• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

B vitamins causing flare up? Do I have low homocysteine?

Messages
51
I suspect P5P causes my RA to flare. Any idea why? My guess is homocysteine is too low, should I take methionine?
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,684
Location
Alberta
Niacin seriously increased my general symptoms, and added strong suicidal moods. B2 also increased my symptoms, though not as much as B3. B12 also triggered strong suicidal moods. It did so for several tries, but when I tried it again months later, it didn't have that effect. A change in my body, or do B12 tablets expire quickly?

B1 seemed to reduce symptoms slightly, but only the first few times I tried it.
 
Messages
51
Niacin seriously increased my general symptoms, and added strong suicidal moods. B2 also increased my symptoms, though not as much as B3. B12 also triggered strong suicidal moods. It did so for several tries, but when I tried it again months later, it didn't have that effect. A change in my body, or do B12 tablets expire quickly?

B1 seemed to reduce symptoms slightly, but only the first few times I tried it.

What type of b12 did you try? Sounds like you're an undermethylator, b3 and b2 would break down neurotransmitters. What works for my mood is methyl b12 (very small amount swallowed) combined with folinic acid (not methylfolate) or a can of spinach for folate. If I feel too stimulated/anxious/irritable then I take small amounts of niacin (20mg) or b2 (20mg) until it evens out. I only do this maybe once per week and it lasts a while. I'm in a good mood now, unfortunately whatever I did cause a flair up in my joints.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,684
Location
Alberta
@jwat87 , I took basic cyanocobalamin, 1200 mcg. It's three years past the expiry date, so I don't know how effective it is now. It certainly caused serious problems when it was fresh.

I've ignored the topic of methylation. It seems like a health fad: overmarketed without serious numbers to back up the claims. B12 didn't do anything for my ME symptoms, so I didn't feel any urge to consider it any further. My leafy-green intake varies with the seasons, and I didn't notice any correlation with my symptoms, so I don't consider that as a likely factor either.
 
Messages
51
@jwat87 , I took basic cyanocobalamin, 1200 mcg. It's three years past the expiry date, so I don't know how effective it is now. It certainly caused serious problems when it was fresh.

I've ignored the topic of methylation. It seems like a health fad: overmarketed without serious numbers to back up the claims. B12 didn't do anything for my ME symptoms, so I didn't feel any urge to consider it any further. My leafy-green intake varies with the seasons, and I didn't notice any correlation with my symptoms, so I don't consider that as a likely factor either.

Cyanob12 and hydroxyb12 both suck up methyl groups, the only one that didn't make me feel crappy was methylb12. Have you tried sam-e? There's definitely something to this methylation stuff, the problem is it doesn't work for everyone and so called "experts" all have different, incomplete interpretations of it.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,684
Location
Alberta
If B12 has an effect by changing the rate of genetic expression, then taking B12 seems equally likely to produce a bad effect as a good effect. Is ME due to one or more proteins being overproduced or underproduced? My experience, both tablets and an injection, seems to indicate that B12 level isn't a factor in my ME symptoms.

I just did a quick check into cyano vs methyl (and several other types on the market). The body seems effective at changing the various forms into the form that the body needs. Marketers may play on that, claiming that their form is better absorbed, or that avoiding conversion is far superior, but any difference can be overriden by how much you take, so I don't see it as a factor. Some people may have a rare disorder that reduces conversion efficiency, so they might find one form superior. I probably get adequate amounts of B12 from meat, so any extra from supplements, regardless of conversion efficiency, shouldn't make much difference.

I haven't encountered anything to convince me that I should bother testing different forms of B12 or trying methylation fads. If methylation rates were truly critical, as market hype claims, I think my doctor would test for that and prescribe treatment. Since that isn't happening, I'm assuming that there's not yet enough scientific evidence to support testing and treatment (except for the few people with very specific disorders).