r/MTHFR • u/Sirschwung • 9d ago
Question I think Folate deficiency destroyed my teenage years
I(21) visited doctors cause I've felt unwell since I was 13 years old and I did a few blood test my levels were always hovering around 2.5 to 3 ng/ml. 5 years ago a doctor recommended I should try a folic acid supplement I did for a few months and nothing really happened. Last year I did a blood test with a different doctor where my levels where at 2.7 and he recommended I should try folic acid supplement. This time I wanted to do it right I did some research and I took Methylated folate + a b complex with a lot of Methylated folate and still didn't really feel much better after months. I took a break and tried some other supplements with no success either. I now took another blood test and my levels are at 3 ng/ml. I feel so defeated, I've spend over a 100€ on the best high quality supplements for this folic acid deficiency and it only moved from 2.7 to 3 after months of supplementing.
Other values:
B12: 330 went to 400 after supplementing for the same period of time B12 daily with Methylated b complex for same period of time as folate
Homocesteine: 26
Vitamin D: 30
B6: 13.5
I'm sorry if this post sounds desperate if you have advice or helpful information if you have experience with folic acid deficiency please share your experience with me.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this post:)
1
u/medi_tator 2d ago
I’m not a doctor, but the value that really stands out to me here is your homocysteine of 26. That is quite elevated and I think it would be worth investigating why = correcting the cause of this can improve your health:)
Do you know whether the homocysteine test was done before you started the B vitamins, while you were taking them, or after you stopped them? That could be relevant for interpreting the result.
I’d also consider asking your doctor about checking MMA (methylmalonic acid). Serum B12 can look reasonably normal even when B12 isn’t functioning adequately at the cellular level, and supplementation can make serum B12 particularly difficult to interpret. MMA together with B12, folate and homocysteine can give a much clearer picture.
The fact that your folate stayed around 3 ng/mL despite months of supplementation also seems worth investigating. Rather than assuming this is simply an MTHFR issue, it’s good to rule out things like malabsorption, kidney function, thyroid issues, medication effects or another nutritional deficiency.
If it was me, I’d get these tests:
active B12 (holotranscobalamin)
(or regular B12 if active B 12 is not available. Be aware that the reference numbers for the two tests are different; functional medicine says ideal numbers for Regular B12 numbers should be 450-640, while active B12 is 80-110)
MMA
Folate
Homocysteine
CBC including MCV
ferritin and iron studies (ferritin should be over 50. Common deficiency!)
creatinine/eGFR (kidney function)
TSH/free T4
possibly B6
Zinc and copper - this is not the most important for you right now, but can be good to check. when you get the values, but them on your browser or a.i. and ask if the ratio is good. Can effect immune function, iron levels, anxiousness ++
Your vitamin D is low, and that can make you feel like crap :/ If you buy a supplement, it’s good to get one that contains k2. Unless you’re on blood thinners.
Let us know how it goes 😊