An MRSD type question!
 

Good morning all!

I have a question about Folic Acid. I have been seeing a chiropractor cum kinesiologist who has been working with me on nutritional issues.

Each time I go (every two to three weeks) he has prescribed me another nutritional supplement (one at a time). In December, as I think I have already mentioned in another post, the one that helped my debilitating fatigue immensely was the shark liver oil with squalene. Even though I have finished this now - (apart from a period of fatigue last week probably due to running out of thyroid meds) the fatigue seems to have maintained some equilibrium. I will consider having another course of it if the fatigue comes back with a vengance.

A few other things that he has introduced have not produced any major or noticeable improvements with my PN such as Lecithen, Yellow Dock and Thorne brand B complex Vit #1 (still taking this one).

However last week when I went he prescribed me Thorne brand Folacal which has Folate (Folinic Acid from Calcium Folinate) 800mcg. Maybe I am being premature but I started this last Tuesday and by Friday I noticed that my fasciculations which had been several hundred per day (possibly even a thousand per day) had reduced dramatically. Over the weekend this trend has continued and although I am still feeling the odd cluster I feel like it's a dramatic decrease.

Why is it so?

I have also been taking Vit B12 methycobalamin since October/November and noticed nothing dramatic.

When I had a Folate test done last August the level was 1,575 nmol/L (ref range > 630) and the Vit B12 was 265 pmol/L (ref range 150 - 700). So I wouldn't have thought that the Folate level was that low at that time. Or do you think that now by taking BOTH Folic Acid with the Vit B12 (and possibly even the B complex #1) there is a synergistic effect happening?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Your B-12 level is 265?? And you take Methylcobalimin??

How much do you take??

I take 5000 sublingual every morning, and it literally saved my life.

With neuropathy, your Vitamin B-12 level should be in the 4 digit range.

there are
 

genetic errors that prevent normal use of folic acid.

They are called polymorphisms.

Folinic acid and methylfolate bypass this stalemate, and are more active
in the body.

You may have one of the 25 polymorphisms that exist. (25 so far have been identified).

Thanks MRSD!

If it was a polymorphism why would it take 'til middle adulthood to manifest....and would the Folate level of 1,575 nmol/L (ref range > 630) contraindicate that?

Hi Melody,

My level of B12 was measured in pmol/L (always look at the units of measurement not just the number - so it was not quite as bad as in the measurement that you may use) ....however even still, I think it was getting fairly low and it certainly was showing a significant downward trend as compared to 2 and 5 years ago and for that reason I have been taking Methylcobalamin.

I have been modest in my Methylcobalamin dosage at 1,000 mcg sublingual per day, so perhaps I could increase this somewhat but wouldn't mind getting another level done to see if it has helped to this point!

Thanks for that!

If that folate
 

test measured unmethylated folic acid, then yes, it would be elevated since it is not being utilized. B6 shows high also in patients who cannot convert it to active P5P.

You'd have to ask the lab what in fact is being tested.

Take the new folinic acid for a few months and get retested. See if the values
change.

This is a very complex subject, testing, and I am not an expert on it, and neither are doctors, yet.

No problem Megan:

I hope you get better results if you up your dosage. I use Jarrows Formula (I get it from iherb.com). I had been having EXCELLENT results for quite a while (I'm the rare bird, so I have been told, in that it stopped my burning in its tracks...this doesn't seem to happen to most people, but I'm quite happy it did it for me).

Then when I was running low, I needed to get another bottle (can't find Methyl ANYWHERE around where I live), so I went back to iherb and found a different brand (can't remember the name) but it was a bottle of 3000 that also had Vitamin C and Folic Acid, and it was MUCH cheaper, so I said to myself 3000, 5000, no big difference, right. And since B-12 is stored (it's not like when you take a vitamin c pill and pee it out of your system. B-12 is stored in your body, so I told myself "why not try the 3000 pill in the morning"?

WELL, BIG MISTAKE. And I don't know why, but I saw the dfference right away. My feet burned. Now I wasn't going to throw out the bottle. Some days I didn't burn, but some days I most certainly did. And because I know that stress is a killer, I made sure I de-stressed , but I still burned and it was immediately after I switched brands.

So recently I went back to the Jarrows formula and the 5000 pill.

THANK GOD I did this. Back to where I was before i made the switch.

I guess some brands are better than others???

Hope you have success when you take this.

Take care,

That's very helpful Melody!

I have ordered from iHerb once before then had my last lot of B12 compounded here in Melbourne. However I will look at the '5,000' formula online but suspect there may be some restrictions for importing it here.

Amazingly the fasciculations seem to be downgrading enormously since I started the Folinic Acid one week ago. Just had a few on my eyelid but that's nothing compared to what I've been having all over for the past five months.

Sounds quite logical! I'll probably print out your posts, do some research on this area then ask my GP whether it would have been the unmethylated Folic Acid test which was done.

My GP is not renowned for his nutritional prowess or interest, so he'll probably shrug his shoulders and say "co-incidence"!

I am still maintaining a greatly diminished fasciculation state and it's only been one week today since I started the Folinic Acid. Wouldn't it be great if it continued?

The burning/buzzing continues and has probably been worse in some ways in the past few days.

Today's news....
 

Has this topic: folic acid and increased rates of colon cancer in young patients.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278237,00.html

Chemo drugs typically deplete folic acid as part of their mechanism of action.
I would like to see more data on folic acid and those who FAIL to utilize it, and hence it builds up in the body. That kind of information would be more useful.

I have seen young women trying to conceive taking 5mg of folic acid a day with a doctor's prescription.

Do not become alarmed yet. There will be more data coming on this subject.