How much folic acid while on ED injections?

[Asselchen]

I inject b12 daily or at least every other day for over two years now. I'm lots better by now but have still slight polyneuropathy left. During this time I've experimented with different dosages of folic acid (as well as with methyl folate and folinic acid) but I'm still not sure what works best for me and my nerve pain.

In case you are in a similar situation to me (ED injections and polyneuropathy), how much folic acid do you take?

[Nackapan]

The most I've ever taken is 400mcg folic acid daily Then lowered this going by blood results.

[Technoid]

Supplement it if you need it. It is possible to get 1mg of folate from diet, as I do (you can check with Cronometer). If your folate is consistently bumping along the bottom of the range despite good amounts in the diet (of if you dont want to get that much from diet), then supplementation makes sense (400mcg is often mentioned but take what you need based on test results). You don't need giant quantities of folate (such as 25x the RDA) as a result of EOD injections despite what facebook group denizens may think. They can point me to studies that support the need for such massive doses if they disagree.

Some studies show correlations between high folate levels and low B12 and supply a mechanistic hypothesis that very high levels of supplemented folate may endanger active B12. Its not exactly bulletproof evidence but if it was me, I would not be going crazy with massive folate doses, if they are not needed. Absorption issues may result in the need for some folate supplentation despite good amounts in diet.

[Bellabab in reply to Technoid]

I was told by the consultant who saved my life that I should take 5mg daily. I find that unless I do EOD injections quickly deplete it and then they are not effective. No harm comes from that so I intend to continue. When folate is low I get cravings for baked beans, broad beans and mature French beans.

[Asselchen in reply to Bellabab]

I also find that my PNP gets worse when I take less than 5 mg for a longer while, but I'm not sure whether that's just a coincidence or the actual cause. Also I sometimes feel like folic acid is giving me side effects like GI issues or muscle tension..but again, could be coincidence. I'm tired of testing this out over and over and risking my health one way or the other.

[jade_s in reply to Asselchen]

You may also try splitting the dose to twice or more times a day, if you feel you need more but can't tolerate it.

[jade_s in reply to Bellabab]

I too need 5mg. Even after all these years. Asselchen, only way to know which dose & form suits you is to do controlled trials. Change one thing at a time & hold for a few weeks, and make daily notes of symptoms.

I need 14 days to feel the full effect of a folate/folic acid switch.

[Asselchen in reply to jade_s]

I think it's 14 days for me as well. So I guess I'll go back to testing. Oh lord..

[scnuke]

I inject twice daily and take 800 mcg daily. I know a lot of the FB groups demand 5mg daily, but I actually tried it and found it gave me terrible GI issues, diarrhea, and no appetite. (that could be a good thing for me though LOL) I eat a regular diet and probably get plenty through that, but 800mcg seems to suit me with my aggressive injection routine.

[MrsTuft in reply to scnuke]

I do exactly the same.

[qwertystar in reply to scnuke]

Have you noticed a difference injecting b12 twice a day?