Folate deficiency : Has anyone else had... - British Heart Fou...

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Folate deficiency

BaronFrankenstein profile image

Has anyone else had issues with folate deficiency? I had a blood test because id been feeling generally very ill past couple of weeks Im just wondering if it could be due to medications I take after having a HA and stent. It certainly explains why ive felt so exhausted and rotten the past couple of months. Extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, brain fog, muscle pain, palpitations, dry mouth.

Ive been prescribed supplements butvill be also eating more greens as advised.

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BaronFrankenstein
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10 Replies
Happyrosie profile image
Happyrosie

yes happened to husband - but at age 81 this is not unexpected. He has a good diet (I make sure!!!)

10gingercats profile image
10gingercats

I had an iron infusion for a low ferritin level found by chance.Hospital doctor in Geriatology did a blood test and organised the infusion fairly quickly.If your iron reserves in your liver,so I was told, are low you have nothing for the body to draw upon in an emergency. Felt very good after it and more 'boucy'.

BaronFrankenstein profile image
BaronFrankenstein in reply to 10gingercats

I have had increasing problems with extreme fatigue. I went backntonwork in April and was kind of okay up until about 6 or 7 weeks ago when i started to feel absolutely shattered after work, like wobbly on my feet, shaky and about ready to collapse. When id get home id have to go to bed for an hour or so before i had tea as I couldnt stay awake and felt sick i was that tired. It got so bad last week ive had to have time off work as i simply cant function safely in my job.

A blood test i had done Sunday revealed i had low folate levels.

10gingercats profile image
10gingercats

Ask your Gp for an iron infusion. and if he disagrees ask why.

Lovesunflower profile image
Lovesunflower

Yes, I had a tingly, pins and needles type feeling in my legs and they were weak, so I asked GP and they did blood test for B12 and folate. I thought it might be to do with medications after HA and stent. I came up low folate and am now taking folic acid for four months and then repeat bloods. I don’t get the symptoms anymore, have been taking them a few weeks. They said it was probably due to my diet although I thought I was eating properly. I eat a fair amount of vegetables, fruit, salads but not enough leafy greens, which I must do and your post has reminded me to!

Furryears profile image
Furryears

yes i suffered a bit exactly as you said with the tiredness & extreme fatigue would just wash over me contacted my doctor a simple blood test and a prescription from the doctor soon got me back to some normality

Good luck 😊

sandandkev profile image
sandandkev

I've had low folate before and been treated with tablets, it goes side by side with B12, they both make you feel tired,my hair goes thinner, they both help with formation of red blood cells so if low affect everything

Sav100 profile image
Sav100

Hi

Yes I do, it’s something my GP is keeping an eye on as it appears every 3 months it really drops then I’m put on high dose folic acid for 3 months and it settles then we start the whole cycle again.

I was found to have low folate levels through a blood test although I had no symptoms of tiredness etc. A one off course of 5mg Folic Acid as prescribed by my GP returned them to normal but they fell back again. So I now take 5mg Folic Acid on repeat prescription on an alternating 4 week on/4 week off cycle and my levels have returned to normal. You can try to elevate your folate levels through diet and low dose over the counter supplements but if your levels are really low it is probably unlikely to work as I found out.

Blearyeyed profile image
Blearyeyed

Yes, I have both functional Vitamin B12 and Folate Deficiencies.These health issues can be made worse or can develop when you need to take various medications including PPis, some blood pressure medications, statins , antidepressants, steroids and NSAIDs to name just a few.

It's not surprising you have been feeling awful. Increased cardiac and neurological symptoms as well as dizziness , brain fog, blood sugar issues and Fatigue are just a few of the problems these deficiencies cause.

I take a Folate supplement daily as well as having a diet rich in Folates. I have a mutation in the MTHFR gene so the standard folate on prescription wasn't right for me , I still couldn't absorb it , so I have an active form of folate supplement 5- MTHFR / Methyl Folate. My condition is chronic so I also get Folate infusions every 4-6 months.

It can help to increase how much Folate you absorb and metabolise from your food or supplement to have some vitamin C when you take it and make sure you take supplements or eat Folate foods at least four hours after or two hours before your medications so that they don't interfere with the absorption.

You can eat non citrus Vitamin C foods in case you can't have or tolerate citrus , or use a sublingual Vitamin C supplement without Citric acid.

These foods are often also folate rich and include broccoli, kale, bell pepper, snow peas, strawberry, kiwi, guava, papaya, and in lesser amounts banana and cauliflower.

Make sure you have both your Folate and B12 tested after being on the supplements for three months.

Folate supplementation can hide B12 Deficiency and vice versa, and both conditions have identical symptoms.

It's also a good idea to check your Vitamin D and Iron results at that point if you haven't had them done with your recent tests.

Hope things improve soon , I know how awful these things make you feel they affect everything, take care , Bee

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