Jun

27

downloadI am going to share with you a classic situation which happens all the time.

I hear it a few times a week while working with clients and guiding various doctors.

This case study shows how fast methylation can become imbalanced – and how fast it can be rebalanced.

It also shows how sensitive methylation is – and how careful one must be with it.

I encourage you to not alter your physician’s treatment plan without discussing with them first – and obtaining approval.

Here is a short case study demonstrating the speed and sensitivity of methylation:
A gentleman with MTHFR homozygous C677T, in his 60’s, is experiencing symptoms of depression and fatigue.

Yesterday, I consulted with him for the first time.

His physician prescribed Wellbutrin, Armour Thyroid and Arimidex.

Then, his physician prescribed methylfolate without tapering down the medications.

As expected, the methylfolate definitely began working – too well.

Here is some of our dialogue via email:

Dr Lynch – June 25, 2:46 PM:  I think you are going to have to taper down on your thyroid, Arimidex and Wellbutrin once you begin methylation. You’ll have to have your physician monitor and help you with this.

Client – June 26, 2:55 PM: I stopped the methylfolate and B12 yesterday afternoon and took 500 mg niacin and I feel pretty down and foggy today – and nauseous.

Dr Lynch – June 26, 2:55 PM: 500 mg of niacin is quite a bit – I typically suggest people start with 1/10th of that – 50 mg. Get back on the methylfolate and B12 and stop the niacin – appears you are undermethylated.

Client – June 27, 4:03 PM: Well if I wasn’t a believer before I am now! I felt better almost immediately after restarting the methylfolate at 400 mcg. This morning I felt a bit anxious so I took 50 mg niacin and felt calmer within the hour.

I spoke with my psychiatrist this morning and he said that the methylfolate will boost the effectiveness of the Wellbutrin, but I suspect that it’s reacting more with the Armour and making me hyperthyroid. That’s easy to test though so if it persists I’ll do a lab to see.

What is going on here?
This is a classic balancing act between how much methylation is ideal.

You can see exactly how fast the balance can shift.

First, the client is obviously undermethylated due to his symptoms so his doctor appropriately addressed it through prescribing methylfolate and methylcobalamin.

The only issue is the doctor did not realize how effective methylation is at supporting neurotransmitters and thyroid hormone production.

So what happened is the gentleman decided to skip his methylfolate and methylcobalamin dose, take a lot of niacin (which is a methyl ‘sponge’) and he immediately tanked his methyl groups which caused symptoms of undermethylation.

Then, upon restarting the methylfolate and methylcobalamin, and maintaining his current dosage of medications, he felt great for a few hours.

Then anxiety hit due to excessive neurotransmitter production and likely thyroid hormone production.

So – in order to quiet those symptoms, I told him about how niacin works and how to take it and his anxiety decreased almost immediately.

My point:
There is no set MTHFR protocol for anyone.

Genetics, lifestyle, diet, medications all play a role in how much methylfolate and methylcobalamin are needed – and these amount can change daily as well.

Finding a doctor that understands this is critical – or you will have a difficult time regaining health – and maintaining it.

Why Niacin??!
You’re likely wondering why niacin was so effective at reducing this gentleman’s anxiety.

I’ll let you in on the secret and wonderful actions of biochemistry.

Niacin restored his mood in two ways – at least the two three ways that I am familiar with:

  1. Nicotinic acid (Niacin USP) requires SAMe to be metabolized. SAMe is a major methyl donor. Thus, when one consumes niacin, SAMe gets used up and methyl donors drop. Thereby excessive methylation goes away.
  2. Nicotinic acid also supports the elimination of glutamate. Many with elevated levels of glutamate do not do well with methylfolate or any type of folate until the levels of glutamate are balanced.
  3. Niacin supports the feedback inhibition of the IDO1 gene which feeds into the kyurenine pathway. This pathway can deplete one’s tryptophan levels which makes them low in serotonin. The niacin slows the loss of tryptophan by pushing it towards serotonin formation.

Long Term Solution for your Methylation

Now that you realize that balancing methylation is touchy, I’d really like to see you get on a full program.

Reading my book, Dirty Genes, will help you immensely.

You’ll learn about MTHFR and how to use methylfolate in depth, yes, but you’ll learn WAY more than that.

Empower yourself and take action the right way.

Dirty Genes is the guide you’ve been looking for.

It continues to be a bestseller month after month for good reason.

Dirty Genes book by Dr. Ben Lynch

You’ll see why once you pick it up and start reading 😉

Don’t like reading books? Want to get more in depth and see how it all ties together?
Get access to the Dirty Genes Course where I discuss how food, lifestyle, environment, mindset and genetics are influencing how you’re feeling – and how to deal with it all.

The Dirty Genes Course is where I bring in a lot of published research, translate it and make it actionable for you. It’s an extension of the book, Dirty Genes. There is a lot of science, biochemistry and actual examples of how to use this stuff in your daily life.

Is it going to be over your head in terms of difficulty?

Absolutely not.

You’ll learn a ton and you’ll be amazed how easy it is to implement what you learn.
Comments welcomed below.

Share your stories and experiences of undermethylation and overmethylation.

 

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josh
10 years ago

Hi Doctor Ben, I have a heterozygous mutation for the C677t and A1298, I started on 200mcg of 5mthf, then after a week moved up to 400 mcg and stayed on that for a week or so. I then added 1 mg of methylb12 and had some adverse reactions. I had severe chest pain around my heart as well as in the center of my chest. Increased heart rate, when I would lie down I could feel my heart beat in all parts of my body. Sharp pain in the muscles of my arms shoulders and neck(as if I was being stabbed by tiny needles). Depression, fatigue, and feeling incredibly sick like I was going to vomit for a few hours after ingesting the methylb12. It took about a week and a half for those symptoms to diminish. How could methylb12 cause those symptoms? Overmethylation? Detox? These symptoms struck me as being quite severe for overmethylation. I felt like I was doing pretty damn well on the 400 mcg 5 mthf. Any help would be much appreciated.

6 years ago
Reply to  josh

I am hypothyroid as well as hetero and found myself having severe chest pains when taking methyl b-12 shots. Dr says it’s not possible.

Sherry
10 years ago

I have the MTHFR mutation C677T, hashimotos , and anxiety. When I showed my chiropractor my results she said it was an easy fix and told me to take several methylated B vitamins.I felt horrible. Depressed,slow,tired,nauseous. I stopped taking them and most days feel my normal which is anxious,active,brain fog, memory issues, trouble finding words, insomnia but functioning. This weekend I have been very depressed,in bed all day which is not me at all. I am on cymbalta, alprazolam,tirocint 88, and cytomel.I excersie,eat clean, and I’m gluten free. These bouts of depression have been pretty severe and uncharacteristic.I have thought that I would prefer not to live at all then to live like this. Today I took fish oil, mentholated B complete, magnesium, and niacin. Feel nauseous.Also have chronic constipation. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.Docs have been no help at all.

