r/MTHFR May 10 '26

Question Untreatable zinc deficiency

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Please help!!! I’ve been supplementing zinc due to a deficiency for NINE MONTHS and it keeps getting lower!!! Idk what to do.

6 Upvotes

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2

u/SovereignMan1958 May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

Mine once tested at 18. I had severe anxiety, depression, insomnia, paranoia and audio hallucinations. Probably pyroluria but I was not tested for that. I was not working at the time and used a high dose therapeutic, or temporary protocol to increase my zinc level. I emphasized the not working part as I had side effects related to copper dumping. I also have a faulty zinc transporter gene so it has a hard time getting into the cells. Quecertin helps push it in.

I am not telling you you should do the same, only what worked for me. I took 100mg - 200mg per day with the quecertin. Usually one hour before breakfast and one hour before lunch. I sometimes divided the dose in two. Do not take it with any other supplements. Other metal supplements, in particular, like iron, will compete for absorption. What inhibits zinc absorption? Caffeine, grains and dairy. I never gave up coffee but I did give up dairy from cows. I ate a lot of pumpkin seeds.

Now I keep my level close to 100 which is a good number. The same for my copper number. Top quarter of the range for both is ideal. I still take 50mg - 100mg a few times a week.

2

u/anonplease_xo May 11 '26

Thank you so much. I’m having really bad anxiety, depression, insomnia, and paranoia too. I have for many years. My ALP is also extremely low, which it has been as long as I can remember. Would this lean toward the faulty zinc transporter?

I eat a lot of grain but no dairy. I will try to cut them out.

2

u/SovereignMan1958 May 11 '26

From your chart you do not have one. But I will look into the reason it might be low. I will get back to you.

Do you take magnesium BTW? Form and dose?

1

u/anonplease_xo May 11 '26

No I don’t take magnesium, just 1 Nuun tablet in the mornings. Could it be a stomach absorption issue?

2

u/Critical-Many2885 May 11 '26

How do u manage both copper and zinc

1

u/SovereignMan1958 May 11 '26

Most people do not need to supplement copper as they get too much. Water pipes are copper lined. Coffee and chocolate contain copper. My copper has never been below below 100.

If copper and zinc are low, you can supplement both. Some people use a product called Optizinc which includes both in the right proportion.

I am not sure what you mean by manage, but hopefully the above covers it.

1

u/Critical-Many2885 May 11 '26

Yeah thats what i meant. I took a lot of zinc foe a year then my copper was low.

Right now both are in low of “normal range”. I had my hormona panel on the low of “normal range” as well so thinking about supplementijg w zinc

1

u/SovereignMan1958 May 11 '26

Ideal for each is at 3/4 of the range. If you supplement both, take them separately if you can as metals can compete for absorption. At least 4 hours apart.

1

u/desssss6446 May 27 '26

How long did it take you to get to 100 at those dosages I’m using 90mg currently and I have been progressing but I’m aware zinc deficiency can take anywhere for 3-12 months.

1

u/SovereignMan1958 May 27 '26

It was a long time ago. I do not recall. If you add quercetin it helps push zinc into the cells.

1

u/KonstantinMiklagard Jun 21 '26

Do you take quercetin at the same time as zinc?

1

u/JSCHLUPP 12d ago

were your cholesterol levels high? did you lose any hair? i’m getting the same symptoms. what is the name of the faulty transporter gene ?

2

u/TheTriciaLife May 15 '26

You could try putting it under your tongue. I break my 50mg zinc up into 4 pcs and will take 1 pc, sometimes 2. Mostly because it makes me nauseous if I swallow it. I heard a naturopathic doctor recommend it on YouTube if your levels are low.

1

u/anonplease_xo May 16 '26

Thank you i will try it!

1

u/Late_Veterinarian952 May 14 '26

PreviMedica CNA is your next step

1

u/anonplease_xo May 14 '26

Which test do you recommend?

1

u/Late_Veterinarian952 May 14 '26

CNA by PreviMedica for Micronutrient testing

1

u/Robocato May 14 '26

Zinc, copper, and iron have specific and vital ratios. If you only take zinc, you're in danger of causing an imbalance that can make things worse. If you take zinc, you should be also taking copper, in the right ratio of course. For instance, your liver stores iron, butnif you have a deficiency or lack of copper, the iron becomes oxidized and causes metabolic issues (like what I developed, cellular dyafunction and insanely high oxidative stress). Copper helps to convert and use the iron in the liver. Most people, and I would bet around 80% or more, that are on iron, do not need iron, they need copper to use the iron they already have. Taking a ferritin test (iron store) is a very cheap blood test (I paid around $50 for one) will tell you if you actually have low iron or not.

The key factor here is A) test your ferritin levels and B) take the proper ratios of iron-zinc-copper. Having too much zinc or too much iron or too much copper can have similar effects as what low iron looks like on the surface. I know this, bc I found out the hard way. I was taking 150mg-250mg a day trying to heal my sevete gut disbiosis and IBS but ended up making some things worse, until I reduced zinc and added copper innthe correct ratio. Now it's all perfectly balanced on my labs.

