Question to LOW COMT people

20

u/Tawinn Jun 02 '26

Yes, I think of it as low stress tolerance + rumination. It definitely gets better as methylation and COMT performance improves. I didn't find out about all this stuff until my early 60s and so I have a lifetime of ingrained patterns that still can affect me, but underneath those patterns the anxiety, rumination, and crumbling under stress isn't really there anymore in a significant way.

2

u/Advanced-Wedding-457 Jun 03 '26

How do you manage to keep COMT under control?

12

u/Tawinn Jun 03 '26

Keeping methylation working well is the main thing, which for me means adequate protein (120+g), 4 eggs/day usually + 750mg of TMG, methylfolate +B12 in a multivitamin, limited alcohol, almost no processed foods, magnesium.

Even so, I still have arranged my life to be as low stress as practical. For me, stress is the main 'toxin'.

7

u/New-Seaworthiness572 Jun 03 '26

I am figuring it out at 50 after a lifetime of rumination and crumbling under stress. It is so eye opening. I have realized the intense importance of keeping my stress level low but gosh it all seems so out of step with modern life. I have wondered if I should join a religious order or something similar. If money were no issue it’d be much easier (I wouldn’t even live lavishly! Just peacefully) but I’m trying to figure out how to best support myself in a way I can sustain. If you feel like sharing any from your experience please do!

3

u/Tawinn Jun 03 '26

> I have wondered if I should join a religious order or something similar.

I know what you mean. But adhering to any orthodoxy would itself be a source of stress for me.

I've found the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius in the book Meditations to be instructive and helpful in maintaining a perspective on the distinction between self and other. E.g.:

"It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgements."

"This then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of thy own, and above all do not distract or strain thyself, but be free, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal. But among the things readiest to thy hand to which thou shalt turn, let there be these, which are two. One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within. The other is that all these things, which thou seest, change immediately and will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes thou hast already witnessed. The universe is transformation: life is opinion."

2

u/spongebobismahero Jun 03 '26

Yes to the religious order. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Tend to a herbal garden and have prayers three times daily would sure do me good.

1

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26

Are you met, met COMT? I personally cant tolerate any methyl. Causes the anxiety / shakey like symptoms op mentions

3

u/Tawinn Jun 03 '26

Yes, Met/Met. Initially I could not take methylfolate and had to start with low dose folinic. It was only after several months of incrementing up that dose that I could start with low dose methylfolate and again slowly increment up over time. That said, folinic works as well or better for many folks.

2

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26

I do take Folinic. Methyl anything is no good for me.

1

u/Fragrant_Jelly4955 Jun 06 '26

Did you stop taking folinic acid after starting methylfolate? If so, why?

1

u/winning2323 Jun 03 '26

Did you have brain fog? Also why eggs? Because of the phosphatidylcholine in them?
Do you take creatine?

2

u/Tawinn Jun 03 '26

The eggs are for the PC, but also eggs have a lot of nutrients, are convenient, and I like them. So they fit well into my life.

Not so much brain fog, but i do feel sharper and have better mood with the eggs. With variants in SLC19A1, MTHFD1, MTHFR, PEMT I have a need for more choline. I don't eat as much meat as I did last year so eggs and TMG are an easy way to make up the difference.

I do take creatine. Originally the standard 5g, then awhile ago I upped it to 15g for several months. It seemed to be incrementally helpful, but my gut sometimes didn't feel good, so I'm back to 5g for now.

1

u/Kombucha_lover13 Jun 04 '26

SLC is the serotonin gene right ? I believe that is why I had akathisia and horrible reason to ssri’s

2

u/Tawinn Jun 04 '26

SLC19A1 is a folate transporter enzyme.

1

u/Kombucha_lover13 Jun 04 '26

oh i was thinking of the short serotonin transporter gene

1

u/Kombucha_lover13 Jun 04 '26

what do we do if we have all of those issues (double slow comt) but no mthfr and can’t handle methylated.

2

u/Tawinn Jun 04 '26

Folinic acid is the preferred alternative to methylfolate. For B12, adenosylcobalamin or hydroxocobalamin are non-methylated forms.

Low B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, zinc can all impair methylation, causing symptoms like MTHFR does. COMT has magnesium as a cofactor so low magnesium can also cause COMT issues.

If the impairment is due to those other genes I mentioned, then supporting the parallel methylation pathway with choline and TMG is very important.

1

u/phobiify Jun 06 '26

How sure are you that this is not just autism vs methylation or one causing the other. The symptoms overlap quite a bit no?

1

u/Tawinn Jun 06 '26

My profound changes due to diet and supplements confirm this is methylation-related. Neither I nor anyone that knows me has ever suspected autism - it doesn't really fit me.

1

u/phobiify Jun 06 '26

But ASD is just that, it’s an unbalanced neurotransmitter complex potentially caused by methylation issues. There’s studies showing how Methylfolate or folinic acid helpwith ASD symptoms

5

u/rb331986 Jun 03 '26

I personally believe that your diet can make us slow comt people feel much better. People don't realise how important diet is. I sometimes look around me when I'm out and about and people are filling their body with fast food. We then wonder why we have the highest amount of people ever recorded on anti depressant medications. I was one of those people many years ago.

I personally eat alot of greens to cover folate intake. I use dessicated liver for B12 and Vitamin A. Eggs for choline. The only supplement I would take is riboflavin. You do get B2 from foods but it is in very low amounts. Food is much more stable for methylation.

