5 mg folic acid

[olga67]

I would like to hear from people who needs 5 mg folic acid with their frequent injections despite of blood levels.

I am SI daily for a year and made very marginal progress. I also have Hashi’s, which is managed with NDT. My thyroid levels are good. I’ve been always supplementing with 0.5-1mg folic acid daily. Last month I’ve stopped FA out of curiosity to see if my folate levels would drop an was planning to do labs in a month but after two weeks I started to feel very dizzy, lost balance and felt like the ground was moving from under my feet. I knew it was B12 stopped working. I’ve been taking 5 mg FA now for 5 days and feel progressively better. My levels of FA were always good while I was supplementing. Could they drop that quickly?

Your response is much appreciated.

[fbirder]

Folate levels, unlike B12, fluctuate quite a bit depending on how much is consumed.

People shouldn’t need 5000 mcg doses of folic acid once they’ve rectified their deficiency. Indeed, such high doses may be harmful.

[olga67 in reply to fbirder]

Thank you, fbirder. Somehow I knew jou wouldn't miss the opportunity to point that out.

[Vicky2822]

My daughter needs 5mg. She tried to cut back after her blood test showed levels at top of the range. Within 1-2 wks she felt very ill. Nauseous all day, dizzy, her fatigue worsened.

As soon as she went back on 5mg symptoms began to slowly improve (think it took about 2-4 wks to get back to where she was).

I also read that folate was like b12 and you pee out what your body doesn’t need. I thought b6 was the only one you can overdose on.

[olga67 in reply to Vicky2822]

Thank you, Vicky for your reply. Gives me some peace of mind. I took occasionally a large dose of FA but never longer than a week or so. I wonder whether this could be a limiting factor.

[fbirder in reply to Vicky2822]

B6 is also water soluble. It can be toxic anyhow.

Hydrogen cyanide is water soluble. It can be toxic anyhow.

Folic acid is water soluble. It may be toxic anyhow. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[olga67 in reply to fbirder]

Please, read the first line.

[fbirder in reply to olga67]

Please read the last line.

[Leils]

I take 400 mcg folic acid a day. I tried cutting it out but felt worse. Not tried 5 mg as it seems too much and folate doesn't agree with me. I eat quite a lot of veg. I'm on 1 mg B12 alternate days.

I think this is something people need to find their own level with and certainly not take huge doses without consideration - it makes sense to me to take a little more when treating a B12 deficiency but not significantly more than the B12. Especially as it can mask neuro issues.

Just my opinion and I'm not an expert. Been treating my own deficiency since September. Had quite a lot of improvement but not mended yet.

[Leils]

On another note. Have you tried a gluten free diet?

[olga67]

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Leils. I am gluten free for almost a year. One thing I have not tried yet is the large dose of FA, hence my question. I am SI B12 daily.