (abroad) I have only a cheap fridge without a decent freezer, there I can "observe"/sense the degeneration. But the shipping seems to be the more important issue to me.
 

keenly

Senior Member
Messages
814
Location
UK
I just ordered 200mg from
NSLogoFinal-black.png
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I am not sure if I shall contact them. What if they suspect I am a "user" instead of a "researcher" they might not sell me anything ever again. It would be a one time gamble.

I don't think Schircks Labs will mind at all if you are ingesting their BH4. I think it is more for legal reasons that a company will not sell BH4 to you if you state it is for human consumption. They can get into trouble for this. But provided you buy BH4 on the understanding it is not for human consumption, then that is legal for the company, and the company cannot get into trouble. What you do with the BH4 once you receive it is entirely your own business.

Schircks Labs used to supply BH4 to individuals for human consumption, but had to stop doing this once BH4 was made into an orphan drug some years ago. You could ask Schircks whether the orphan status of BH4 has now expired, or is soon to expire.

In this post, it looks like orphan status of BH4 may end in 2017.