Amee
10 years ago
Reply to  Sherry

Sherry: Since you have thyroid issues, you may find some helpful information here: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
I am still trying to learn myself how the thyroid and adrenals related to the MTHFR issues and this website has helped me a lot.
Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

Roro
5 years ago
Reply to  Sherry

Hi Sherry I have the same reaction to niacin : feel depressed, slow, tired.
Also I again have the same problem in my everyday’s life :anxiety, depress…
and also again react so bad to vit B especially B12, same you.
so, your post was in 2014, did you find a solution to your problem?
now I want to help you too, i share my discovering : i found by chance that put myself in cold shower helped my condition, but trigger some skin problem unfortunately for me.
mega dosing vit C (4 to 5G)every 5hours help but not enough if anxious trigger(social,toxic person), u should give a try to add to your routine
but i’m looking for something more efficient.
did you find something??

Jessie
10 years ago

My son is compound heterozygous. He takes zinc and magnesium, and I’ve just introduced B6. When he takes B6, he seems to overmethylate (i.e., he acts the same way he did on Deplin, b12, hydroxy b12, and 5MTHF ). HIs integrative doc wants him on B6 to help with the magnesium, and he wants me to start L-thiamine. Any tips on why he can’t tolerate B6 and whether I’ll see a similar rejection with L-thiamine?

Thank you!

pat
10 years ago

I will soon be starting to treat as I am homozygous A-gene (very slow methylation). My doctor has prescribed 5-MTHF – take 1 mg per day for 4 weeks then up it to 5 mg per day, pyridoxal-5-phosphate – take 50-75 mg per day and methyl B12 take 2,000-5,000 per day.

I am concerned this may be too much to start with. If it is what should it be? If I do overdose what besides niacin can I take? I read there is something else butndidnt make a note ofthe that.

I should also say that I used to take 150mcg synthroid, have reduced that and am now taking 12.5 cytomel & 25 mcg synthroid. This is causing heart palps. I believe I am now undermedicated thyroid wise.

Michael (NW)
10 years ago

Hi, does anyone know where to get these additional methyl defects tested?

GSTM1 – major detoxifier
HNMT – processes histamine (primary is DAO)
GAD – glutamate to gaba
QDPR – recycles BH4

Thanks.

Julie
10 years ago

Hi Ben, quick question that I can’t make sense of- Niacin turns down methylation. So, why is it suggested by many to supplement it (sometimes at considerably high dosages) for depression and Lyme disease? I have also read about using it against Candida. How would this work??
Grateful for your help in my healing : )

Julie
10 years ago

Thank you!! I am struggling with lyme-related low immunity problems. I want to up my niacin intake for this reason, but was concerned to do so because I know that methylation is also important.
It can be hard at times to gauge where you’re standing with methylation. I think, I’m still overmethylating from some methylfolate that I probably over did it with last month. Hard to say.

10 years ago

Dear Dr. Ben,
I have a 37 year old son that has gouty arthritis, Raynauds, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression………That’s just off the top of my head… He has been sick since he was a small boy. His fingernails turned white when he was a teenager and he was tested for all kinds of things. They found nothing. He has been going to a regular MD for the last several years. He is an arthritis specialist. He put him on Methotrexate, Cymbalta and Hydrocodone. The only thing my son has taken faithfully is the Hydrocodone. He is now addicted to them and struggles with this on top of everything else. He only took the Methotrexate for a short while then stopped thank God. I took him to the hospital this summer after watching him lay in bed with his legs so swollen he could not walk. I had to talk him in to going and it took me several days to convince him something was wrong. This happened after starting the Cymbalta. He was also on Nifedipine for the Raynauds. He got off of them both and the swelling went down. He is so sick and addicted that it is hard for me get through to him. However after his body swelled up twice its size he was willing to go see someone else. I was able to get him to a ND and she did bloodwork and had him do the 23andMe testing. It came back positive for the Mthfr mutation. I think he is compound heterozygous from looking at the paperwork.The dr was 20 min going over his bloodwork and genetic test so she only had 20 min to explain his results. She rushed through everything so fast that my son and I had no idea what she was even talking about. She didn’t even explain what Mthfr is or what the results were. She sped through the diet and supplements in 15 min and then said she had another client. The protocol she put him on he us unable to do. It is so complicated I cant even understand it and I worked in a Nutritional Therapists office for 5 years. My husband says he cant understand it either. After reading what you have to say I don’t think it is something he should do anyway. She has him on a rotation diet of low sulfate foods as follows. 1. Rotate for 3 days of sulfite containing foods and days of low sulfite containing foods. 2 supplements: for the 3 days of sulfite containing foods follow the MTHFR cycle supplements:example (help with Methylation and transufation) Methylfolate L-5-MTHF 60 caps take 1 per day. Sam-e 200 mg 30 tabs. Yucca 500 mg 100 caps sprinkle on meat. B. for the 2 days of low sulfite foods follow the CBS supplements (to slow down transulfation). Grapefruit 4 oz. 2 times a day (slows down phase 1 in the liver to allow phase 2 to catch up to help remove toxins in the bowels and urine. Molybdenum (Glycinate) 250 mcg (required for Suox to function, decrease sulfites) Vitamin E 400 IU take 3 a day.(decrease sulfites) Everyday: Probiotic ( to support immune and neurological function) 1 capsule a day HMF Intensive. Fish Oil 1000 mg 3 per day. Jarrow Methyl B 12 1000 mcg 5 per day. CoQ10 UBQH 3 twice a day.(for energy production) Vitamin D3 10000IU 1 per day. C (rotating in general: Add in Gaba if you feel anxious or need to even out your mood or shaky any time of day between 2 to 500 mg at a dose and this can be done 2 to 3xs a day. Creatine powder to support same drained with CBS upregulation and support production of ATP (energy) fuel for muscle contraction. 1 scoop in water 2xs a day. Taking B6 and zinc for Pyrulouria? (she didn’t finish this question because she ran out of time. My son was absolutely mute looking at all of this and said there was no way he would take all those supplements and no way he could remember all this or remember to take them on a rotation of food plus supplemnents as he can barely function. I said I would help him but it was very complicated for me to understand and we were out of money since it took all I had to pay for the appointments and bloodwork and genetic testing. She said if he was serious about getting well he would have to do what she has written. We both left the office totally overwhelmed and discouraged. I am hopeless. I am waiting for my results for the 23andMe myself and suspect I have similar issues. I have insurance and can see another Dr. but my son has no money and no insurance. Is there a simple way to start this process? I can help him with food and a few supplements but if he gets his Methylfolate through leafy green but they are full of sulfites I don’t even know what foods he can eat according to what I see in her instructions. I called her office and asked about the B6 and Zinc and was told I needed to make another appointment or email to get my questions answered. I am so depressed from all of this I don’t think I can continue but I am afraid if I don’t figure this out my whole family is going to continue to suffer and die. My mother died last year at the age of 86 from Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. I saw on another webside this is a condition of MTHFR. Is this true?

