Help! methylation issue. adding magnesium makes magnesium deficiency worse.

[fprefect]

hi everyone.

in short, methylation seems to make my magnesium deficiency worse. i can't reduce methylation enough using niacin and i can't add magnesium. i am worried. how do i reduce methylation or raise magnesium?

Ford

details:
on dr's advice, i took brown rice. i didn't realise its methylation effects. it contains methionine and b6. i got worse, figured it was due to added methylation, and stopped. due to brain fog, this took months.

i accidentally reduced my magnesium dose during those months. i developed paresthesia (numbness, feeling hot or cold, tingling, pricking) in my feet and hands, and chest discomfort. brain fog got worse. when i increase magnesium intake, these symptoms get worse. i suspect my methylation is rate limited by magnesium. so, adding magnesium increases methylation, which increases magnesium demand. alternately, adding magnesium causes a deficiency in something with near identical symptoms.

400mg niacin daily helped. paresthesia and brain fog improved. i didn't have chest discomfort at the time. however, niacin reduced my gut function to somewhat worse than before the brown rice. i stopped so i didn't make other deficiencies worse.

i take 450mcg folic acid and 47mcg methyl b12. i tried reducing folic acid to 400mcg. i think the paresthesia got worse. i switched from hydroxo to methyl b12 to stop irreversible nerve damage that appeared due to the magnesium deficiency. that neuropathy was wrecking my sleep.

ps. folic acid is troublesome, but i haven't figured out how to stop it without making myself worse.

 

[pela]

have you tried using methylfolate in place of folic acid? Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate and causes problems for those who cannot convert it to a usable form.

47 mcg of B12 isn't much.

 

[Gondwanaland]

What form of magnesium are you trying to supplement?

 

[fprefect]

hi @pela and @Gondwanaland.

thank you for responding. i haven't been functional enough to respond earlier.

have you tried using methylfolate in place of folic acid? Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate and causes problems for those who cannot convert it to a usable form.

47 mcg of B12 isn't much.

i have not tried methylfolate. i think i haven't converted folic acid well despite not having MTHFR. i want to switch, but:
1. i seem to have an excess of methyl groups and an increasingly worse magnesium deficiency. my priority is fixing the deficiency. it is more dangerous than a methylation block.
2. adding b12 makes the magnesium deficiency worse.
3. i almost certainly have a b12 deficiency and impaired methylation in general. if i add methylfolate without increasing b12, i will supposedly reduce methylation although i don't understand how methyl trapping works.
4. i would add methylfolate now to reduce methylation, but i don't want more nerve damage as that will require more b12.
5. the folic acid is in a b complex and multivitamin (Berocca and Centrum Advance). i am deficient in b2 and b6 despite supplementation and i am quite debilitated. i haven't found a suitable b complex replacement that isn't likely to make me worse.

What form of magnesium are you trying to supplement?

i am trying to revert to the 25mg of transdermal magnesium oil (Ancient Minerals) i was taking before.


Ford

 

[jason30]

hi @fprefect ,

I'm curious if you've been able to increase your magnesium?
I might have the same 'problem'.

 

[fprefect]

hi @jason30.

sorry about the absurdly late reply. i have not been well enough to reply.

i have not been able to increase the magnesium. my issue seems to be methyl trapping. what i thought was low magnesium seems to be low b12. i think the increased magnesium resulted in increased methylfolate production, which used up more of the little b12 in my system. hence, the paresthesia. adding b12 improves this, but makes me worse in other ways. i haven't figured out how to address this yet.

i hope that helps you.