mrs D et al –
Again, many thanks for taking my question(s) . . . I do appreciate it.
But, before I reply to your last posts, I want to apologize for this not-very-timely response. As per my previous quick/short response to you, I knew I would not be timely in getting back to your initial reply, however on top of my already busy schedule (which I won’t bore you with); I had a medical emergency with an immediate family member that just took any/all spare time. Thankfully, that appears to be behind me now, thus my response and hopefully much more timely replies in my immediate future.
That's okay you can take your time as you like...I am here almost every day anyway...
As you will see below, I also didn’t want to rush my reply back to you, as this is very important to me and I wanted to understand what you wrote.
To help me, and maybe you too (since it appears you’re involved with many other threads a day) keep in sync with my many questions and your responses, I’ve decide to number them. With that being said:
1) You wrote:
“The main ingredient in Metanx is the methylcobalamin which should be taken on an empty stomach for best absorption. Does your pharmacy bottle have an empty stomach sticker?’
Well, I never did actually get a bottle of Metanx or Folax from my pharmacy (once I was told the price difference for the Metanx, I canceled my prescription) . . . and what do you mean "on an empty stomach": i.e., first thing in the morning, before I eat any breakfast, with all my other diabetes pills? . . . and then I usually don’t have something for breakfast 30 minutes later . . . is that OK/what you mean on a empty stomach? (or do you mean before lunch or dinner?)
on an empty stomach means first thing in the morning with no food. Fiber and food will absorb the microgram amounts of methyB12 and keep it from being absorbed. Normally in our bodies, intrinsic factor binds the B12 in food and carries it thru for us. When you take separate B12 orally you rely on passive absorption in the intestine. Some people may have some intrinsic factor but since many have signs of low B12 you cannot rely on yours to do that for you. It might be gone.
2) I want to make sure I get your ‘prescription’ correct:
one Methyl B-12, 5000 mcg, per day on empty stomach (as per your link)
yes
one P-5-P (Coenzyme B6), 50 mg, per day (with the above? and again, as per your link)
you can take this every other day or daily based on what your other vitamin B6 intake already is. We have some posters on PN here who claim to have side effects at 50mg a day or lower. Not common but they do show up here. Taking this separately gives you freedom to control you doses better than a fixed mix like Metanx.
one Folate Metafolin Folic Acid, 800 mcg, per day (with the above? ad again, as per your link)
and taking this above, once a day, will equal 2 Mentax daily that was originally prescribed to me, correct?
Metanx is very high in the methylfolate. If you take 2 of them a day it puts you over 5mg a day! I posted on that thread the new reports of high folate dosing connected to colon cancer...please go back and read that. I believe that the OTC dose of 800mcg a day from Solgar is adequate for most people. It is the B12 that is the major player anyway. We consume folate now in foods that are fortified.
3) assuming I take the above in the morning on an empty stomach with my other daily pills, do I need to be concerned that any in the above vitamins will react negatively with what I am already taking . .. specifically below:
for my diabetes type-2:
Metforman 1000 mg (and again before I go to bed)
Januvia 100mg
Glimepride 4 mg
should be no problems...I'd take the methyl B12 alone tho, just to be sure. The other two don't matter.
For my cholesterol
Simvastatin 80mg
This is a HUGE problem.... this drug causes NEUROPATHY...and loads of other neuro problems. You need to come to the PN board for further details. They are too numerous to list here. We even have some members damaged by this statin and other statins!
For my general health
Low does aspirin
Puritan Pride ‘One’ time release multivitamin
4) you should also know that before changing over to the Puritan Pride One multivitamin (puritan . com/multivitamins-067/puritans-pride-one-time-release-003661?NewPage=1), I was taking their mega-vitamin (puritan . com/multivitamins-067/mega-vita-min-time-release-004212?NewPage=1) . . . however, after reading what Metanx was, I was worried about taking it with my mega-vitamin (evn though my podiatrist said i had nothing to worry about), so I called Metanx and spoke to someone there, and he informed me that he was only concerned that my B-6 would be well over 100mg a day, and I should find a vitamin that contained 50 mgs or less of B-6 . . . thus my recent switch to Puritan Pride One – does this make sense to you? (if not, hopefully it’s at least more information for you to keep/store in you mental database)
I use Puritian's products too. I think they are reputable. I answered the B6 question above.
5) I did take the time today to read many of the PN posts and the b-12 one – (another reason why I’m so late at getting back to, as I didn’t want to rush my reply and have the time to read these other posts) – thanks . . . there appears to be more good than bad news for many of your readers (which also makes me feel better)
you are welcome.
6) In a later post, you mention the following that can also help me with my diabetic neuropathy, specifically:
1) Benfotiamine (a better form of thiamine B1)
2) Acetyl-l-carnitine to improve mitochondrial functions/energy production
3) R-lipoic acid (an improved form of alpha lipoic acid) which has studies for many years in diabetic neuropathy.
I think currently I’d like to go with the above ‘Mentax equivalent’ before adding any additional pills of any kind to my morning ‘cocktails’ . . .
this is a good idea...which I often suggest to start slowly and see what happens. Sometimes you don't need to go further, and by limiting things slowly you see what is working, how much it works or any side effects that result.
And again, just sharing with you: my podiatrist does prescribe alpha lipoic acid (600mg daily), for PN, but only when you have pain (again, just sharing info with you, as I believe that knowledge is power)
that good! r-lipoic is a newer more potent version of alpha lipoic.
7) I currently have no fear of colon cancer (a later post of yours referring to this when taking high folic acid) as I just had a colonoscopy after the first of the year, and all was ‘good’
this is nice to know. The high folate is not really involved in nerve actions as B12 is. In fact if you have low B12 levels, the folate in the serum may be falsely elevated already. The major benefit for using the methylfolate is to see if you radically respond to it. The genetic errors involving methylation can only be tested for by expensive DNA tests, or by trying the activated forms and see if you respond. I suggest you start with the lower 800mcg dose of methylfolate and see if it works. There is nothing to prove you need that high dose at all, at this point. You can always increase later. Some people may get "hyper" on folic acid -- I do. It is a treatment for severe depression. The RX vitamin Deplin is 7.5mg of methylfolate for this use, in fact.
OK, I think I’ve read everything you’ve replied to me about . . . and I have a general knowledge of what you are saying . . . and I am in sync with you. Please reply when you have time (and edit as necessary . . . I understand).
Oh, and one final question, is there a mechanism in place to contribute to the upkeep of this forum, since I know these things are not ‘free’ and I really do appreciate all the help you are giving me.
No, at this time our admin DocJohn, does not accept donations of money that I know of. It is very generous of you to offer, but he runs this as a sister forum to PsychCentral. If you need to contact him one of us can forward your message to him. All of us here are volunteers. I am now retired and can devote some time to helping out here. The best way for you to contribute is as you are doing...providing questions and information so others can learn and perhaps fix things. I think becoming a member here is sort of a "donation" ..a giving back so to speak. 