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Too much methylfolate - Did I do damage or am I deficient in something else?

Messages
8
Hi All, I'll try to keep this short and to the point but I just want to say this site has been a great resource for me!

Over the past year I had some issues with tingling and burning in my feet, lack of energy and focus/concentration, and a worsening of my OCD.

In July 2014 I tried methylfolate (quatrefolic) at 400mcg per day. At first it was great, the tingling in my feet calmed down and my mental clarity was great. This lasted only a few days and after that I didn't notice any benefit from the quatrefolic even at 800-1200mcg. I didn't notice any adverse effects at first either. One thing I did notice was brain zaps (similar to those I've had in the past from SSRI withdrawal).

In August 2014 I began to develop brain fog and by September 2014 I had extreme irritability, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, shortness of breath etc. I'd also get very spacey and blank out making it very hard for me to focus at work.

I didn't make the connection that it could be the folate until this month and I've since stopped the methylfolate about 3 weeks ago. Some of the symptoms have lessened but I still have difficulty focusing, brain fog, etc. The depression hasn't really lifted too much either. It feels as if something is missing from behind my forehead. I also took cdp choline in early August (to help improve my memory) so I first thought it was an excess acetylcholine issue but now I'm thinking it could be overmethylation.

My question is can what I've done be reversed? Some of the possibilities I thought it could be is overmethylation, a deficiency in another vitamin/mineral due to the excess folate I probably didn't need? I've read it can deplete B12 but I'm afraid to take methylB12 if I'm overmethylated. Should I try magnesium, b2, b6 etc. as they are important cofactors from what I've read here.

A few things I'll note: A neurologist thinks my tingling was caused by excess b6 (verified by blood test) and I have had ticks in the past. ELISA & Western Blot were negative for lyme. I do have metal fillings but they've never caused me an issue in the past.

Thanks in advance to everyone for taking the time to read this! You are all so knowledgeable and helpful and patient with so many people!
 

caledonia

Senior Member
It sounds like you actually caused methyl trapping. The folate probably used up what was left of your B12 stores, that's why it quit working after a few days. You're probably deficient in B12. It should be able to be reversed.

Read/watch the first four links in my signature below, which outlines a "Yasko lite" methylation protocol, which is what I'm doing. You'll probably find "Roadblocks to Successful Methylation" most immediately useful.

The mercury fillings are likely causing problems, even if you don't realize it. Mercury is a known neurotoxin. Mercury can cause mental health issues and also various physical problems via slowing down methylation, even if you don't have MTHFR or MTR/MTRR gene mutations.

Case in point: my thyroid recovered from 13 years of autoimmune thyroiditis when the last of my mercury came out.

ps. how long has it been since you were on an SSRI?
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
If you have suboptimal B12 status and you take a folate supplement it can cause methyl trap. If the situation continues, neurological damage (subacute combined degeneration) can ensue. Your peripheral neuropathy symptoms may have been due to excess B6 but they could have also been due to a B12 deficiency. If you're worried about taking more methyl donors, you could try a gentler version of B12 like hydroxy or adenosyl and see how you get on.
 
Messages
8
Thanks for the quick responses. I'll try taking b12 to increase my b12 stores that may have been depleted. I haven't had a genetic test and assuming I have no genetic issues, does it matter which form of b12 I take?

@caledonia I stopped taking lexapro in 2009. I will take a look at the videos!
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Thanks for the quick responses. I'll try taking b12 to increase my b12 stores that may have been depleted. I haven't had a genetic test and assuming I have no genetic issues, does it matter which form of b12 I take?

@caledonia I stopped taking lexapro in 2009. I will take a look at the videos!

If you have COMT mutations, it may matter very much what you take, and how much. Hydroxycobalamin is suggested in that case. If you don't have COMT mutations, then methylfolate + adenosylcobalamin is the best choice.

Nobody should be taking cyanocobalamin.

Have some niacin on hand first before you start, just in case you get into trouble. I cover this in my documents in detail.
 

sregan

Senior Member
Messages
703
Location
Southeast
Hi All, I'll try to keep this short and to the point but I just want to say this site has been a great resource for me!

Over the past year I had some issues with tingling and burning in my feet, lack of energy and focus/concentration, and a worsening of my OCD.

In July 2014 I tried methylfolate (quatrefolic) at 400mcg per day. At first it was great, the tingling in my feet calmed down and my mental clarity was great. This lasted only a few days and after that I didn't notice any benefit from the quatrefolic even at 800-1200mcg. I didn't notice any adverse effects at first either. One thing I did notice was brain zaps (similar to those I've had in the past from SSRI withdrawal).