Chris
6 years ago
Reply to  Mary

My heart goes out to you. I have serious issues with an adult son and we are both homozyMTHFR. Look at Nancy Mullans site. She has certain protocol she all written out and a special night for questions. She is a psychiatrist that specializes in MYHFR

Oliver Smith
3 years ago
Reply to  Mary

That’s pretty much the protocol I came up with myself, minus the sulfates diet. Everything she says to do makes sense IMO. You can also add dandelion tea and do liver and gall bladder flushes to assist with detox + Zeolite (medical quality only)

Summer
9 years ago

I took one dose of deplin (about 5-6mg, I opened the capsule and poured some out) and within about 3 hours I was very awake and agitated. Unfortunately it was evening, needless to say I got no sleep, had panic attack symptoms, stomach ache, felt hot in the face and ears. Is it possible to have this strong of a reaction after one pill?its 2am now and looks like I won’t be sleeping. I’m worried this might indicate bipolar,I haven’t had any issue in the past except extreme fatigue and brain fog. I haven’t taken any other supplements or medication. Does this sound like a normal reaction or should I be worried?

Michele
9 years ago

Hi, thank you in advance for getting back to me on this!

I am MTHFR 1298 (+/-) and I also have ACAT1 rs3741049 A AG +/-
Plus here is my COMT results:
MIR4761 (COMT -61 P199P) rs769224 A GG -/-
MIR4761 (COMT H62H) rs4633 T CC -/-
MIR4761 (COMT V158M) rs4680 A GG -/-
MIR4761 (COMT) rs6269 G GG +/+

Here is a link to see my livewello report..you’ll have to create a username and login to see my report but all that is free.
https://livewello.com/c/gene-app/coralashley

Anyways, I have hypothyroidism and am on t3 and Armour to help with that.. However even before that I was finding that my temps go up after noon.. But I find that when I take Nicain 50-75 it goes back down. Then a friend sent me this link about the methyl connection to why niacin helps.

So here is what I need help understanding: Should I be taking the methly forms of Folate and B12? I am not taking those right now.
A friend of mine says I should be on hydroxo B12 instead because of my ACAT/COMT issue.

I am lost on all this and really need help understanding if Niacin works because I have too much methly and if I should be taking the Niacin 2x a day. Also what forms of B should i be taking and should I take folate? if so, how much of each should I be taking?
If not what b’s should I be on and how many.

I do also need help on my hubby and kids, my hubby has 1298 and 677 and 1 of my sons has only 677 and I’m waiting for the results to get back to me from 23andme for my other sons test.. but I’m sure whatever you post about them it’ll will help me with his.
My son doesn’t have ACAT but his COMT is different then mine:
MIR4761 (COMT -61 P199P) rs769224 A GG -/-
MIR4761 (COMT H62H) rs4633 T CT +/-
MIR4761 (COMT V158M) rs4680 A AG +/-
MIR4761 (COMT) rs6269 G AG +/-

My husband doesn’t have ACAT but his COMT is also different:
MIR4761 (COMT -61 P199P) rs769224 A GG -/-
MIR4761 (COMT H62H) rs4633 T TT +/+
MIR4761 (COMT V158M) rs4680 A AA +/+
MIR4761 (COMT) rs6269 G AA -/-

Please advise me on if my son and hubby should be taking different forms of b12 ten me, etc.
🙂 Thank you for your help!
Thanks!

Kathy T.
9 years ago

Dr. Lynch, thank you for all of this useful information. I have a question: if Niacin cancels out methyfolate’s ability to do what it’s supposed to do, does that mean that the multivitamin line you sell (which contains niacin as well as methylfolate) might not work as well? If it contains the niacin, does that have any limiting effect on the methylfolate? Basically, if I take one or your multivitamins that have both of those supplements, does that not mean the methylfolate won’t work as well since there’s niacin right along with it? Thank you so much for an answer to this!

Kim
9 years ago

All this talk of Niacin makes me wonder about my doc recommendation of 500 mg of Niacin per day for lowering LP(a). I am MTHFR C677T (Heterozygous) and have been doing fairly well on the vitamin protocol she gave me including 800 mcg of Folate and B12 per day until I added Curcumin and Niacin. Now I am having crazy panic attacks.

Dave
8 years ago
Reply to  Kim

I am also using Niacin for high Lp(a), it’s helping, but I thinks i am in heavy undermethylation now … perhaps supplement with methyl donors (Niacin is a methyl ‘sponge’).I don’t won’t to give up the positive aspects of Niacin, but I don’t want high homocysteine and anxiety, etc.

JimE
9 years ago

I am very frightened of taking Nisan, even a small amount in a B-complex vitamin makes me psychotic. I have fits of “sudden uncontrollable rage” at the slightest provocation. Embarrassing and dangerous. I have recently found out that I have low vitamin B12 which has caused other mild psychotic problems. Could this be a methylation problem? Sorry this my first visit to this blog, but not the last. I have research I need to do. Any comments and help would be appreciated.

Kelly
3 years ago
Reply to  JimE

I have the same issues and I have methylation problems. Niacin doesn’t bother me at all, but methylfolate makes me feel crazy.

Bibsi
9 years ago

this is not a sign of over-methylation – this is a sign of a need of methyl donors – that’s the opposite

7 years ago
Reply to  Bibsi

Yes it is a sign of over methylation

Joy
9 years ago

My doctor recently found that I have copper overload and undermethylation.
Now I’m really confused. I am homozygous MTHFR A1298 and heterozygous Prothrombin II. Previously I was taking B Complex with Methylfolate and also NAC. My doctor recently found that I have copper overload and undermethylation. The new protocol is Vitamin C 1000mg, Vitamin B6 300 mg, Vitamin E 400 iu, P5P 50 mg, Cal/Mag 500/250, Zinc starting with 15-30 mg and working up to 75 mg, and SAMe 200-400 mg.
I’m assuming that this should replace what I was on before and not include any methofolate? I’m confused with the B6 and the P5P because I understand that to be an active form of B6. Should I not be taking any methylfolate? Any input or suggestions about the copper overload?

