B Complex makes me angry

[DmxDex]

If I take a B complex activated or not, I can very irritable over everything, and can become very anxious. If I take methyl B12 I get headaches and fatigue, I also get like this with a combo of Adeno and hydroxy B12

 

[Kadar]

Anxiety on b complex is usually due to potassium loss. Or needing more b1/b2. Headaches on b vitamins usually is b2 deficiency

 

[LINE]

If you are taking a complex, then you will need to isolate the offending vitamin. I just realized that one of mine contains PABA which irritates my system (makes me worse).

Keep in mind that b vitamins can suppress other b vitamins, you might have a need for say B2 as the other poster suggested. Taking B12 may be suppressing B2 etc.

 

[Judee]

Some b vitamins are also sulfur/thiols such as Thiamine and Biotin. I get headaches from them if I take them regularly. I can take them maybe once or twice a month and not be affected too much.

 

[DmxDex]

If you are taking a complex, then you will need to isolate the offending vitamin. I just realized that one of mine contains PABA which irritates my system (makes me worse).

Keep in mind that b vitamins can suppress other b vitamins, you might have a need for say B2 as the other poster suggested. Taking B12 may be suppressing B2 etc.

Would I need to take B2 always with B12 or just take B2 to boost levels, then take B12 again without B2?

 

[LINE]

Would I need to take B2 always with B12 or just take B2 to boost levels, then take B12 again without B2?

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that everyone is biochemically different which means what works for one person may not work for another.

You would almost have to isolate each b vitamin and test and observe then adjust. Based on some general ideas, I would choose B2 since it is supportive of immune function and also adrenal function. B6 would be my next choice then B5 (pantothenic acid). If you are experiencing adrenal issues (POTS) then these are critical vitamins since they support adrenal activity. But there are other nutrients that support adrenal activity such as Vitamin C and magnesium etc.

Choline works very well for me. It works better when I use choline/inositol, not just choline.

>>>>>>these below would be on my bottom choices >>>>>>>>>>>

B12 generally ramps up metabolism which might be ok if you have other supporting b vitamins. Folic acid is in the same family as B12 which MAY do the same as B12.

B3 (niacin or niacinamide) has a tendency to accelerate metabolism which causes panic attack feelings.

B1 is generally considered to be energy stimulating but some on this forum have reported benefits from taking it.

PABA is a no no for me.

Biotin is neutral for me.

If you do the experiment, don't forget to post your findings. This helps us and the future people who will visit the forum looking for help.

 

[bertiedog]

@DmxDex If you are taking a multi with methylB12 and methylfolate it's highly likely that your body cannot metabolise the extra methyl groups. This is common in people who have a slow COMT Snp. I am one of those people btw and can only tolerate a tiny amount of these and certainly not every day. Therefore I get these cofactors from my diet.

I remember Ben Lynch wrote a lot about this as it was a very common problem. There are other SNPs that can slow things down even more so you get a build up of these substances which can affect one's neurotransmitters, hence the anger and from memory I think it might be a slow MAO but don't quote me on that one! Bad headaches are another side effect of too many methyl groups btw.

It's definitely worth checking your supplement. An alternative to MB12 is the hydroxyB12 as that is also an active form. Dark green veg are full of folate and also some nuts contain a good amount too (even peanuts I think). I have maintained a high level of folate in my blood and also B12 without taking supplements but by having a good diet. I do take B2 which also supplies methyl groups just because it is supposed to be good at helping with migraines and I don't seem to have any problems with it.

Hope that helps.

Pam

 

[LINE]

What about other nutrients such as magnesium etc.?

 

[Busson]

If I take a B complex activated or not, I can very irritable over everything, and can become very anxious. If I take methyl B12 I get headaches and fatigue, I also get like this with a combo of Adeno and hydroxy B12

Personally, I find the doses in which B vitamins (in a B-complex or otherwise) are sold are often too high. It is common to find B-1 thiamine or B-2 riboflavin sold in 100mg tablets but I can't tolerate that amount. The usual intake of these is 1 or 2mg. Those prepared doses are huge and the thinking seems to be that as they are water soluble an excess will wash out but doing so seems to put a strain on my body.

Such large doses (100 or 200 mg or B-1 or B-2) are often used in research studies and then the same dose gets transferred (without true justification) by supplement manufacturers into recommendations for everyday use. An example of this is NAC which inevitably gets sold in 600mg doses even though there is no dose-ranging study to say this is optimal or most frequently needed.

