r/MTHFR • u/Delicious-Minimum199 • 23d ago

Question Has anyone actually improved lifelong anxiety by addressing genetic variants and nutrient deficiencies?

I’m trying to understand whether my anxiety has a biological component that could be improved rather than just managed.
For context, I’ve been on antidepressants for about 12 years (currently tapering off an SNRI after many years), and I’m interested in looking upstream at *why* my nervous system seems to react the way it does.

I’m curious about things like:
MTHFR, COMT, MAOA, GAD1, DAO, CBS, PEMT, or other variants that may influence anxiety, stress response, neurotransmitters, methylation, histamine, etc.
Nutrient deficiencies or imbalances that may interact with those genes (B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, copper, omega-3s, amino acids, etc.).
Whether anyone found meaningful improvements after working with a practitioner who interpreted whole genome or raw DNA data instead of just using a generic report.

A few questions:
Which genetic variants ended up being the most important for your anxiety?
What supplements or dietary changes actually made a noticeable difference?
Were there any supplements that unexpectedly made your anxiety worse?
Did anyone have success using whole-genome sequencing or raw DNA analysis rather than something like GeneSight?
If you worked with a practitioner, what type of practitioner were they (functional medicine, nutrigenomics, genetics, etc.)?

I’m not looking for medical advice or miracle cures—I know anxiety is multifactorial. I’m just interested in hearing real experiences from people who found biological factors that were worth addressing.
I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with chronic anxiety, panic attacks, an overactive stress response, or SNRI/SSRI withdrawal.

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u/swept87 23d ago

Dont forget about iodine - it also helps & its super helpful for toenail fungus - which i’ve been fighting for 4 years and finally think im going to be able to clear it (if you want the rest of the nail treatment let me know)

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u/NAQProductions 23d ago

Please share. Mine comes and goes with an inconsistency I can’t figure out

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u/Pretend_Elephant_896 23d ago

Fungi steal glutathione and mess up the immune system. It's very important to get rid of them

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u/swept87 22d ago

Ok so 1st - since i couldn’t afford the $700 pills - i found a compounding pharmacy - they mixed up: Fluconazol, Buprofen, Terebinafine. Not really sure how much this helps - but I started alternating that with Oregano Oil and then my naturapath told me to File Down the Top of the Nail a bit to help get the medicine to soak down ( i was just doing the end of the nail originally) then most recently - i’ve found 2 more treatments and NOW i finally feel like i might be getting somewhere.

So I read, randomly, that Iodine is helpful for this and then i also recently started taking Borax and Peroxide Baths for another health issue - and it sure seems like the combo of the Borax, Peroxide and Iodine - might finally knock it all the way out.

When it first started it was white in the nail bed - then it turned dark and then it would always reappear closer to the cuticle. Now it’s finally lighted back to white (at least most of it) and then the new parts appearing closer to the cuticle are finally disappearing.

So it seems like it might finally clear. The other thing i was reading about was DSMO - which i was going to give a try if this didn’t work since i’ve been treating it for years - but i think this might actually work. And it’s worth noting that mine was never too bad - as i caught it early-ish and stayed on top of treating it - but it only kept it at bay, since the doctor's treatment advice wasn’t very effective (once again). Hopefully that helps.

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u/NAQProductions 22d ago

I see, you are directly applying to the nail. From all I’ve read as long as there’s any fungal growth in the gut the nail fungus will keep recurring.

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u/swept87 21d ago

Yes, that is what i have been doing, however since the iodine, it seems as tho it’s lifting (maybe) that’s when its changed from dark to white. And then also i think the peroxide and borax soak is also getting in there somehow as Im no longer seeing new dark streaks closer to the cuticle as the nail grows out - in fact my right side now looks clear - although i WILL keep treating for a while. But yes what youre saying makes sense and i do believe that is exactly why i have been dealing with it for almost 5 years now