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Muscle pain & weakness

Hope78

Senior Member
Messages
112
Location
Germany
Hi!

I got my folate and B12 levels checked as I usually tend to be very low in both (lower range or below). I was very surpised they came back very normal, I did not take any B-supplements for months! I got checked the Folate levels in the erythrocytes (serum is not reliable) and transholocobalamine (holo-tc, it's the active form of B12 and a high sensitive marker for deficiency).
Never the less: I am suffering from insomnia, exhaustion and muscle weakness. A few month ago I was able to do brisk 10 minutes walks once a day...now I am hardly able to walk a few minutes without getting muscle soreness/weakness even if I don't feel sooo exhausted as usual. Altogether I feel much better since I eleminated IgG4 sensitive foods (exhaustion improved a bit), but I really don't understand the muscle problems.

Probably I should try L-carnitine?

Can there be mitochondiral failure despite normal to high levels in B-vitamins?

Thank you and sorry for my English,
Hope
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
There are quite a few reasons you could be having these symptoms, apart from methylation problems. Lots of different nutritional deficiencies can cause them, plus hormone imbalances, infections, and side effects to medications.

I wouldn't assume your symptoms are about b12, folate and other methyl donors unless you know for sure that all the other possibilities don't apply to you.

Oh and add toxins to the list.

@Hope78
 
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MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I have improved many symptoms with my own natural regime (diet and supplements, details in Info section of my profile) but weakness and fatigue are not included, although they come and go, usually unpredictably.

I occasionally get increased strength for a number of hours after taking sodium bicarbonate, but it's not at all consistent. I was dramatically stronger for a number of hours after starting Healthspan Lipo-Carn, but again it didn't last.

I suspect that it may be something to do with excessive acidity of the blood, which would explain the increased energy from sodium bicarbonate.
 

rahmama

But you don't look sick...
Messages
16
I have been meaning to post my success with magnesium. I started taking a powdered form of it (highly absorbable) several months ago.
It was obvious from the first dose that this was what my body was craving.

My main CF symptoms were muscle weakness which was at times extremely painful but always there even on good days.

Since taking magnesium I've been completely free of this debilitating condition. To me it is nothing short of a miracle.

The product I take is called Calm by Natural Vitality. I experimented with the dosage until I found what worked best for me. From my research there seems to be no downside to taking it.

Hope this helps anyone out there who has the same condition.
 

Hope78

Senior Member
Messages
112
Location
Germany
@MeSci: yes, I guess high acidity is a big part of this. Because I always described this "as if acid is runnig through my veins" to my doc. I suspect my muscles are going into the anaerobic mode too early causing this burning muscle weakness. The question still remaining is "why"?
@rahmama: how many mg of magnesium do you take per day? I got my intracellular magnesium levels checked and they were normal to low.
Today I will try L-carnitine as it seemed to be a bit low in my blood test.

The muscle problem appeared very, very suddenly.

When I used to catch enough sleep I was normally able to do some very soft "workout" on the treadmill (the lowest possible level) for about 20 minutes and I was fine. My pulse remained under 110. When I have not slept well my heart rate goes up to 200 after only 2 minutes, so treadmill is not an option. On this day my heart beat was fine, but suddenly I felt an intense burning in my thighs and calfs. I stopped the treadmill and noticed my muscles were jerking and cramping all over and I felt intense weakness, I was hardly able to walk. Well, since then (it was in June) the symptom is staying with me nearly all the time. Only walking up a few stairs or walking slowly half a mile is causing this symptoms. And it's not only local. It's an all over sicknessfeeling like acid running through my veins. I can trigger a similiar feeling by just drinking a few mouthful of alcohol...I feel sick and poisoned and my limbs start to burn.

I really hate this because I feel sometimes my energy level is really better than it used to be for a long time, but my muscles still won't cooperate!

Hope78
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I have been meaning to post my success with magnesium. I started taking a powdered form of it (highly absorbable) several months ago.
It was obvious from the first dose that this was what my body was craving.

My main CF symptoms were muscle weakness which was at times extremely painful but always there even on good days.

Since taking magnesium I've been completely free of this debilitating condition. To me it is nothing short of a miracle.

The product I take is called Calm by Natural Vitality. I experimented with the dosage until I found what worked best for me. From my research there seems to be no downside to taking it.

Hope this helps anyone out there who has the same condition.
I assume that by 'CF' you mean ME/CFS.

I am taking this magnesium supplement, but have not noticed any improvement. I've been taking one tablet a day for over a year, plus 133 mg chelated MgO and 40 mg MgO presumably unchelated in other supplements, in addition to Mg in my diet (this page gives a list of foods in order of the amount of Mg they contain).
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
@MeSci: yes, I guess high acidity is a big part of this. Because I always described this "as if acid is runnig through my veins" to my doc. I suspect my muscles are going into the anaerobic mode too early causing this burning muscle weakness. The question still remaining is "why"?
@rahmama: how many mg of magnesium do you take per day? I got my intracellular magnesium levels checked and they were normal to low.
Today I will try L-carnitine as it seemed to be a bit low in my blood test.

The muscle problem appeared very, very suddenly.

When I used to catch enough sleep I was normally able to do some very soft "workout" on the treadmill (the lowest possible level) for about 20 minutes and I was fine. My pulse remained under 110. When I have not slept well my heart rate goes up to 200 after only 2 minutes, so treadmill is not an option. On this day my heart beat was fine, but suddenly I felt an intense burning in my thighs and calfs. I stopped the treadmill and noticed my muscles were jerking and cramping all over and I felt intense weakness, I was hardly able to walk. Well, since then (it was in June) the symptom is staying with me nearly all the time. Only walking up a few stairs or walking slowly half a mile is causing this symptoms. And it's not only local. It's an all over sicknessfeeling like acid running through my veins. I can trigger a similiar feeling by just drinking a few mouthful of alcohol...I feel sick and poisoned and my limbs start to burn.

I really hate this because I feel sometimes my energy level is really better than it used to be for a long time, but my muscles still won't cooperate!

Hope78
I don't think you should be exercising if you have ME. You can't force your muscles to work normally if you have this - you are more likely to make the condition worse.

Research indicates that our muscle cells are abnormal, so that they cannot produce enough chemical energy in the form of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation, and they quickly switch to anaerobic ATP production, which is less efficient and leads to a build-up of lactic acid/lactate. It is not certain why this is, and there is continuing research into this. This is probably happening to all or most of us.

Recent research has found that lactate continues to build up even after we have stopped the activity, but this was research on just one person, so needs confirmation.

There is an attempt to conduct such research informally on Phoenix Rising - the thread is here.
 
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barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
@Hope78

If you already haven't, a trip to the doctor might be warranted. As @helen1 wrote, there could be a lot of reasons for these new symptoms.

Have you had bloodtests besides your vitamin/mineral levels? It might be a good idea to get a look at your overall health instead of focusing on one area as they can all be interelated.

Take care.
Barb