Folic acid

[prue1956]

Hi I have been told I have low folate and vitamin d levels I'm not sure how low but I'm on folic acid 5mg once a day for 3 months and vitamin d tablets indefinitely,I wondered if anyone had side effects with folic acid as since taking them I have been so bloated and windy,I am 63 years old so not taking them for pregnancy!

[panic_down_under]

Hi I have been told I have low folate and vitamin d levels I'm not sure how low but I'm on folic acid 5mg once a day for 3 months and vitamin d tablets indefinitely,I wondered if anyone had side effects with folic acid as since taking them I have been so bloated and windy,

Side-effects such as abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, flatulence, nausea and upset stomach become more prominent at dosed above 1mg/day.

Have folate blood levels been checked since you began taking it? The reason I ask is that a *few with anxiety and/or depression (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1810582/) have been found to be deficient in an enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), needed to convert folic acid into a form the body can use. The common folic acid supplements are ineffective in this case. Folate in forms that overcomes this limitation (levomefolate calcium (Deplin) and levomefolate magnesium (Enlyte)) are available with a prescription.


* L-methyl folate has been over hyped in the media and on-line as a quick, 'natural' cure-all for everything from anxiety to zits. It is much less impressive than the claims would suggest, however, there are a few, emphasis on 'few', with anxiety/depression who do benefit from taking it.

[prue1956]

Thankyou for your reply I've not been told to go back to the doctors but just to take the folic acid for 3 months,and take vit d until my next full blood check next year.