In August 2014 I began to develop brain fog and by September 2014 I had extreme irritability, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, shortness of breath etc. I'd also get very spacey and blank out making it very hard for me to focus at work.

I didn't make the connection that it could be the folate until this month and I've since stopped the methylfolate about 3 weeks ago. Some of the symptoms have lessened but I still have difficulty focusing, brain fog, etc. The depression hasn't really lifted too much either. It feels as if something is missing from behind my forehead. I also took cdp choline in early August (to help improve my memory) so I first thought it was an excess acetylcholine issue but now I'm thinking it could be overmethylation.

My question is can what I've done be reversed? Some of the possibilities I thought it could be is overmethylation, a deficiency in another vitamin/mineral due to the excess folate I probably didn't need? I've read it can deplete B12 but I'm afraid to take methylB12 if I'm overmethylated. Should I try magnesium, b2, b6 etc. as they are important cofactors from what I've read here.

A few things I'll note: A neurologist thinks my tingling was caused by excess b6 (verified by blood test) and I have had ticks in the past. ELISA & Western Blot were negative for lyme. I do have metal fillings but they've never caused me an issue in the past.

Thanks in advance to everyone for taking the time to read this! You are all so knowledgeable and helpful and patient with so many people!

If you don't have your genetic profile then it would be a good use of $99 for you at 23ndme.com. Recently my 15 year old daughter has experienced a dramatic worsening of her OCD (She has 2 COMT ++). I've tried several different approaches. Had some initial success reducing methyl groups via B3. Also with glutamine at bedtime to reduce morning cortisol. Recenty introduced Mb12 with MFoltate. And most recently with a Multi Vitamin. While I have had some success with the supplements the OCD is still progressing.

Recently read about NAC as some are having success with it. Inositol has been known for a long time as helpful for some with OCD.
 
Messages
8
If you don't have your genetic profile then it would be a good use of $99 for you at 23ndme.com. Recently my 15 year old daughter has experienced a dramatic worsening of her OCD (She has 2 COMT ++). I've tried several different approaches. Had some initial success reducing methyl groups via B3. Also with glutamine at bedtime to reduce morning cortisol. Recenty introduced Mb12 with MFoltate. And most recently with a Multi Vitamin. While I have had some success with the supplements the OCD is still progressing.

Recently read about NAC as some are having success with it. Inositol has been known for a long time as helpful for some with OCD.

Thanks for the info. I plan on getting the tests done for genetics and should've done it ages ago. I actually tried inositol for a while and while it helped greatly with my old it caused some brain fog. I'm afraid to try it now because I've read that inositol can be a methyl donor. I'm not sure if that's true but I don't want to risk trying it until I get this other issue resolved. Heck, I'd be happy to feel like my old self again (OCD and all) as I'm afraid I did damage by taking methylfolate without b12.

@caledonia I tried taking mcb12 last night but my symptoms got really bad this morning even as they were improving with chelated magnesium the past few days. I will try hydroxy and then adreno and report back. I starting to think I was not deficient in folate and I'm hoping I just caused an imbalance that needs to be corrected. My only concern is I was taking it for three months before I realized it could be the source of my problems. Stupid of me, I know.

Thanks everyone for the help
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Thanks for the info. I plan on getting the tests done for genetics and should've done it ages ago. I actually tried inositol for a while and while it helped greatly with my old it caused some brain fog. I'm afraid to try it now because I've read that inositol can be a methyl donor. I'm not sure if that's true but I don't want to risk trying it until I get this other issue resolved. Heck, I'd be happy to feel like my old self again (OCD and all) as I'm afraid I did damage by taking methylfolate without b12.

@caledonia I tried taking mcb12 last night but my symptoms got really bad this morning even as they were improving with chelated magnesium the past few days. I will try hydroxy and then adreno and report back. I starting to think I was not deficient in folate and I'm hoping I just caused an imbalance that needs to be corrected. My only concern is I was taking it for three months before I realized it could be the source of my problems. Stupid of me, I know.

Thanks everyone for the help

Adreno doesn't contain methyl groups, so it shouldn't do anything. Around here we use it for mitochondrial support.

Taking hydroxy should be sufficient for the experiment.
 
Messages
8
So I took 1000mg sublingual tonight of the hydroxy and initially felt pretty clear headed but then about an hour later I became so tired I had to take a nap. Could this be because it is kick starting some process? I have this weird pressure on the top of my head too and a shortness of breath. I'm not sure if it is anxiety related or potassium related. Does it make sense to continue the hydroxy, switch to adreno, or stop all of them? I feel I need to give it a few days to truly see the effects instead of one dose.