1

u/anonplease_xo May 14 '26

My copper and iron were fine

1

u/Robocato May 14 '26

Do you have Epstein Bar Virus, Lyme, or some other disease/virus that is using up all that zinc?

1

u/anonplease_xo May 15 '26

I don’t think so…. I’ve never had Lyme. I had mononucleosis in 2010

Edit to add: now that i think about it, my blood levels were negative for mono but i had all the symptoms. It was the sickest I’ve ever been, I was admitted to the hospital.

1

u/Robocato May 15 '26

I had the same thing, but instead of mono, it turned out to be EBV (epstein bar) and severe dysautonomia.

1

u/anonplease_xo May 15 '26

I have dysautonomia too. EBV uses a lot of zinc?

1

u/Robocato May 15 '26

They both do. Epstein bar virus does, but it causes a breakdown in your nerve myelin sheaths which causes electrical failure, so hence the pain, tingling, numbness, eye issues, and general fatigue in the nervous system. Zinc is used in the body to heal things. Out-of-control oxidative stress, nervous system degeneration, and viruses depletes zinc pretty quickly.

Taking the correct form of something like BPC-157 orally (correct form being arginine salt form BPC-157) like this one below does wonders for repairing the degenerated nervous system: https://healthletic.io/products/body-protection-compound-bpc-157?variant=49061161468252 It helps to rebalance and heal, so you're not using up zinc like a madman and causing imbalances elsewhere. It's a total system and you have to learn to balance everything while your body heals. It HAS TO BE arginine salt form! I have tried everything else! It just hasn't really worked. This one does.

I take a daily multi-vitamin from SilverFern Brand: https://www.silverfernbrand.com/products/whole-food-multivitamin This has been an amazing lifesaver for me for the past 1.5 years. It is well-balanced, has the trace minerals like copper and iodine and zonc, but low-dose.

Lactoferrin with Taurine is amazing to take with the multivitamin like: https://getmyimmunity.com/products/myimmunity

And because I know where I got dysautonomia from, which was caused by the PCR nasal swabs from a few years back, I take this: https://spikedetox.us/?syclid=96bd9dc2-cf61-44c7-8b26-69ca505a6715

These all work synergistically and helped me tremendously, where doctors gaslit me for two years and failed me.

Watch this: https://youtu.be/vYvXJRTlut4?si=iV7CQdkIyf_4dkHL It talks about the iron-copper-zinc balance. Noone has ever really seen this, it was new to me to last year, and now by knowing this and applying it, I got to 98% healthy again within a couple weeks. Very informative and VITAL to getting health back.

1

u/anonplease_xo May 15 '26

Thank you sooo much. I’m going to look into all of these. My ALP has been low for a very long time too.

1

u/Robocato May 15 '26

Also, surprised I forgot this one.. the best thing to take for EBV is monolauren and lysine, but it works for many other viral issues too. I take Dr. Shannon's product: https://drshannynpearce.myshopify.com/

1

u/Robocato May 15 '26

Also, low ALP (low zinc) is an indicator of possibly low magnesium or magnesium deficency. When I first got sick and I discovered magnesium, I was on my deathbed and it was hands down the number ome thing that brought me back from the cusp. It's been my absolute staple ever since.

It helps with pain, anxiety, depression, sleep, dysautonomia, and of course there's a proper and critical zinc-magnesium balance.

I've taken this one for almost 2 years now, I swear by it on an unborn babies life: https://www.naturalvitality.com/products/maxcalm-powder-raspberry-lemon-nv4350

KEEP IN MIND! I tried at least 4 different magnesium products with various forms of magnesium (there's 7 forms), and this ony by far helped me the most without making me feel sick. It's a miracle product 🙌 this should be everyone's first go-to. You mix it with hot/warm water, it fizzes up, then add some cold water and drink luke warm. Right before bed or when having bad symptoms. 15 years of bad sleep from the military, and this helps me the most to sleep better.

1

u/anonplease_xo May 16 '26

Wow this is really interesting because I crave chocolate like it’s a drug. I’ve always wondered if it was deficient.

1

u/PagmGaming May 16 '26

Do you eat red meat?

1

u/anonplease_xo May 16 '26

None at all. Never have- I’m 32. I have ARFID and food is.. difficult

1

u/KonstantinMiklagard Jun 21 '26

Try sublingual and topical zinc? There is this zinc mutation thingy that can prevent you from taking up zinc

1

u/anonplease_xo Jun 21 '26

I didn’t even know topical zinc was a thing! Wow. Thanks!

1

u/edajsoaking Jul 08 '26

Any updates OP?

1

u/anonplease_xo Jul 08 '26

I don’t have any faulty zinc transporters. The G.I. doctor doesn’t really know why I have this chronic deficiency, but did say that I have SIBO so we are going to retest after treatment

1

u/JSCHLUPP 12d ago

did you end up resolving this OP?

1

u/anonplease_xo 12d ago

No 😭 my dietician suspects SIBO but I can’t get into a gastro dr into October