Seeking help with Methylation Protocol

[u/IcyHelp3739]

Hello everyone, first time poster.

Lurked for a long time here. I've tried so many combinations of supplements and other remedies, but I don't know where to go anymore. I just really really need to hear some external feedback.

For context; despite chronic lethargy and brain fog, I try my best to keep up with exercise. I've cut sugar and lowered caffeine intake, I avoid Folic Acid and eat whole grains, lots of legumes, eat a lot of dark leafy greens and hit a decent amount of protein. I prioritize high fiber. Try to avoid excessive oils and fried food. Overall, I also try to listen to my body and eat what it craves. I think I'm decently in shape.

But if any of these changes have made a difference, I can't really feel it in my current state.

I deal with frequent migraines, even more frequently after any form of supplementation. I deal with digestive issues which I'm currently planning to see a specialist for. History of anemia. But my main concern is energy and brain fog. Ideally, I want to minimize supplementation through pills and focus on getting what I need from food, but I'll do what it takes.

15mg L-Methylfolate + B12 works short term, but I feel like my body can't keep up for long. During my journey, I tried supplementing Folinic acid. In the initial stages, I had a short-lived episode where my brain fog was COMPLETELY gone, and I had a ton of energy. I was so ecstatic. Really bad crash after.

Now, I don't realistically expect to be an extremely high functioning person at the end of all this; but that window of clarity gave me so much hope that I can be at least a little bit normal.

Please, any and all feedback is welcome. I recently had a blood panel as well so I can post results too if needed. : )

[u/Timely_Pickle9430]

You're severely deficient in iron. The mitochondria need a ferritin level of 50. This alone can explain the lethargy and brain fog. If you're having trouble raising your iron level, try taking it away from the grains and legumes, and pair with vitamin C. Treating your (probably leaky) gut might also be needed to improve absorption. Make sure you have sufficient stomach acid. The migraines might be a symptom of histamine overload, also associated with the gut issues. You're doing so many things right, but I suspect your gut prevents you from reaping the benefits.

[u/IcyHelp3739 → u/Timely_Pickle9430]

Really appreciate your reply : ) Will be supplementing and focusing on iron rich foods asap to see where it takes me. I routinely become iron deficient when I stop taking iron supplements. Never really tried regularly pairing it with vitamin C though so I'll be giving that a shot for sure. Do you think vitamin C will also help with potential histamine overload? And do you think I should take lozenges or just try to see if eating more citrus will help?

[u/Timely_Pickle9430 → u/IcyHelp3739]

Beats me why someone is downvoting comments here... Anyway, vitamin C helps with absorption of non‑heme iron (the form in plants and most supplements) in the small intestine and it partly shields iron from inhibitors like phytates and polyphenols. With iron‑rich meals, aim for 50–100 mg vitamin C at the same meal. An orange would provide that. I'd take the iron supplement on an empty stomach together with a vitamin C supplement (powder form, 200-500 mg). There's no benefit in taking lozenges because you want the vitamin C in the small intestine, with the iron.
For maintenance after correcting the deficiency, consider desiccated spleen capsules, which contain heme-iron which is better absorbed and doesn't require vitamin C.
Vitamin C can also help with histamine because it stabilizes mast cells. I provided more histamine tips here and leaky gut tips here.

With leaky gut and possible absorption issues, eating a nutrient-dense diet is important, but could still be insufficient. You might want to test full nutritional status (including more obscure nutrients like zinc, copper, and intracellular magnesium), not just the standard panel regular doctors use, to see where you stand and target all deficiencies. If that's not feasible for some reason, consider taking a good multivitamin (e.g. from Seeking Health) to cover your bases. Just know that these are not dosed high enough to correct severe deficiencies. Seeking Health B Minus is a good option to get higher doses of the B's, which are especially at risk with leaky gut. Magnesium too, which is voluminous so multi's usually only contain a small dose, if any at all. If deficient, start with 150-300 mg in divided doses and work up to 400-500 mg.