The more I think about it the more I think I need o find a Lyme literate doctor . most of my symptoms started in November of last year but got more severe after a month of quatrefolic. So it's led to a lot of searching of things like her reactions, overmethylation, methyl trapping , etc. Sometimes it seems like I have no where to turn. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond.

Edit: I have also been getting these itchy spots on the back of my neck and small hive-like bumps that I scratch until the blood vessels break. I noticed this coincided with the methylfolate. Is it histamine related? Too much? Too little?
 
Last edited:

sregan

Senior Member
Messages
703
Location
Southeast
It's probably going to crank up your methylation until you exhaust your mfolate body burden. I don't do well with HCBL it makes me feel wierd. I have no trouble with MCBL though. Have you tried MCBL?
 
Messages
8
It's probably going to crank up your methylation until you exhaust your mfolate body burden. I don't do well with HCBL it makes me feel wierd. I have no trouble with MCBL though. Have you tried MCBL?

Yep, the mcbl makes me very irritable, tense, panicky, and brain fogged. It feels like I want to jump out of my skin.

Today after the hydroxy I'm really fatigued and feel out of it. It definitely feels different. I'm not sure if I should keep up with taking it. Maybe this is a hump I need to get over, maybe not.

I also noticed last night as I was falling asleep my legs twitched and it felt like I couldn't take a deep breath. Does this point to potassium? Thank you!
 

sregan

Senior Member
Messages
703
Location
Southeast
Yep, the mcbl makes me very irritable, tense, panicky, and brain fogged. It feels like I want to jump out of my skin.

Today after the hydroxy I'm really fatigued and feel out of it. It definitely feels different. I'm not sure if I should keep up with taking it. Maybe this is a hump I need to get over, maybe not.

I also noticed last night as I was falling asleep my legs twitched and it felt like I couldn't take a deep breath. Does this point to potassium? Thank you!

Air Hunger that sounds like. I get it on occasion usually when I'm in bed and my mouth might be partially covered with the sheets (not getting as much O2 as I can).

Have you tried other methyl type donors (TMG, SAMe, etc). Do they do the same as MCBL? That list you just gave the "brain fog" part doesn't seem to fit in with the rest. Are you taking any MFolate currently? You might need to take just a little with your CBL.

Could be potassium and if that's the case then yes you are still churning methylation and pretty good if you need potassium. You might find Magnesium will help that symptom also. For me I get crampy calf muscles when I fire up methylation. Also I get a rise in inflammation. My joints especially in my hands start to ache. The solution for that seems to be more MFolate + MCBL.
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
Before discovering this site and B12, I had good success managing my OCD with a combination of NAC and inositol.

Once I started to take B12 and experiment with methylation, my OCD symptoms seemed to greatly calm down. I haven't needed inositol since then. Something seems to have shifted in my chemistry.
 
Messages
8
Before discovering this site and B12, I had good success managing my OCD with a combination of NAC and inositol.

Once I started to take B12 and experiment with methylation, my OCD symptoms seemed to greatly calm down. I haven't needed inositol since then. Something seems to have shifted in my chemistry.

I too have noticed a chance in my chemistry. Either that or my anxiety / ocd is manifesting itself in different ways
 
Messages
8
Air Hunger that sounds like. I get it on occasion usually when I'm in bed and my mouth might be partially covered with the sheets (not getting as much O2 as I can).

Have you tried other methyl type donors (TMG, SAMe, etc). Do they do the same as MCBL? That list you just gave the "brain fog" part doesn't seem to fit in with the rest. Are you taking any MFolate currently? You might need to take just a little with your CBL.

Could be potassium and if that's the case then yes you are still churning methylation and pretty good if you need potassium. You might find Magnesium will help that symptom also. For me I get crampy calf muscles when I fire up methylation. Also I get a rise in inflammation. My joints especially in my hands start to ache. The solution for that seems to be more MFolate + MCBL.

I'm not currently taking mfolate as I was afraid of making things worse. Maybe I'll try a small 100mcg dose with the hydroxy to see if there is a differencedifference. Chelated magnesium has been helping but my back is very sore. I've also noticed a little weight gain too in the recent months. I'm not sure if that is related though.

I haven't tried SAMe or anything as I was concerned that overmethylation was the issue. I wanted to take a break from everything to see if I would go back to how I was before trying the mfolate. If I were to stop everything, do you have an idea of how long it should take me to return to baseline?