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sudden dependency on methylb12- every few hours?!

Messages
12
Location
Boston
Hello -- I have been working on addressing my mutations and starting supplementation for the past 8 months or so and am at a block and very confused and frankly scared, so I am hoping someone can give me some advice. I have been reading on this forum for some time (including b12 the hidden story) and am still trying to absorb all this information (a little sublingual humor :) ) on starting a proper methylation protocol.

MTHFR A1298 (+/+) is the biggie I have been working on, so I have been focusing on methylb12 and methylfolate to start with. I take sublingual mb12 (jarrow) starting slow over the past 6 months, but lately my need for the doses and side effects have been so erratic and severe at times that I really don't know what to do. I started with a quarter or two of a 1000mcg tablet every day and have increased to about 4-5 quarters every few hours throughout the day. While it does make me hyper, irritable, anxious and buzzy at times, b3 (in the form of naturemade bcomplex) does seem to help. I do feel symptoms of overmethylation at times too, with dry mouth/eyes, low appetite, and weight loss.

However the past month or so, I have been feeling extremely short of breath and sudden fatigue if I go too long between b12 doses; it can come on very suddenly and this is very alarming and frightening to me. I can't catch my breath and have trouble moving my lung muscles to breath, if that makes sense. I have been trying to introduce more potassium (drinking lots of coconut water and occasionally potassium gluconate) but that doesn't seem to have a huge effect nor prevent this; otherwise I rarely get muscle cramps or any other 'low potassium symptoms.' Occasionally I feel tingly in my limbs and weak as well. The only thing that 'relieves' this horrible shortness of breath is immediately putting another quarter of b12 under my tongue.

What is causing me to need and use up this b12 so quickly? Should I continue taking so much and expect that the constant need for more and so often is just part of rapid healing? I am also (+/-) for MTR A2756G which I know can make you use up methylgroups faster, but it seems odd that this one gene that's hetereogyzous would have such an effect on b12 consumption.

I have been in the process of including methylfolate but have started and stopped at very small doses (perhaps a quarter or third of 400mcg every day or every other day). Other relevant supplements I take include: Naturemade Bcomplex (1/2 tablet to 1 tablet per day), 25mg of P5P B6, 400mg magnesium at night, fish oil, and 50 mg zinc at night.Also, daily probiotics for CBS 699T (+/+ that's, of course, a biggie too, but I don't appear to have major issues of it expressing...)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
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Messages
17
Goonie, I'm not expert by any means but what I gather from your post is that you are hovering at the low doses and you are scared to increase. It may be possible donut hole folate insufficiency. If you haven't read Ahmo manual for dummies on methylation yet, I would highly recommend it. It may answer some of your questions.

David
 

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
I'm no expert either but you have to balance B12 with methyfolate. I Don't remember the ratio but I think 2 to 1 MB12
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
In total you are using extremely low doses of methyl b12 in one day. Keep in mind you actually absorb a fraction of a percentage in that dosage. You should try at least 5000mcg methyl b12 a day on a completely empty stomach at least twenty minutes before eating, then after absorbing the sublingual fully take methyl folate to help aid absorption.
 
Messages
12
Location
Boston
@Martial - this is super delayed, but thank you so much for your response! I have been able to ramp up to 1,000, then 1,600 and even 2,400mcg of methylfolate spread throughout the day (balanced out by up to 6,000-8,000 MB12).

I would pop a 400mcg whenever I felt shortness of breath symptoms coming on, however, I have noticed as a whole that my anemia symptoms were becoming more severe despite these high doses; I ended up in the ER the other night with low hemocrit/red blood levels after being so short of breath, weak and just feeling exhausted. (plus the anxiety from MF didn't help!). I don't know what happened but I am definitely taking a break from the methylfolate...
 

Johnmac

Senior Member
Messages
756
Location
Cambodia
Shortness of breath is a symptom of iron deficiency anemia, but not to my knowledge of B12 deficiency anemia.

Have you checked your iron & ferritin levels?

When you have low irons, methylation protocols can't help you. Low-iron limits everything till it is repaired.