Folate advice please?

[Julie07]

Should I be supplementing Folate if I am SI weekly please?

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Julie07

Yes, it is important that your Folate level is checked and monitored as this is essential to process the B12.

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

Replacing B12 will lead to a huge increase in the production of blood cells and platelets (which occurs in the bone marrow) and can lead to rapid depletion of folate and iron stores; this can then limit the expected recovery of Haemoglobin. Both iron and folate may be needed.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.

[fbirder]

Taking large amounts of B12 doesn’t increase your folate requirements after a couple of weeks (and even during those initial stages the increased requirements are minimal).

However, taking folic acid (about 400 mcg) a day will do no harm.

[Julie07 in reply to fbirder]

Many thanks, this is what I am taking at the moment, so hood to know I am on the right track x