I buy B vitamins in tablet form (which is not always easy to find) and split the tablet into four and don't take more than two doses a day. I prefer to buy them separately (especially as I have problems tolerating certain forms of B-3) but taking them individually like this can becomes a real chore and is not for everybody.

As for B-12 specifically, if one has a defined problem in transporting or utilising B-12 then one would be justified in taking mega-doses (1,000 mcg injections/oil or whatever) to compensate. I take such doses of B-12 but, again, it is easy to over-dose and feel worse from handling the overload, while paradoxically deriving benefit.

I find the same cautions about megadosing goes for folate (vitamin B-8).

 

[kula]

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for the right thread to make a post about my experiences with taking B complex and I think I'm going to choose this one.

I know it was very stupid of me, but I thought I would save money and time by buying the Kirkland B100 (Canada) vs buying the separate tablets and cutting them up. I took half a tab per day for 8 days while my dad took 1 tab per day for 2 days. We both ended up feeling very sick.

Each tablet contains 100mg of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, choline, and inositol, 100mcg of biotin and methylcobalamin and 1mg of folic acid. Way too much, I know. :'(

We started taking this 3 weeks ago. I felt nothing for 2 days, then noticed very mild finger tip numbness. A headache started by day 3 that increased in intensity as I continued to take the tablets. At some point, my lower right eyelid started twitching non-stop. I didn't figure it out until after the 8th dose. My dad has some underlying dental issues so it flared up his dental pain. It felt like as if our bodies had intense fire (the TCM kind) where it was causing gum and tooth nerve inflammation for my dad and dry eyes, mouth, and joint soreness for me. It also made us really irritable, angry, and slightly feverish. After stopping the B100, our symptoms continued for a week with little improvement.

My headache went away by the end of week 2, but came back less intense after I took a multivitamin with non-active ingredients. I tried some things that seemed to help, one of which was 250mg daily of B5, but what took away the headache and weird eye twitching that wouldn't stop was a 1mg capsule of METHYLfolate. I have also been regularly taking thiamine 200mg TID, magnesium, and riboflavin during and prior to this so I don't know if they had anything to do with my recovery.

My dad didn't want to take any of my vitamin suggestions so he self-treated with TCM herbal concoctions and Yinchiao tablets. His therapy made him feel better, but the pain still kept him up at night. He ended up getting a tooth extracted today.

I have a feeling that the pyridoxine gave me the finger tip numbness and the fake folate (folic acid) gave me the headache and "fire" inside my body. I learned my lesson and will never touch cheap high-dose vitamins again. It certainly didn't take too many doses to mess me up! Good luck everyone

 

[Insomniac]

I keep feeling extra ill - the day after taking methyl folic acid of B12. Insomnia in particular

I thought maybe because artificial vitamins aren't good so I took pills containing dessicated liver instead. They are natural source of all B vitamins.

I strangely feel bad after that too, but no way as terrible as methyl folate acid.

Thank You @bertiedog I am now self diagnosed with COMPT.

I bet these genetic problems are more common in CFS patients than the regular population. They should be standard screening in all moderately affected patients.

I had to ask my doctors to give me the MTHFR test, after I self diagnosed myself with it. I am homozygous MTHFR. I didn't know about the COMPT thing.

I wish there was an easy cheap test for COMPT instead of the mumbo jumbo people do on Phoenix Rising, like interpreting test results or paying a fortune.... or Dante Labs taking an eternity to do it. It sounds like a horrible exhausting project.

 

[bertiedog]

I keep feeling extra ill - the day after taking methyl folic acid of B12. Insomnia in particular

I thought maybe because artificial vitamins aren't good so I took pills containing dessicated liver instead. They are natural source of all B vitamins.

I strangely feel bad after that too, but no way as terrible as methyl folate acid.

Thank You @bertiedog I am now self diagnosed with COMPT.

I bet these genetic problems are more common in CFS patients than the regular population. They should be standard screening in all moderately affected patients.

I had to ask my doctors to give me the MTHFR test, after I self diagnosed myself with it. I am homozygous MTHFR. I didn't know about the COMPT thing.

I wish there was an easy cheap test for COMPT instead of the mumbo jumbo people do on Phoenix Rising, like interpreting test results or paying a fortune.... or Dante Labs taking an eternity to do it. It sounds like a horrible exhausting project.

Glad you found out about this issue from a simple saliva test!

BTW The enzyme is referred to a COMT!

Pam