Started Folate yesterday, really off balance, worse when I move my head.

[Frances55]

Any advice would be appreciated... Started folate and iron yesterday... I've been si every other day for 3 months now... Could this be the folate and iron working????

[JanD236]

As you only started taking them yesterday maybe a trip to the gp would be an idea to rule out other causes such as ear problems?

[Frances55 in reply to JanD236]

Thanks for your reply... Had my ears checked 2 weeks ago.. But suppose it wouldn't hurt to have them checked again..... ☺

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Frances55

There is a complex interaction between folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron. A deficiency of one may be "masked" by excess of another so the three must always be in balance.

Symptoms of a folate deficiency can include:

symptoms related to anaemia

reduced sense of taste

diarrhoea

numbness and tingling in the feet and hands

muscle weakness

depression

Folic acid works closely with vitamin B12 in making red blood cells and helps iron function properly in the body.

[Frances55 in reply to clivealive]

Thanks clivealive... ☺... I'm going to the doctor this morning... I think it could be labyrinthitis... Been a bit unwell for weeks... Thanks again ☺

[Gambit62 Administrator]

what type of folate are you taking - if it is a methylated form I would suggest switching to a lower dose folic acid tablet.

Think it is unlikely to be anything to do with the iron.

[Frances55 in reply to Gambit62]

Morning Gambit ☺... Started Folate (AS METAFOLIN) 400ug...and Iron (IRON BISGLYCINATE) 20MG...both were borderline... ☺

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Frances55]

metafolin is a methylated form - though at least the dose is low. Try just plain old folic acid (assuming that the metafolin wasn't prescribed by GP) and see if you get the same reaction.

if was prescribed then go back to GP/pharmacists ... and you always have the option of talking to a pharmacist and getting their advice anyway.

[Frances55 in reply to Gambit62]

I spoke to a really knowledgeable pharmacist before buying..being that I wanted both products to be natural... I've taken iron supplements in the past and they made me very unwell..☺..I've just made a appointment to see the doctor at 12.30..I'll take both with me and ask his opinion.. Thanks again Gambit ☺......

[Patmcf in reply to Gambit62]

I am taking B12 2000mcg each day and have just started to take folic acid with it because of hearing how important it is to keep up your folate levels, I live in Spain and the folic acid here comes in 40 mg, do you think this is the right level to take each day with the amount of B12 that I am taking. My B12 is cyanocobalamin by the way.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Patmcf]

Patmcf - would better to start your own thread for a query like this as a) it may not be noticed by a lot of people if it is burried in another thread and b) each time someone posts on a thread the original poster receives notification - which can be quite irritating if it isn't actually relevant to you.

In response to your query - do you mean 40mcg or 400mcg - 400mcg folic acid would generally be sufficient - possibly double that if you had raised homocysteine levels.

[BCSH guidelines - 800mcg is the daily dose recommended to deal with build up of homocysteine levels.]

[Patmcf in reply to Gambit62]

sorry Gambit62, not quite got the hang of this site yet also as my folic acid tablets were not to hand and my brain fog that I have to fight every day I have given the wrong information. just dug the box out and find that the folic acid is 5mg which I think is the same as 500mcg so I presume from your reply above that this seems to be a reasonable amount to take. again sorry to everyone that I am not posting in the correct way.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Patmcf]

5mg is actually 5000mcg - this is the dose to deal with a folate deficiency where there is also macrocytic anaemia - it is a very high dose to be taking in other circumstances.

[Patmcf in reply to Patmcf]

I will start my own blog for you to answer if you would be so kind.

[Annnon58]

Hi Franceses55 , My OH saw an audiologist yesterday as he is suffering from tinnitus and dizzy spells , She removed the wax outt of his ears and tested his hearing and he scored 13 so has been referred for hearing aids to local hospital . The audiologist said it was nerve damage , he has never worked in a noisy environment so I'm guessing it could be caused by B12 d . He also has other neurological problems including blurred vision etc in his left eye , pain behind his left eye and facial numbness which the ophthalmologist could find no cause yet . Hope your problem is sorted out soon .

[Frances55 in reply to Annnon58]

Thank you so much for your reply ☺... I've suffered tinnitus for over 10 years in my right ear.. I was diagnosed 3 months ago with PA and been si every other day since then.. I started to feel much better all round ☺.. But 3 weeks ago I started to feel unwell.. Like I was fighting off a virus but with no temperature... Then I got up this morning very unbalanced.. especially when I move my head 😔.. I'm going to the doctor 😷 today so hopefully get to the bottom of it.. Maybe labyrinthitis.. I've had it once before.. Might be why I've been unwell for 3 weeks... Thanks again ☺

[Annnon58]

Good luck at your doctors appointment Francis55 . Here is a link for tinnitus if it continues , tinnitus.org.uk There is sound therapy to help you could download from iTunes App Store , . Hope you improve soon and don't need it , take care .

[Frances55 in reply to Annnon58]

Just to let you know that when I saw the doctor she said I had a sinus infection and labyrinthitis.. So I'm taking it easy ☺.. But thanks again for your kind reply... And I extend that to everyone who offered their advice ☺... All the best ☺

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Thanks Hidden but I really don't like assuming that people are based in the UK - have a lot of people on here from US where things are very different. Also, whilst licensing might apply to prescribing by the NHS it isn't necessarily the case with a private prescription ... and I'm not sure that there isn't some prescribing that isn't according to standard licencing arrangements - some people have had high dose oral prescribed in some parts of the UK though strictly speaking it isn't licenced