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B complex and depression/suppressed sex drive

godlovesatrier

Senior Member
Messages
2,554
Location
United Kingdom
Hi all,

I've been on the Joshua Leisk protocol for about 3 months now. I've been grumpy almost the entire time I've been on it but over the last month I've been getting depressed and my sex drive continues to be poor.

As I say I've been irritable and had low sex drive since I started. Now it could be absolutely nothing to do with the b vitamin's I take. In fact it could be low testosterone or dhea. But since when I remove the b vitamin's my brain fog improves, my depression subsides and my sex drive usually returns I've put those two together.

My last blood test showed very high b12 and high folate in the blood. I fasted for about ten hours and got my teat done in the morning before I took any tablets.

My testosterone levels were in the lower third. Sadly I have no idea what my normal is which isn't helpful.

So I'm asking if anyone else has experienced sex drive suppression and depression on vitamin b12/folate.

I've done a lot of experiments recently. I've taken up to 900mg in split doses of potassium. Without much effect. I get about 500mg magnesium in lots of split doses inc diet. Mag taurate gives me a headache so I don't that often.

I've also tried taking trace minerals. Copper, selenium, moldenum, boron, etc and this gives me a raised temperature for an hour or so even if I take half a cap. But honestly I didn't notice much improvement when I took these. Took them for a week.

I did also take zinc in one experiment 15 to 30mg a day. That was for immune boosting effects because I recently had very low neutrophils. But didn't notice any improvement.

If I come off the b complex and b12 + folate my neck spine and cranial cervical junction become very inflamed. It's not tender but it becomes very stiff and swollen and this just gets worse the more I do with my neck generally speaking.

I've taken niacin to calm over methylation and that works on days when i know the b12 has been taken and it's also given me a bad tension headache.

I currently take
100mg thiamine HCl
40mg rivboflavin
50mg niacinamide
25mg p5p

B12 oils ado and methyl b12.
400uq metafolin

That's my own compounded mix. Prior to that I took Thorne b complex for about 3 months. I started compounding my own about 10 days ago. Prior to that I came off the b complex because it was giving me bad insomnia and I found out that if I took b3 before bed I could sleep but the b3 left me depressed.

Honestly the b3 could have caused the current depression.

So I plan to remove the b3 completely and see how I get on. But I'd be interested to hear other people's stories in terms of symptoms and b vitamin's.

When I take the b complex and b12 I feel great but sleep is effected usually wake up at 4am and brain fog is worse which is making work very very difficult.
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
@godlovesatrier
High serum B12 is usually an indication B12 isn’t getting into the cells but is instead circulating in blood, and is termed paradoxical B12 deficiency.

Also, my guess is you need more B2 as one of its functions is processing all the other B vitamins. If you’re taking a lot of B’s, which it sounds like you are, your B2 will get depleted from processing them. That will decrease your functional B12 (as well as decrease your other B’s).

B12 serum tests are considered pretty useless as they don’t indicate how much B12 your cells have available.

Be aware that B2 cofactors are iodine, selenium & molybdenum. Without those, your B2 will not be activated & will not do it’s job.
 

Martin aka paused||M.E.

Senior Member
Messages
2,291
Hi all,

I've been on the Joshua Leisk protocol for about 3 months now. I've been grumpy almost the entire time I've been on it but over the last month I've been getting depressed and my sex drive continues to be poor.

As I say I've been irritable and had low sex drive since I started. Now it could be absolutely nothing to do with the b vitamin's I take. In fact it could be low testosterone or dhea. But since when I remove the b vitamin's my brain fog improves, my depression subsides and my sex drive usually returns I've put those two together.

My last blood test showed very high b12 and high folate in the blood. I fasted for about ten hours and got my teat done in the morning before I took any tablets.

My testosterone levels were in the lower third. Sadly I have no idea what my normal is which isn't helpful.

So I'm asking if anyone else has experienced sex drive suppression and depression on vitamin b12/folate.

I've done a lot of experiments recently. I've taken up to 900mg in split doses of potassium. Without much effect. I get about 500mg magnesium in lots of split doses inc diet. Mag taurate gives me a headache so I don't that often.

I've also tried taking trace minerals. Copper, selenium, moldenum, boron, etc and this gives me a raised temperature for an hour or so even if I take half a cap. But honestly I didn't notice much improvement when I took these. Took them for a week.

I did also take zinc in one experiment 15 to 30mg a day. That was for immune boosting effects because I recently had very low neutrophils. But didn't notice any improvement.

If I come off the b complex and b12 + folate my neck spine and cranial cervical junction become very inflamed. It's not tender but it becomes very stiff and swollen and this just gets worse the more I do with my neck generally speaking.

I've taken niacin to calm over methylation and that works on days when i know the b12 has been taken and it's also given me a bad tension headache.

I currently take
100mg thiamine HCl
40mg rivboflavin
50mg niacinamide
25mg p5p

B12 oils ado and methyl b12.
400uq metafolin

That's my own compounded mix. Prior to that I took Thorne b complex for about 3 months. I started compounding my own about 10 days ago. Prior to that I came off the b complex because it was giving me bad insomnia and I found out that if I took b3 before bed I could sleep but the b3 left me depressed.

Honestly the b3 could have caused the current depression.

So I plan to remove the b3 completely and see how I get on. But I'd be interested to hear other people's stories in terms of symptoms and b vitamin's.

When I take the b complex and b12 I feel great but sleep is effected usually wake up at 4am and brain fog is worse which is making work very very difficult.
Buddy, this topic is very complex and the answer depends on your own biochemistry in your brain. You might want to read “Nutrient Power” by William Walsh.

To give you a short glimpse of an answer: it's very much possible that it has to do with supplementation.
 

godlovesatrier

Senior Member
Messages
2,554
Location
United Kingdom
It's really very difficult figuring it out without decent tests. Mind you I'll get my htma back next week. But even those tests aren't the best.

I found a urine analysis from a local company. But that's £200 and that's only for the b vitamin's. Also as you say may not help anyway because it's hard to see if b12 is actually being used. My hunch is that it may not be getting used properly so interesting you say that.

I'll take a look at the book too. It's certainly a complicated one to try and solve. Also meant to buy iodine yesterday and forgot will grab some.
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
Does anyone know how much B2 someone would need to take? Is 40mg enough?

Thank you.

Supplemental B2 that is not used by the body is excreted in bright neon yellow urine. That’s how you know you’re taking enough, or more than enough.

If your urine is not that colour, your body has used all the supplemental B2 and you likely need to take more.

All kinds of things can use up B2, especially:
-some pathogens
-purines (seafood, red meat, beer)
-folates
-B1
-calcium
-copper
-iron
-manganese
-sodium
-selenium

Some days, 40 mg will be enough. Some days it won’t.