[…] To help clarify and emphasize the importance of this point, and the need for niacin take a moment to read this article on how Dr. Lynch balanced out a gentleman who became ‘overmethylated.’ […]

Michael (NW)
9 years ago

I’m trying to figure out if I’m over methylating, or my hormones are too high…

Very quick history…I was hit with MAJOR anxiety, panic, then severe depression, all along with insomnia, then adrenal fatigue. I’ve tried so many differen things. Meds made me much worse. I tried an amino acid protocol with the b vitamins and other co-factors. Got some help, but I think I was dealing wtih adrenal fatigue at the time. Started doing some St. John’s Wort while getting off the aminos and eventually my anxiety/panic became a lot less. But my mood, energy, etc… still low. I started adding back some 5-htp and Tyrosine or Mucuna. I started to feel some mood elevations. But if I took 5-htp alone, I would eventually feel worse. So, I’d add some Mucuna (for dopamine) and feel a bit better. tyrosine seems to stimaluting so I can’t take much.

I found out based on testing that I was very low in Manganese, Magnesium, B12 and Zinc. So, I started supplementing those. (I was already taking methyl-b12). This started to help even more.

So, now, I’m taking SJW, Magnesium, B12, Manganese, Zinc, 5-htp, Mucuna, l-phenylalanine (instead of tyrosine), a little maca, etc… This has really helped. I also take B6 (P-5-P). 5-MTHF (Folate) seems to make me feel worse, so I don’t typically use that. I don’t have 5-MTHF defect, but do have MTR. And I have CBS, yet my sulfur and ammonia levels are normal.

I started taking some Theanine, Hops, Taurine for sleep. Taurine seems to really help, and I feel more calm during the day. (I’m hoping the Taurine doesn’t cause a problem with my CBS).

I also take a litlte Methionine now and then.

Lately, I increased my B6 to 100mg. Still taking 5-htp, mucuna, l-phenylalanine, etc..I started having feelings of agitation/agression. The come and go really quick. Very uncomfortable. I had these when I went off trials of two SSRI’s (only on for a couple of weeks) then went on/off a SJW mix and also stopped a higher dose of Maca. Anyway, the feelings were really intense then. Not sure if a certain hormone had gone way up, or if a particular neurotransmitter was elevated.

So, I’m trying to figure out if I’m over methylating. Too many methyl-donors, (Thenaine, mucuna, B12, B6, methionine (I take now and then), etc…?

If high norepinephrine could cause these scary feelings, or high testosterone, or… I’ve read where one PhD said that low Serotonin can, but I’m taking plenty of 5-htp, unless I’m taking too many dopamine precursors and caused my serotonin levels to drop…. There was a little extra feelings of OCD also, which had been pretty much gone.

What neuro or hormone could cause these intermittent feelings of agression/agitation?

Is it over methylation?

I’m feeling better than I have in a long time overall, but these new feelings are scary and uncomfortable and haven’t felt them in a long time.

Kelly
9 years ago

Dr. Lynch,

Does niacin affect all methyl donors, for example, would it affect methylcobalamin levels too?

Thank you in advance,

Kelly

[…] Overmethylation and Undermethylation: Case Study – … – I am going to share with you a classic situation which happens all the time. I hear it a few times a week while working with clients and guiding various doctors. This …… […]

BRO
9 years ago

Hi Dr. Lynch,
Can you advice me perhaps? I have histamine intolerance – but I am also overmethylated – I react to even small drops of methyl donors on thin skin. Why can this be? I had neurotransmitters tested, and serotonin is very low, GABA low if I don’t supplement this (many GAB 1 mutations). The others are in balance. Oestrogen is low, the rest of the sex hormones are sort of OK. Adrenals sort of OK, but DHEA low. Thyroid free T3 low if I don’t supplement. I have 3 full COMT mutations. Several CYP450 mutations etc (1A2, 2C9, 2D6, SOD2). 3 full FUT2 mutations. No MTHFR-mutations. B12 and Folate levels are OK. SIgA is immune defect level (low low). Anything I can do to lower my sensitivity to methyl donors? Not sure niacin is good when you have histamine intolerance. Btw I have salicylate sensitivity and MCS too. Can’t take herbs and most meds. Minerals, bacteria, animal hormones etc are OK.

Marcia
9 years ago
Reply to  BRO

Hopefully Dr. Lynch will find a moment to answer the question about salicylate/phenol intolerance as quite a few of his products are not sal-free, and many people (including myself) suffer from it, and it’s very common in the autism community.

But I don’t think he can answer your overall question as that would be asking him to give medical advice for free.

I’m not a doctor, but I’m not sure you can say you’re ‘overmethylated’ because you reacted to small amounts of methyl donors on your skin. Methylation should help with histamine intolerance, so you could be reacting to something else in the products?

It’s my understanding that niacin is not good for histamine intolerance.

Again, hopefully Dr. Lynch will comment about salicylate/phenol intolerance in general. I’d be very interested to hear his thoughts on it.

pea
9 years ago

It is 3am and I can’t sleep because I am over methylated 🙁 where can i get niacin at this hour?
Everytime I try these things (SAMe, something COMT related) I over methylate. Tell me that finding the balance makes it all worthwhile!

Tanya
9 years ago

For anyone knowledgeable in this area;
Other than the standard behaviours/feelings (we know there not good) of overmethylation is there any other harm to ones health?
I have had 6 miscarriages (no medical reason could be given), through following your protocol and adding progesterone (first 12 weeks) and low dose aspirin I was able to conceive my little miracle man. I’m older, I wld like to give my bubba a sibling (so he won’t feel alone in the world when he’s older). My bubba was born with a tongue tie and a sacral dimple (benign but related to spina bifida) – good indications of a lack of folate. I have increased my methylfolate and at times feel the effect of overmethylation. I don’t want to take Niacin as I don’t want to use up the vital methylation I may need (I also have a lot of BHMT so possible lack of shortcut) – so I look for the signs and I’m aware of my emotions, I decrease stresses and snap out of it. Other than feeling annoyed ect. is there any other health issues of overmethylation?
I have a few mutations that havn’t helped; COMT +/+ GAD, MAO, and other mutations that would benefit from Niacin. It would be good to help break down the oestrogen. But I don’t want to risk undermethylation if I fall pregnant. Is my thinking correct?

Lissa
4 years ago
Reply to  Tanya

B12 deficiency?? watch youtube movie on true story of Nurse sally Pacholok https://youtu.be/OvMxJ6GRBNQ

Ken
9 years ago

What about the flushing effects of niacin and the potential to worsen gout? Will 50 mg taken regularly do that.. What combination is best for person with anxiety?

Jessica Karns
9 years ago

Exactly what I need this morning!!! My husband is bipolar (only diagnosed by myself) and we have done really well lately controlling it with with amino acids and herbs, but when that switch is flipped to manic then I feel completely helpless. Definitely going to have Niacin in my pocket for these situations!!! Really don’t have a ton of issues with under methylation except following a manic period, but I have methyl folate and need to get the b12. I’m so excited to try this out!! It seems he’ll go manic at the most inconvenient time and if I could balance him out right away that would be great!!

