NAC and NAG bad reaction connected to ACAT?

[GreatGig]

I'm hoping someone more knowledgable may be able to have some insight into this issue.

I took NAC supplements a while back and had a bad reaction to the supplement. I had severe lightheadedness, headache, muscle tension, difficulty breathing, and anxiety. I assumed I was just a poor responder to glutathione support.

Recently, I tried NAG based on the recommendation of Hip's thread about eliminating anxiety. I had the exact same reaction to the NAG supplement.

This is just uneducated conjecture on my part, but since I have the homozygous ACAT mutation, could I have issues processing acetyl CoA which forms from the acetyl groups?

 

[GreatGig]

I think I've found the real cause. I had simultaneously raised consumption of turmeric according to the same thread by @Hip . The common thread between turmeric and NAC is that they both are high in free thiols according to some posts of @caledonia . Not surprisingly my symptoms line up exactly with excess sulfite. This led me to the realization that I also react poorly to many foods and supplements high in thiol. I am sitting here in incredible discomfort waiting for my system to return to normal but at the same time, I am glad that I think I have another solid lead in my journey to recovery. Interestingly, I never suspected I reacted poorly to sulfur since my genetic genie results don't reveal any CBS mutations aside from N212N which 23andme doesn't test for. However I did have multiple mercury fillings as a child so perhaps I have pathological levels of mercury.

This is simultaneously happy and incredibly sad for me. I was an incredibly healthy child until digestive symptoms started relentlessly assaulting my ability to live an adventurous and inquisitive youth. I started having daily diarrhea and panic attacks accompanied by vomiting. I felt like I constantly needed sleep and I couldn't think clearly. I started falling behind my peers in mental, physical, and emotional growth and became so familiar with disappointment and fear that it is a constant companion in my life now. I don't know what permanent effects developing this condition in my early adolescence will have on my life and it saddens me deeply to know that I may never become the person I was born to be. The human body's resilience and adaptive ability gives me hope that I might have some catch up growth after I sort out these issues now as a 20 year old.

 

[Valentijn]

@GreatGig - The ACAT1 SNP tested by Yasko and also reported by Genetic Genie doesn't do anything, hence wouldn't be causing any symptoms. The CBS SNPs also aren't tied to sulfur tolerance in any manner in the research, so they're pretty useless in ruling things in or out as possible problems.

 

[GreatGig]

@GreatGig - The ACAT1 SNP tested by Yasko and also reported by Genetic Genie doesn't do anything, hence wouldn't be causing any symptoms. The CBS SNPs also aren't tied to sulfur tolerance in any manner in the research, so they're pretty useless in ruling things in or out as possible problems.

Thanks Val. Out of curiosity, has the link between CBS SNPs and sulfur tolerance been disproved?
In any case, regardless of whether the connection has been proven or disproven, I'm fairly confident I've identified sulfur intolerance in my case. Are you aware of any test specifically for sulfur intolerance so I can be sure?

 

[Valentijn]

Thanks Val. Out of curiosity, has the link between CBS SNPs and sulfur tolerance been disproved?

No, I don't think anyone has bothered to investigate, including people who make money by "treating" the mythical CBS sulfur problems.

Are you aware of any test specifically for sulfur intolerance so I can be sure?

I think there are blood tests for sulfate or sulfite levels or similar. But the strips people like to pee on are actually for industrial use, and the results will be altered by unexpected pH levels.

 

[caledonia]

I think I've found the real cause. I had simultaneously raised consumption of turmeric according to the same thread by @Hip . The common thread between turmeric and NAC is that they both are high in free thiols according to some posts of @caledonia . Not surprisingly my symptoms line up exactly with excess sulfite. This led me to the realization that I also react poorly to many foods and supplements high in thiol. I am sitting here in incredible discomfort waiting for my system to return to normal but at the same time, I am glad that I think I have another solid lead in my journey to recovery. Interestingly, I never suspected I reacted poorly to sulfur since my genetic genie results don't reveal any CBS mutations aside from N212N which 23andme doesn't test for. However I did have multiple mercury fillings as a child so perhaps I have pathological levels of mercury.

This is simultaneously happy and incredibly sad for me. I was an incredibly healthy child until digestive symptoms started relentlessly assaulting my ability to live an adventurous and inquisitive youth. I started having daily diarrhea and panic attacks accompanied by vomiting. I felt like I constantly needed sleep and I couldn't think clearly. I started falling behind my peers in mental, physical, and emotional growth and became so familiar with disappointment and fear that it is a constant companion in my life now. I don't know what permanent effects developing this condition in my early adolescence will have on my life and it saddens me deeply to know that I may never become the person I was born to be. The human body's resilience and adaptive ability gives me hope that I might have some catch up growth after I sort out these issues now as a 20 year old.

I just read Andrew Cutler's book on Amalgam Illness and mercury does a number on CBS. It's common for people with mercury issues to have sulfur tolerance issues. You might want to consider a low free thiol diet + some molybdenum supplementation or one of the CBS protocols.

Then also testing for mercury, and chelating that if it's present (I would be shocked if it wasn't considering your history of amalgams and symptoms). Read Cutler's book first.

The brain isn't really done developing until age 25 or so , then there is neuroplasticity which is present throughout life; so I don't think it's a lost cause at all.