Folic acid and B Complex

[Victoria1990]

Hi, can you tell me if I need to take Folic acid 400ug if I'm taking B Complex that contains folic acid 200ug? I've just started B12 injections and iron tablets. My folate is low but my GP has not prescribed any. I have Hashis and Pernicious Anemea. Many thanks.

[Clutter]

Victoria1990,

How low is your folate? You need good levels of folate to work with the B12 injections.

[Victoria1990 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter

My last folate result was 5.82 (8.83-60.8)

[Clutter in reply to Victoria1990]

Victoria1990,

That's deficient. Your GP should prescribe 5mg folic acid for 2-3 months to raise folate. Waste of time having B12 injections if you don't have sufficient folate to make it work.

[Victoria1990]

Thank Clutter,

I asked for my GP to call me as I couldn't get an appointment! The receptionist told me my results were normal when they clearly were not! My GP said I could have B12 injections but I had to ask for the iron which was low 22 (20-150) but she never mentioned folate! I just learnt about it from this fantastic forum.

[Clutter in reply to Victoria1990]

Victoria1990,

In my experience receptionists only tell patients results are normal because the GP has told the receptionist to tell the patient that. You need to ask for a prescription for folic acid.

[Victoria1990 in reply to Clutter]

Ok Clutter thanks for your advice.

[Marz in reply to Victoria1990]

There are a few people with PA who have difficulty metabolising Folic Acid - which is synthetic. If your Folate levels do not improve then you could try Methylfolate which is more natural. Thorne Research do a B Complex with Methylfolate.

[Wishingwell in reply to Victoria1990]

Hi if you can't get a prescription for 5mg folic acid it's easily available to buy on the Internet, alternatively buy the 400mcg ones in most supermarkets and take 12!

[Learner1 in reply to Wishingwell]

Folate is essential to many important processes in your body, like DNA replication, hormone production, detoxification, hormone production, cell membrane integrity, etc.

The right amount is important, not too much or too little, either of which can result in cancer.

We each have s unique need for it. Many of us have genetic mutations in folate processing, squeezing the pathway down to a narrow trickle and some of us can't convert each if the several steps to get from artificial folic acid into 5-methyltetrahydrafolate which is the active form the body uses.

It's used in the folate cycle which feeds into the methionine cycle, which uses B12. You can't really overdose B12, so it's best to start supplementing it, then add the 5-MTHF

I tend to need a very large dose of B12, and have found that my methionine cycle starts pulling folate out if the folate cycle faster than folate is being supplied I tend to feel edgy and depressed.

I take Thorne MethylGuard Plus, which has B12, folate and cofactors needed in the folate and methionine cycles and I do methyl B12 shots. When I start to feel edgy I add 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, but only take in 1mg increments. 5mg is a lot.

You might start supplementing 3mg for a week over two, then 1mg daily for a month or two, then retest. You want to be towards the higher end of the range for B12 and folate

Also, if you experience any brain symptoms like anxiety, depression, irritability, etc. it's likely you haven't dialed in the right doses. It may take a trial and error and best, educating yourself more about this, to figurecout what's right or you.

It is critical to tootling term health, so worth the effort