7 years ago
Reply to  Jessica Karns

Jessica have you ever researched the role of magnesium in bi polar illness?

spiralgal
9 years ago

Thanks for the post. That patient was lucky that you (and his doc) understood what to do for him. I am heterozygous for both SNPs and have a heck of a time balancing methylation, especially because I have other SNPs that I am sure interfere with how my body is reacting. When my doc first prescribed methyl folate and methylcobalamin, he gave me too large of a dose and I experienced intense anxiety and racing thoughts AND depression. He tapered it down and that helped. The problem is my B12, folate levels AND homocysteine are now high, so he doesn’t know what to do with that. I also get days where I am sure I am overmethylating. It is hard to find someone who understands the intricacies of these SNPs to help balance them effectively.

9 years ago

Dr. Ben,

You speak of undermethylation as well as overmethylation, the language of Carl Pfeiffer, MD and William Walsh, PhD.

What are your thoughts on their methods to evaluate methylation (whole blood histamine determination) to measure histamine excess or depletion as a means to evaluate appropriate use of specific methyl donors? Blood testing provides a clear path to ‘balance’ and a method to test dosing rather than a functional experimentation with methyl donors you mentioned above.

I am curious if you believe this method is valid, and if so, are you utilizing this method with your patients? If you are not, why not?

Thomas
9 years ago

Hello Dr. Lynch,

Am I also over/under-methylating? :
I suffer from brain fog and strong fluctuating energy and mood (doctors would call it bipolar II ultra rapid cycling). At the same time my digestion is fluctuating between normal and constipated, even if I always eat the same. (Also take probiotic long time)

A ketogenic diet lead to more stability of mood but I still have too less energy, too often brain fog and either depressive or irritability/anxiety.

I tried your multi with b12+methylfol.
Just took one and a few hours later I felt like having social anxiety (which I totally lost through ketogenic diet)

So I stopped taking it.

What I also found: 1 week ago I started drinking bulletproof coffee. It lifted my brain fog and my energy and mood levels for three days so that I felt great (totally normal with significant better energy and no brain fog)

On the fourth day I got constipated again and as always parallel with this my energy levels get worse, my mood get either irritated or depressive…

I feel Know of food or drink having impact on my body and mind but I knew this since 3 years and I experiment.

Even if I Do the same thing everyday I cannot control it enough. Something needs to be adressed to get a constant level of higher energy…

Kind regards

Emma
9 years ago

Hi

So the reason I have contacted you is because my partner suffers from
sever anxiety and drepeession along with OCD and is an insomniac. He Can not sleep without taking anything.
In the past he has been on medication I’m not 100% sure of all that he has taken but when I met him 4 years ago he was on seroquel and has was on a fairly high dose of it for 5 or 6 years.
For the last 3 years he has been seeing a nutrient therapist and that has put him on to high doses of vitamins and nutrients he is lacking. As he been diagnosed as undermethylated and pyroluria (not sure if you are aware of these or not) he feels he is bi-polar but has not been diagnosed.
He has also been seeing a naturopath
who is focusing more on his gut health.

I have read up about cbd oil, I read about it and believe it could help.
I feel like we have exhausted all our options and he needs help with sleep amoung other things, he has not been able to work for the last 4
years.
He currently takes melatonin calcium magnesium and inositol to sleep.

Also do you know if this will effect anything he is taking?
I have also read it can work by using it externally rather thank consuming it.

I appriciate any information or advise you may have.

Thankyou

Karla
9 years ago

how exactly do I know If I am an “under pr Over methylator’? I am confused, my symptoms are: feeling sleepy (no matter if I sleep 10 -8 or 6 hours) lethargic, no desire to anything fun ( i rather stay home and do nothing), body aches ( mostly, shoulders, baack hips and knees ) i feel weak ( lost strength and muscle mass), sometimes a bit sad ( not so often) and i wake up at night 2 times.
I have read that over methylators feel anxious, moody, can be upset very easly, shaky, nervous, wired, like hyper feelings and have insomnia….
maybe I am wrong in my observations.

is there any way I can be sure what is my case?

Ken
9 years ago

Does Dr Lynch or anybody answer any of these questions. It all seems to confusing to me and I know of no doctor who understands this treatment. It sounds if a person that know what they are doing you can make yourself worst. My problem is chronic anxiety and now insomnia from being on Klonopin seven years.

Aleisha
9 years ago

Hi Dr. Ben and or Dr. Lynch,

I am having some issues with oxalate and leaky gut. Also have lots of cysts on my ovaries. I have been taking a B50 complex to help with the oxalate and then I started to become hyper alert to the environment. Shadows bugged me and for a few seconds once I actually thought a person in the car in front of me was trying to give me an evil message! I got a hold of myself but it was scary. I stopped the B suppliments and things are very slowly lessening but still have a lot of anxiety and racing thoughts. I can’t take any hormonal form or birth control as it makes me go off the deep end. Any thoughts on what is going wrong?

Thanks a million zillion.

Caroline Herman
9 years ago

Hi. I am 18 years old and I am not entirely sure but I think I am homozygous c677t. My doctor before didn’t really know what it meant at the time and then we moved. Before we moved though, he started me on 15mg of Deplin. At first I felt great like you said, but then every now and again I have relapses of panic attacks and severe anxiety. Usually I can just stop taking the Deplin and three or four days later start it again and be fine. But for the last month or two, the panic is back and I tried reducing the Deplin to 7.5mg daily. It has been about a week since then and still nothing. I am having such bad anxiety that I can’t even leave the house. Any suggestions for what to do? I don’t have a doctor for this problem and my GP has no clue about any of it either. Thanks so much.

Diana Howell
9 years ago

Hello, Dr. Lynch,

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I’m very confused about this methylation topic. I am homozygous A1298C, and my naturopath has me on MethylAssist – (1 pill daily -1,000 mcg), Methylcobalamin Vitamin B12 Liquid (1mg – 3 droppers day) and PhytoMulti w/iron, 2 tablets day (B12 as Methylcobalamin 400 mcg). I’ve felt absolutely miserable for days. I’m reading about something called “over-methylating” as possibly being my problem. Do you think this might be a concern for me? I’ve been on for 15 days now, and each day I feel worse than the last, not better like I’d hoped.

Thank you for reading this.

Diana Hartwell
9 years ago

Hello, Dr. Lynch,

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I’m very confused about this methylation topic. I am homozygous A1298C, and my naturopath has me on MethylAssist – (1 pill daily -1,000 mcg), Methylcobalamin Vitamin B12 Liquid (1mg – 3 droppers day) and PhytoMulti w/iron, 2 tablets day (B12 as Methylcobalamin 400 mcg). I’ve felt absolutely miserable for days. I’m reading about something called “over-methylating” as possibly being my problem. Do you think this might be a concern for me? I’ve been on for 15 days now, and each day I feel worse than the last, not better like I’d hoped.

Thank you for reading this.

