Sorry to ask again but I need some advice I think I might have taken too much folate or other vitamin/ mineral

[clairemallen123]

Hello again

I really appreciate the support you all provide

I’m feeling a little anxious as I think I may have taken too much folate

I’m seeing my GP in the morning but just wanted to run by you what I think and check with you my understanding from previous posts

Recently I have felt a tired , loss of appetite return of tinnitus and have a swollen tongue and metallic taste

I have kept my B12 levels up by SI so I’m sure it’s not B12d but I have itaken a lot of multivitamins and on top of that an additional 400mcg folate

I’ve been following a very low cal diet and read online a research paper that concluded whilst on a very low cal diet the body retains more vitamins a minerals than normal

The diet is a drinks based meal replacement with daily requirents of all vitamins and minerals However stupidly I have taken berocca daily and on top of that additional folate 400. This has been over a period of about 3 months

Does all this sounds like a reasonable explanation for my symptoms or am I missing something

I’d much rather have your views as experts on B12d before I go to my GP who doesn’t seem to have much knowledge on vitamins minerals or any type of deficiency

Thanks again for your support

[fbirder]

I really doubt that your symptoms are caused by too much folate. I doubt that you’re taking much more than 2000 mcg a day, and we hear plenty of people tak8ng more than twice that amount.

However, if your meal replacement drink contains a full recommended dose of all vitamins then taking the Berocca seems a waste of money. Most of those vitamins will just get eliminated straight away.

[clairemallen123 in reply to fbirder]

Thanks so much

What about minerals in the supplements

I have stopped everything for a couple of days and drunk plenty of fluids with very little improvement with regard to the swollen tongue and metallic taste

[Polaris]

Personally, as B12/folate is such a fine balance, and folic acid not recommended if you have the MTHFR gene, I prefer to get folate from leafy greens, etc. especially when, as you've also discovered, folic acid is in many other supplements, including Gentle Iron, multivitamins, B Complex....

Prof. David A Smith in Martyn Hooper's latest book:

"In B12 def, all the folate gets converted into a substance called 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5MTHF), which cannot donate its methyl group to homocysteine because there is insufficient B12 to accept the methyl group. So the folate is 'trapped' as 5MTHF and cannot be used.................hence we get megaloblastic Anaemia.

Giving extra folate will bypass the latter problem and so get rid of the anaemia but will not rescue the methylation. It is the loss of methylation ability that probably causes demyelination, since myelin basic protein needs to be methylated to function properly.

So it is the LACK of Methylcobalamin that causes the problem."

[clairemallen123 in reply to Polaris]

Thanks I’ve stopped the folate

Based on the above will this rectify its self or is there something I should do ?

[Polaris in reply to clairemallen123]

Sorry not able to help further Claire - I'm not an expert but, like most things B12 deficient, have found it a case of trial and error and a very individual experience.

Most helpful strategies for me have been increasing to daily B12 injections and supplementing vitamin C to help absorb iron from food, as well as regularly eating organic sauerkraut (excellent probiotic), liver pate and liver and bacon.

[clairemallen123 in reply to Polaris]

That sounds like a plan I could try

Thank you

[fbirder in reply to Polaris]

Folic acid or methylfolate are equally susceptible to the folate trap. This is where low levels of B12 cause levels of methylfolate to build up in the blood. The folate blood test measures all forms of folate. The prob;em with the folate trap is that all the folate gets locked up in methylfolate - it doesn't get converted to dihydrofolate, which is required for other pathways.

The folate trap will happen regardless of the state of your MTHFR enzyme.

It's not a lack of methylcobalamin that causes the trap, it's a lack of any sort of B12. methylcobalamin isn't involved in the methionine synthase reaction. It's a molecule of cob(I)alamin that binds to the enzyme. And that gets formed from all types of B12.

[clairemallen123 in reply to fbirder]

Hi again

I’m at a loss and need your expertise again

Ive tried stopping B12 and folate for a week and I’ve tried increasing B12 and folate

My symptoms are still

Tinnitus

Swollen sore white coated tongue

Fatigue

Loss of taste

Loss of appetite

Episodes of diarrhoea

Dull headache

Post nasal drip

I’ve had 14 days nystatin followed by a week of dactarin from gp with no effect and am awaiting for blood results but ages till next GP appointment and hate these awful symptoms

Any ideas ???