So I just realized something important about AHCY! Homocystine is
one of the products of SAH (s-adenosyl homocysteine)'s reaction with AHCY, but
adenosine is too! AHCY (+) would lower my levels of homocystine, but I have normal homocystine levels. This could easily be because my many BHMT mutations are not breaking down homocystine, masking the effects of the AHCY mutations.
But back to adenosine. Adenosine "is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter, believed to play a role in promoting sleep and suppressing arousal, with levels increasing in the brain with each hour an organism is awake. Generalized,
adenosine has an inhibitory effect in the central nervous system (CNS).
Caffeine's stimulatory effects, on the other hand, are primarily (although not entirely) credited to its inhibition of adenosine by binding to the same receptors, and therefore effectively blocking adenosine receptors in the CNS. This reduction in adenosine activity leads to increased activity of the
neurotransmitters dopamine and
glutamate." (Wikipedia)
This is really significant to my situation! I have problems with anxiety and nervousness, and I respond extremely well to benzodiazepines (Clonipin), which I just read is an adenosine reuptake inhibitor, along with a variety of other meds. There is actually a synthetic adenosine either in the pipe or available for prescription.
I think the takeaway here is I have a high sensitivity to upregulation of dopamine, and a lot of supplements that are taken by people to treat their methylation problems increase production of dopamine. Reduced adenosine could explain why I can't tolerate methyl donors well, and it could neatly explain my mental health issues! I have to take an antipsychotic who's job is to block dopamine receptors, and I have found Clonipin to be a life-saver at keeping me from becoming panicked and edgy. I've seen only a few suggestions of how to supplement for AHCY, but I think that there is promise in finding help on this from my doctor and meds.