Michael (NW)
9 years ago

Hi,

I’ve been doing a range of things to treat all my symptoms. I wont go into a lot of detail here, but my mood was improving, my anxiety/panic gone, insomnia still bad, but I was starting to feel more normal, but I was also on St. John’s Wort at 900mg. I started to taper to 600mg for 6 weeks which seemed to feel okay, then I dropped it to 300mg for one week and started not feeling very good, some of the bad feelings started to come back, so I went back to 600mg, and have felt up/down ever since. It’s been a week or so back at 600mg. Not sure if I need to go back to 900mg or not.

Anyway, I’ve been on SJW for almost 2 years. Not sure why it’s taking SOOOO long to feel better. I also take trysoine (off/on), mucuna, and tryptophan. Tryptophan felt really good and seemed to really help. Then I started taking some niacin (nicotinic acid) with tryptophan to help it convert more to Serotonin. I thought it helped, but then I started feeling more depressed/flat and unmotivated. Made me think if I was burning up methlydonors and my dopamine levels were dropping? Not sure how to tell.

So, I guess my niacin question would be….does Niacinamide burn up methly-donors? If not, then I would think that would be a better form for those needing more Serotonin and don’t want to deplete methly donors and disrupt dopamine prodution. I’m MTRR MTR postiive. CBS Postive. COMT–, VDR positive. So it would seem I need more methly-donors to keep my dopamine levels up.

Another question…I don’t seem to be MTHFR postiive. Not with the common ones. My ND suggested taking MUCH higher doses of MTHFR (methyl-folate) to help. Would that be helpful or make things worse?

Thank you!!!

Matina
8 years ago

I started up on the methylfolate and methylcabolamin again today. 1000 mcg’s of each; two hours after my 10 mgs. of Escitalopram and .25 of clonazopram. Within 20 minutes I began having severe soreness in my shoulder blades and pressure in my chest, along with mild left arm pain. I did not take any B6 or niacin with it, after or during the episode. I still have the pain and soreness. In my notes I see this has happened to me before even on a lower dose of 400 to 400 mcgs.’s of each. What are your thoughts on this?

Kelly
8 years ago
Reply to  Matina

Start with much smaller doses, and also I would start with the b12 first, for a week or so, then start with smaller doses of the folate, so you can tell which is causing the problem.

Matina
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly

Thanks Kelly. I am still in pain today so I took neither. This has been a nightmare for years trying to get the right balance. I have written so many times here with questions about the anti depressant and other medicine combinations and got SOME responses in the past. But now I am only on the two medicines with hope of finding whether I will ever get off of them or have to augment with these nutrients or another medicine. Any way you suggested to just begin again with the B12. and then add in the folate again in another week or so. I wonder if I only need a small amount of the folate anyway. It seems to me that I read somewhere that Dr. Lynch said compound heterogouz’ don’t need as much folate as the other mutations. It baffled me. Do you ever recall reading such?

Kelly
8 years ago
Reply to  Matina

I think I read that as well. I do know that Dr. Lynch says to skip the methylfolate if you’re feeling better. In other words, if you take some, say twice a day and start to feel better, then there’s no need to keep taking it twice a day as it could overdrive methylation. But if you start to sense that you’re going downhill again, then it may be time to take another dose.

You may not need the folate at all — at least not from supplements. B12 is shown to help w/depression all by itself.

Matina
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly

Hi. I don’t remember him saying skip the methylfolate if you are feeling well. He may have meant that though when I read a piece where he said some may have to take a certain dose every day and some may only have to take that dose every day. I guess the important piece is to find the dose that is a good fit for me and other too should; and realize that the dose will vary according to other factors and also whether we take an anti depressant or not. I do know that he did say in one of his posts that as you titrate up with the methylfolate some will need to wean down on the anti depressant if you are one.
I made an an appointment with one of the resource doctors he recommends on his site. Both my daughter and I went. She and I are both compound heteregouz. Funny too because she was adopted! Anyway, he told me that ‘I’ should not take the B12 right now with the folate. He suggested that judging from my lab results it was not so low that I should need to supplement. BUT that I did need to take the folate but at a very low dose to start. He suggested the 400 mcg. range. Instead of using the niacin for for methylation he suggested SAME. I wonder if anyone else has used this. He did also suggest that we both do the 123ME labs to get a better picture of what is happening in my system. The problem is that even if it is only $100 / $200 for the both of us; I just don’t have the funds for it until I get well enough to get back to work. Hopeful I will make some progress in the next several weeks and be able get a part time job of some sort and get the labs done.
He did recommend fish oil, vitamin C, more vitamin D and what seemed like large doses of iodine. He added in some different supplements to begin one at a time also. Many of which I had been on and stopped out of confusion of what was helpful or not.
NOW my daughter who is also on a low dose anti depressant; he has suggested she CONTINUE the methylcabolamin B12 due to her levels being much lower than mine and her sluggishness; along with beginning the 400 mcg.of methlyfolate. He may be right in my not using the B12 I have taken that dose of methlyfoloate alone and not felt hat pain in my arm and chest.
Plus I get very energetic and have a hard time stopping at he end of the day. What I appreciated about him is that he did not try to get me off of the antidepressants. In fact he told me that though he is not pro anti depressants for many; he felt it was apparent I did need to be on them at this time; and may need to switch in the future. but first want to start with the nutrients again. Time will tell.

Michael (NW)
8 years ago

How does Over-Methylation cause depression? I know that in under-methylation Serotonin levels typically would be low, maybe other neuros as well like dopamine? But, I’ve read that over-methylators could be high in dopmaine, and maybe high in other neurotransmitters as well. So, what causes crying and hopeless feelings in someone who is over-methylated? Does high Serotonin and Dopamine cause this? Or, can you have high dopamine but low serotonin in a over-methylator? In this case, the patient is MTHFR +-, MTRR and MTR +-, and VDR +- and COMT ++. Their main symptoms are crying and hopeless type depression and boughts of anxiety.

Folate (and I’m assuming this includes Methly-Folate) is not good for under-methylators but good for over-methylators? How is that? Shouldn’t someone who is undermethylated require Methylfolate to help with the whole methylation cycle? I’m assuming that if you are MTHFR ++ you would require it, but wouln’t these people be under-methylated? Or does the under/over methlyators depend on the COMT status? What if someone is COMT ++ yet are also MTHFR +- and MTRR/MTR +- and VDR +-?

How does methylfolate help with an over methylator? Yet if the person is COMT — and is an under methylator, methylfolate is supposed to be bad for them but…?

I understand some of the picture, but the folate piece is a bit confusing, and how someone is maybe overmethlyated would have cyring/hopeless depression. etc…

Lynn_M
8 years ago
Reply to  Michael (NW)

Michael (NW),

Maybe this video “The Role of Methylation and Epigenetics in Brain Disorders” presented by William J. Walsh, PhD” will answer some of your questions. It’s a long one, 2 hr. 17 minutes, but he does talk abut depression, overmethylation, and undermethylation, among other subjects. You can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W14kkO61Ano.