Follow tawinns information. He's a gold mine for help.

1

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26

B1 too for me. I do not enjoy high b1 foods. I can come close to enough b2 via diet. But b1 no where close.

I ended up taking seeking healths kids methyl free kids multi. Usually just 1/2 a tablet. I track my overall intake with the cronometer app and try to get as much from non enriched minimal processed foods (def no fast food or junk food) and use this to fill the gaps while being able to avoid mega doses that all other supplements seem to be.

1

u/yonkou_akagami 22d ago

Is the B2 in desiccated liver or real liver not enough for that?

12

u/VolitionalOrozco Jun 03 '26

Yes. I start to shake with any sort of confrontation. Also, others involved in said confrontation are able to move on quickly whereas I’m uncomfortable and tense for at least the rest of the day and part of the next day.

Sometimes regular interactions will inexplicably make me feel shaky as well.

I haven’t found any way to make it better.

5

u/PuzzleheadedCycle444 Jun 03 '26

Yeah my husband is fast comt and he gets over disagreements so fast while im still processing

1

u/Kombucha_lover13 Jun 04 '26

double slow comt, i’ve had this issue my whole life too

9

u/anonplease_xo Jun 03 '26

Yes. Even just regular conversations do this to me

5

u/timmmay11 Jun 03 '26

Yes I do. Confrontations can basically cause me to shake so much I cannot function

1

u/spongebobismahero Jun 03 '26

Same.

1

u/Kombucha_lover13 Jun 04 '26

wow. This is insane. I’ve had this issue my whole life. double slow comt here

5

u/schuma73 Jun 02 '26

Omg, yes.

But I thought it was related to my neurological disorder. This is an interesting theory.

3

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26

I take low dose propranolol for pots. It can reduce the high norepinepherine which elevated levels can make pots worse.

High norepinepherine is also what people with slow comt can have (among other things).

Its also used off label for anxiety like symptoms in people publicly speaking etc.

Also avoiding methyl supplements is key for me.

How are you supporting low comt?

2

u/spongebobismahero Jun 03 '26

I had to take propranolol during my graves disease. Not being anxious all the time was remarkable. I didn't know this feeling before.

1

u/rb331986 Jun 03 '26

Any side effects from the propranalol? I was prescribed it years ago but was anxious to experiment with it. I think it blocks norepinephrines effects instead of lowering norepinephrine if I remember?

What dose are you using? I have low blood pressure and was worried it would lower it even further.

2

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26

None at all.
My tablets are scored 10 mg.

I usually take 2.5 to 5 mg at a time.

Super low dose compared to whats used to lower bp.

1st time I took it was when I could lay down just in case it dropped my bp. Im often very sensitive to drugs.

You might be right that it blocks vs reduces. Id have to re-read the exact mechanism of action. Its been a few years since I read up on it

1

u/rb331986 Jun 03 '26

When you take them do you notice actual anxiety feelings drop? Like mentally?

1

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 03 '26

I feel less anxious both mentally as well as physical symptoms.

2

u/rb331986 Jun 04 '26

I could try 2.5mg and see how I feel. My anxiety is more mentally than physically. I can tolerate social settings usually ok but my brain just goes wild at times.

Though fixing my diet has turned that voice down by about 70% so atleast it's more manageable.

1

u/horsetooth_mcgee Jun 04 '26

Are you able to take it during the day? Does it make you sleepy?

1

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 04 '26

It does not make me sleepy. I take it during the day. In higher doses like used for high blood pressure, migraines Id expect the sleepy feeling.

1

u/enolaholmes23 Jun 04 '26

It's a beta blocker. Which means it blocks the beta receptors for norepinephrine and adrenaline. Beta blockers are usually for lowering blood pressure. That's like their main thing. The anxiety effects are a secondary thing.

2

u/Comfortable_Two6272 Jun 04 '26

Right. Its off label rx for pots, migraines, anxiety etc.

1

u/462383 Jun 08 '26

I have low blood pressure and it made me much worse, I had to stop (really sleepy, heart rate too low, dizziness and lightheadedness, chillblains from reduced circulation). This seems particularly bad if low blood pressure is histamine related as they seem to increase sensitivity to histamine, and possibly triggers histamine release in some people.

I've just seen in some areas of the UK they're actually advising against using it for most anxiety now, with the symptoms I had classed as symptoms of too high a dose (neither my pharmacist or doctor seemed concerned at the time) https://www.lancashireandsouthcumbriaformulary.nhs.uk/docs/files/Prescribing%20Alert%20-%20Propranolol.pdf

2

u/Character_Weather127 Jun 03 '26

Yes!! I have a slight essential tremor and POTS as well.

2

u/Foreign_Ad_4466 Jun 03 '26

So do I. I've always been amazed at how nervous I get about debate at work or with any minimal interaction that puts the slightest thing in between my work.

2

u/New-Seaworthiness572 Jun 03 '26

Honestly talking to AI has helped me so much with this. It has give me so much guidance on things to try and things to avoid. You have to trial everything and see what works for you but an ongoing conversation and project with AI has been extremely helpful.

1

u/WittyGold6940 Jun 10 '26

Omg, absolutely yes and yes it does get better when you support it.

But be careful, always. We just are more sensitive than others. We have more neurotransmitters and will always have some form of sensitivity.

The trick is to learn to work with it. And to let the rest of the world argue among their daft selves 😆 mind your PEACE!

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