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Lithium Orotate for B12/Folate Transport?

Messages
67
Since getting tagged with compound heterozygous MTHFR status and starting B12 and folate, I haven't felt a whit from either. Turns out I have basically nonexistent lithium levels via hair mineral testing (will be doing a follow up with bloodwork).

Anyone have any positive experiences with lithium orotate, particularly with helping B12 and folate work? Anyone have it interfere with thyroid?
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
I take lithium orotate. My notes tell me that I began taking it shortly after I began the B12, so I can't really say if it helped or not.

I was diagnosed hypothyroid about a year after starting the lithium. However the problem is in converting T4 to T3, not in production of T4 by the thyroid.

So basically, I have nothing helpful to tell you. o_O I hope someone else can do better.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
@Kierkegaard - I've been taking lithium orotate for several years - 5 mg. I've been on thyroid meds a lot longer. I don't know if it's helped with B12 and folate transport, but it's not hurting me :) My thyroid has not gone downhill since starting the lithium, and B12 and folate both help me, no question about it. I get it from Swanson's, their brand, it's cheap. My levels were very low also. (lithium is also supposed to be calming)
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
I took lithium orotate for a while, 5 mg; it did not interfere with thyroid per my lab tests. I tend to have lower T4 and OK T3 since starting on L-thyroxine. Since I didn't have any chemistry tests of my folate/B12 levels or functions, it's impossible to say that it helped with either. It did improve my mood subtly not noticeably. It was sort of like the sun came out after days of gray skies.

I stopped lithium orotate after a couple of years because it made me extremely sleepy all of a sudden. I thought "no problem, take it before bed instead of with breakfast." But after two nights of the most intense, problem-solving dreams (not real problems, dream problems), I quit for a good long time. Recently my mood has been a little unstable, so I started again - less than a week. Seems to help.
 
Messages
3
I just started taking the lithium orotate little over a week ago. I usually can't tolerate even the tiniest amount of b12. So far I have been doing just fine with it. I'm thinking the l orotate is helping me tolerate it. It supoosively relieves headaches & I hv gotten awful headaches anytime I have taken b12 in the past. So far no head pain & possibly I needed help w transport of getting it into the cells.
 
Messages
67
I just started taking the lithium orotate little over a week ago. I usually can't tolerate even the tiniest amount of b12. So far I have been doing just fine with it. I'm thinking the l orotate is helping me tolerate it. It supoosively relieves headaches & I hv gotten awful headaches anytime I have taken b12 in the past. So far no head pain & possibly I needed help w transport of getting it into the cells.

What were your intolerance symptoms? When I took a dose of a supplement that contained lotsa P5P, methylfolate, and methylB12, I'd get sinus pressure semi-headaches and have worse brain fog.
 
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3
What were your intolerance symptoms? When I took a dose of a supplement that contained lotsa P5P, methylfolate, and methylB12, I'd get sinus pressure semi-headaches and have worse brain fog.
Hi sorry I'm just seeing this reply. My intolerance was unbearable head pain. It would last sometimes up to 48 hours. It was hardcore pressure head pain like an intense migraine. I never had headaches like this before & only happened when I took any amount of b-12 methyl. I have now worked up to 1/4 of a tablet & still zero head pain. I have tried on few occasions & now only since adding the lithium oratate Im not having issues.
 
Messages
67
@Sunny1, @Little Bluestem, @Mary, @Critterina and others, I found a great article on the usefulness of lithium (with lots of time on low dose and orotate, as well as a bit on how lithium gets B12 and folate into cells) by a good journal. Abstract:

In high doses, lithium acts as a drug, accompanied by potentially serious and debilitating side effects. In low doses, lithium acts as a nutrient required for B12 and folate transport and uptake, neuromodulation, and the function of many biochemical processes in both humans and animals. Studies since the 1970s have shown the ability of lithium to stimulate the proliferation of stem cells. Recent studies have described its ability to up-regulate neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve-growth factor (NGF), which are important in neuronal function, plasticity, and repair. With its newly described antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity along with powerful neuroprotective effects, low-dose lithium therapy has largely unrealized potential to prevent or treat a wide-range of neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic pain, mercury toxicity, depression/anxiety, alcoholism, and drug addiction.
http://www.jpands.org/vol20no4/marshall.pdf

Joseph Cohen at the absurdly useful layman-created site Selfhacked also has good info on lithium: Top 14 Science Based Health Benefits of Lithium
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
@Kierkegaard: I loved this from Selfhacked! :lol: (I think my cat would agree, at least about the neon :cat:)

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