Dan
8 years ago
Reply to  Lynn_M

Keep in mind that Walsh thinks folic acid is fine to use, and dismisses methylfolate — the opposite of what Dr. Lynch recommends.

It would be helpful if Dr. Lynch could comment on Walsh’s video, but it’s my understanding he’s swamped preparing for an upcoming seminar.

Lynn_M
8 years ago
Reply to  Dan

Dan,

After listening to Dr. Walsh’s 2014 video that I linked to in my post to Michael (NW), I disagree with your comment that Dr. Walsh dismisses methylfolate.

Starting at 1:28:56 into the video, Dr. Walsh begins talking about folates. He says folic acid, folinic acid, and methylfolate are all effective methylating agents, but L-methylfolate is the most effective. However, he says folates also increase gene expression of SERT transport proteins, resulting in reduced serotonin neurotransmission. Most undermethylated depressives with low serotonin activity are intolerant to folates, because it worsens their depression.

At the question and answer period at the end, at 1:58:38, he addresses the question of how to enhance the methylation cycle in people who shouldn’t take folate. He emphasizes here that when he talks about the negative effects of folate, he is only talking about people with brain disorders that have low serotonin or dopamine activity. He says methylfolate is one of the best ways to help everyone else.

For people with low serotonin or dopamine activity whom he recommends against taking folate, he says methylB12 and TMG can enhance methylation, as is ensuring sufficient methyl groups and methionine.

Dan
8 years ago
Reply to  Lynn_M

Hi Lynn,

And thanks so much for your detailed response — much appreciated, especially noting where he mentions the forms of folate, etc. My brain fog is terrible. I had made notes six months ago, but tossed them I guess, and didn’t have the ‘energy’ to find exactly where he made certain statements.

I guess I became a little skeptical back then when he said things like ‘methylfolate…can cause histamine to be methylated and go back to methionine’. Histamine and methionine are two completely different compounds…that didn’t make sense to me.

Then he says this (paraphrasing in parts): “(Methylfolate) is a suicidal nutrient — it reacts only once…and then becomes garden variety THF, tetrahydrofolate. It does it’s job once and becomes just like all the rest of the folate forms.”

I don’t understand that. If it’s a limited or ‘suicidal’ version of folate because it only does it’s job once, suggesting the other forms are better, then how can that be if it eventually becomes just like al the rest of the folate forms”?

And if he says that folate (via increased gene expression of sert proteins) results in reduced serotonin (and dopamine?) neurotransmission, then how does that explain the use of high — super-high dose methyltolate (Deplin) used to augment SSRI therapy?

Thanks in advance for your help on this issue.

Michael (NW)
8 years ago

oh, here is the other question I had. If someone is over-methylated, has COMT ++, and needs Hydroxy B12 (MTR and MTRR) and Methly-Folate (MTHFR +-), how does that lower over-methyation and get that cycle working better? Or, better yet, how do you lower over-methyation and keep COMT ++ under control, etc….? I know this is complex and all the different SNP’s play into the proper treatment, but in general how do you treat over-methylation? Thanks.

Cynthia
8 years ago

I’m confused! I do terribly on folic acid (insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness). I also do terribly with methylated forms of vitamins. I get the exact same reaction when I take methylcobalamin. Is this because I’m an undermethylator and that means that methyl groups are just piling up? So should I avoid methylated forms of vitamins? I already do because I feel horrible when I take them.
How does the folic acid and pregnancy work when you don’t react well to it?
Thanks!

Michael (NW)
8 years ago

Hi,

I keep reading how “nicotinic acid” is used to use up methly-donors, etc… What about “niacinamide”? Does it have the same effect in that regards? It seems that the last two times I’ve taken “nicotinic acid” 50mg to 100mg, my mood dropped. maybe just a coincidence but…

I’m a undermethlyator, and am COMT – – , and MTRR ++, etc… I’m keeping my dopamine levels up with Mucuna, and L-phenylalanine(Tryosine precursor).

I’ve taken 250mg niacinamide and that didn’t seem to effect my mood.

Thank you,

8 years ago

Brain or no Brain Fog this is all so confusing! I had so many different snps that the doctor I had didn’t know what kind of a diet I could be on. By the time she eliminated everything I wasn’t supposed to eat there was nothing much left that I could eat. She consulted another doctor and they decided for now I should just try to eat healthy and not worry about it. I was told to take each supplement separately and watch for any adverse reactions. Does anyone know what that is like for a person with Panic Anxiety Disorder and that that is exactly what triggers my Panic Attacks? How does the “average” person figure this all out? Several thousand dollars later I’m still right back where I started from.

Dan
8 years ago
Reply to  Mary

First of all, I’d get a new doctor. Or join a forum like Phoenix Rising, where many have figured out their snps and are improving. The fact that your doctor thought that your snps would influence what type of diet you should eat says a lot about his or her ignorance on the subject.

Many of us do have to take for example the b vitamins separately, as some will have a reaction to say, b6, or some of the different forms of folate. Some say to start with B12 (which indeed seems to be pretty side-effect free) and then wait a week before starting with small amounts of folate.

And as Dr. Lynch and others have said, just because one has a bunch of snps, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re being expressed or causing problems. There are other factors like gut bacteria and integrity, mitochondrial function, and yes, diet that may be more important to deal with before tackling methylation.

Michael (NW)
8 years ago
Reply to  Dan

Hi Dan,

Is there a parictular forum or group on Phoenix Rising that is specific for Methlyation, SNP’s, etc…? Do you have a link? Thank you.

Dan
8 years ago
Reply to  Michael (NW)

Here’s the main link to that section, but it might be easier to type in a particular search word or term to narrow down what you’re looking for:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?forums/detox-methylation-b12-glutathione-chelation.6/

MIchael (NW)
8 years ago

Hi,

I was an under-methylator. I have been taking TMG 600mg-1200mg daily in the mornings, and 5000mcg of Active B12, etc….Is it possible to start over-methylating? I was feeling REALLY good for a while, but now I’m feeling over stimluated, like I’ve had too much caffeine. I don’t feel any anxiety/panic, but just feel stimulated. And I also have some excess nervousness, and/or butterfly feelings in my stomach, but again, I don’t have any anxiety/panic. I might get nervous easy going into a meeting or a party, but I look forward to going and usually have a good time although I’m feeling really uncomfortable with this stimluation feeling. My heart rate is normal, I’m not sweating like a pig, just this uncomfortable stimulation feeling. And it has caused severe insomnia as I’m just very alert/wired.

I thought I had some adrenal fatigue. And there’s warning about taking B12 as you could feel good for a while then crash your adrenals. Yet, I’ve heard you need B12 to keep your energy going so that your adrenals don’t have to compensate.

