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Methylation Newbie... Couple Questions

Messages
6
Hi... so I discovered methylation recently and have been reading about it a lot and researching it as a possible cause of anxiety. I'm wondering which blood tests I would want to get to rule out any methylation problems. I know there's genetic testing at 23andme, but I read on another thread here that "you need to quantify glutathione (active and oxidized), SAMe, SAH and the SAM/SAH ratio". So should I get a blood test for these markers before spending extra money on genetic testing?

I read previously that high RBC folate can indicate methylation issues, and had mine tested and it came back normal. I assume this isn't enough to rule out any methylation issues though?

I'm also wondering about methylfolate doses. I figure it might just be better to try methylfolate for a couple months rather than spend money on testing. I've been taking 2 mg of methyfolate for about a month and don't think I've noticed much. I just read however that the effective dose is 10 - 15 mg. Would this be a better dose range to start? If so, where do people generally get that high a dose for a good price? I found a couple products on amazon with decent prices.

Thank you anyone for any help!
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I've been taking 2 mg of methyfolate for about a month and don't think I've noticed much. I just read however that the effective dose is 10 - 15 mg. Would this be a better dose range to start?
When you are working with dosing it is quite different taking methylfolate by itself and taking it together with B12. Most would not be able to tolerate such a high dose of folate together with a dose of B12--in the beginning anyway. There are many schools of thought on this. I was not able to tolerate more than about 50 mcg of methylfolate together with B12 in the beginning. I slowly worked up to 800 mcg.

Of course you may be different, but it is good to be aware the that the combo of the two can have an almost explosive effect, as together they promote methylation.
 

junkcrap50

Senior Member
Messages
1,330
If you're turning to methylation to help solve your anxiety, you may first want to research and test for pyroluria. I've just recently learned of it, and many people on here have successfully treated their anxiety by solving their pyroluria. Treating pyroluria is significantly easier than tackling methylation, and it can be easily tested for at most labs like Quest.

I've forgotten most of the tests for methylation. There probably is a test from Genova or a similar company, but that usually isn't covered by insurance. Here is a link that shows the different items a Methylation Panel by Health Diagnostics (my quick google search shows they're closed) tests for and why their are important in methylation.

http://phoenixrising.me/treating-cf...esults-of-the-methylation-pathways-panel-2011
 
Messages
6
When you are working with dosing it is quite different taking methylfolate by itself and taking it together with B12. Most would not be able to tolerate such a high dose of folate together with a dose of B12--in the beginning anyway. There are many schools of thought on this. I was not able to tolerate more than about 50 mcg of methylfolate together with B12 in the beginning. I slowly worked up to 800 mcg.

I do take B12 but not sure if it's often enough. I take 5000 mcg sublingually every week or so. My levels are high so I don't take it that often.

If you're turning to methylation to help solve your anxiety, you may first want to research and test for pyroluria. I've just recently learned of it, and many people on here have successfully treated their anxiety by solving their pyroluria. Treating pyroluria is significantly easier than tackling methylation, and it can be easily tested for at most labs like Quest.

Interesting... never heard of it. I did find a clinic near me though that tests for both pyroluria and all the same methylation markers mentioned above, so perhaps I'll go and get tested for both of these things.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I do take B12 but not sure if it's often enough. I take 5000 mcg sublingually every week or so. My levels are high so I don't take it that often.
Test levels will show total B12 and only some of that is going to be usable for the body. Methylmalonic acid may be a more accurate test.
 
Messages
6
Ok I'll look into it thanks.

I figure I may as well go ahead and try p5p + zinc and see how it does rather than testing for pyroluria. Saves money and I'll know if it works so what's the point in testing. Anyway, what is the dose of p5p people usually go for? I've read around 50 mg.
 
Messages
6
Alright well it's been over a month... can't say I felt any different really from the p5p and zinc so I don't think I have pyroluria.

I've been doing a bit of read about methylation, and apparently niacin essentially soaks up methyl groups. Thing is when I last tried a low dose of methylfolate (2 mg) I was also taking about 2 g of niacinimide per day. So I'm not sure if that would have negated the effects of methylfolate.

I'm going to try the methylfolate again without the niacinimide and see how I feel. For now I'm trying 2 mg, but am thinking of doing 10 mg per day. As I haven't tested for methylation issues, is there any real drawback to trying such a high dose? It is much much cheaper than getting the methylation tests done, and you can see the results directly.

I also have a question about over-methylation. What's is a general protocol for over-methylation? High dose niacin? I suppose I've already tested for over-methylation since I took a high dose of niacinimide for a few months. Can't say I felt much different. Possible slightly better but may have been placebo.
 
Messages
6
Anyone? Also a correction what I said above... my RBC folate was not normal but couldn't actually be measured because it was above the upper limit of the range used by the lab. Is excess RBC folate usually a sign of over or under-methylation?