I am MTRR++, so I require Methly-B12.

I did have some extra stressors that seemed to kind of trigger some of this, but I have to wonder how much of this is due to being over methlyated and being suspectable to being easily stressed?

I’m also on 300mg of St. John’s Wort, so it’s possible I’m making too much of a particular neurotransmitter. But….

I could try 500mg Niacin and see if this feeling shuts off. If it does, then maybe I need to lower my dose of B12 and/or TMG….

Any thoughts? Thank you!!!

Lynn_M
8 years ago
Reply to  MIchael (NW)

Michael (NW),

Maybe you’ll find something in the comments at http://180degreehealth.com/glutathione/ that explains what’s happening with you. The article is about glutathione, but they get into methylation issues in the comments.

Mitchell
8 years ago
Reply to  Lynn_M

Actually I have to disagree strongly with Lynn regarding finding something helpful re methylation and glutathione at the 180degree site. The article is written by Joel Brind, who sells a glycine supplement, hence his bias. But mainly he doesn’t have the knowledge that Dr. Lynch does, as evidenced by this sentence:

“So the bottom line is that the liver makes more GSH as a response to excess levels of methionine and its unstable derivative, SAMe, so that toxic downstream products of SAMe can be detoxified.”

Naturally, since he’s selling glycine, then of course glycine is the answer. But note the comments by some who have found that glycine increases oxalates and other nasty compounds, sending some into severe pain and worse problems.

There are much better sources of info than 180degreehealth and “Dr.” Joel Brind.

Chuck
8 years ago

Dr. Ben, Thank you for your Posts . The info you provide is helping many.

I have been fighting High BP and High Heart Rate.
The med doc has ruled out liver and kidney he says from blood test, so the assumption is that my problem must lie in restricted arteries. I was given Beta blockers and it seem to work for a while, though at best could only reduce from 150/100 to 140/90.
Doc said that if my heart ever really started going hard to take up to 4 of the Atenolol and that should bring it down. Well, I did take the 4 Atenolol and the result was nothing more than the usual 140/90. That got me to thinking that this med that I am thinking is helping me is really doing nothing.
So I am a 766T/1298C Poly (one copy of each). So, I know that there will be mountains to climb.
Some time ago I was having trouble sleeping and a friend said that 5HTP helped them sleep. I tried it and it really did not help me sleep. But, what it did do was to raise my heart rate up quite a bit and drive my bp up. I tried tryptophan and that gives me a headache.
I do not take those any more.
So, recently I read that one can have tooo much Serotonin and I got to thinking that perhaps that is what could be pushing me into hypertension state. I do not feel stressed, but I am very talkative and up beat .
To make things more confusing I have mild symptoms of CF… thick mucous in lungs and trouble digesting carbohydrates some times. I take Methionine , A-L-Carnitine and N-A-Cysteine and these relax my lungs and thin the mucous so I can breath mostly normal except for an occasional clog.

My question is , Could I be an Over-methylator and be driving my Serotonin up so high that it is causing my hypertension ?
If this is possible , would you have any ideas on how to bring it down some other than niacin ?
Are there any tests I could take to quantitate Serotonin levels ?

I do feel better taking niacin but the most I can do is 100mg about 2 times a day , otherwise the flushing is overwhelming.

(I have had classified allergic reactions to an SSRI and to Tramadol )

8 years ago

Ben, I have had every test under the sun it feels like and they come back normal. I have read about menthylation. Feeling like I might be over I asked my doctor about it. He doesn’t think so because one gene came back normal. I have Many symptons though and its been such a struggle. My question is my lab test show my b12 normal and one gene normal but my C677T is heterozygous. Can that be a result of whats happening with me.

8 years ago

Hi there,
I’m experiencing some of the same symptoms. For the past month, I’ve been on methylcobalamin, methylfolate, and p5p and I’ve felt amazing. The past few days I have kind of crashed (anxiety has skyrocketed) and I’m not sure why. Could I be overmethylated? Should I take niacin?

Katie
7 years ago

Stopped taking Deplin 15 mg – don’t know what to do – was I over mythelated or is it Lyme infection. I was diagnosed homozygous C677T. I started taking Deplin 15 mg per my doctors instruction in September. I was going through withdrawal from Cymbalta and Xanax at the time, so I’m not sure how the Deplin effected me. I did start having body pain with tender points like fibromyalgia in October and it continued to get worse. I had to go back on an anti-depressant in January. I was seeing a wholistic doctor who told me that she was familiar with MTHFR, but she didn’t have me on anything except the Deplin and amino acids to try to raise my nuerotransmitters. I did take B shots. I think they were B12. The body pain went away once I started back on the anti-depressant – I’m taking Viibryd. But I started having cycles of not feeling well. I would feel good and then start to feel bad – anxious or irritable, body pain, feeling like my body was throbbing at this point I would loose my appetite and not eat much for a few days and then feel better and then a week or so later the cycle would start again. I went to a natropathic doctor a few weeks ago that discovered I have Lyme with co-infections. I have started taking silver to fight the infections and I’m taking other supplements and probiotics now. I stopped the Deplin and started taking B-Suprem by designs for health 3 weeks ago. I am feeling more anxious and depressed now so I don’t feel like the B-Supreme is enough methylated folate. I don’t know if my issues are from being over methylated or from the Lyme and co-infections. I don’t know what to do. I wish I had started with your protocol from the beginning, but not sure what to do now. I don’t even know if the infections are even causing the problems. After reading a lot of your articles I am not sure if it is the infections causing my problem or being overmethylated. Do you think these problems are over mythelation?

[…] clarify and emphasize the importance of this point, and the need for niacin take a moment to read this article on how Dr. Lynch balanced out a gentleman who became […]

Kenna
7 years ago

Dr. Lynch, I take 2 antidepressants. They have been lifesavers for me. But I’m wondering if the short term memory issues I’ve been having lately could be a reaction similar to what was happening in the e-mail exchange you shared. Could methylfolate/hydroxocobalamin be speeding up my methylation and therefore causing an overmedicating effect? Thanks in advance.

Cherrie
7 years ago

I’m kinda newish to all this. I am taking methylcobolimin (5,000 mcg) and methyl folate (400 mcg)…my thyroid is showing low function…wondering if I treat that traditionally (well as traditional as I get seeing a naturopath…armoured thyroid) or do something else with the methylation treatment first? The only times in my life I have ever taken a niacin supplement…it want WAY beyond “flush” I itched all over and felt truly unwell. So I feel hesitant about that…but I have no idea what that dose was and it’s been YEARS. I’ve been taking the two above-mentioned supplements for 2-3 months now. Also working to balance hormones that have been resistant to anything resembling balance since a radical hysterectomy 22 years ago. (I’m 55 btw).

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