If you're one of the 40 60% of people that have some form of defect in one or both of the genes responsible for methylation (MTHFR polymorphism) and you want to try and bypass that blockage to get your methylation system back up to speed, then Metafolin (aka: 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-MTHF, levomefolic acid, or l-methylfolate) is a vital part of the protocol. This is the form ultimately used by the body. If you're an ineffective methylator, it's also the one that works, because your body doesn't have to convert it further to be useful. If you're of caucasian, hispanic, or Mediterranean descent, or have a high IQ, your odds are higher.
This version (Metafolin) is the OTC strength (800 mcg) of the prescription Deplin (7.5 mg), but both are essentially the fully reduced (by methylation what else) version of folate that the body actually uses...there are a number of enzyme mediated steps in converting folic acid and folates to the useable methylated form. It is also the only one that will cross the blood-brain barrier. Merck apparently figured out how to do the same thing and came up with a bioidentical form...and then patented their process for making it. I'm sure they knew about the distribution of the polymorphism and how big the market would be. I'm a business major, not a doctor. Props to Merck here, not slams.
This is one of the few times that I think a pharmaceutical company may have gotten it right and should serve as a lesson to the others...vitamins and minerals in their most useable forms are curative medicines...curative...they cure diseases...not just treat them. Name one man made synthetic drug, not based on copying a biological compound, that has that claim. If they would do what Merck did here and just figure out what the body actually makes when it works right and synthesize that, then like this, they can have their patented cake and eat it too. And we all win...but I digress.
This may be all you need. If so, great. If not, then look up the information on the Simplified Methylation Protocol, which is beyond the scope of this review, because you likely need to pick up some 'methyl' B12 and Tri'methyl'glycine or TMG to go with this. Also, be ready for some restart symptoms once you turn on your methylation systems...it seems that once the body can methylate it begins repairing tissues at a rapid rate. This dramatically increases the demand for potassium to supply the new cells and causes a rapid drop in serum potassium. It hit me around Day 3, figured it out on Day 4, some extra potassium resolved the symptoms in about 20 minutes. A lot of folks call it 'methylation detox', but try the potassium supplementation before you do...it seems to solve the 'achy business' right away. It did for me.
Oh, and if you have or know anyone with Treatment Resistant Depression, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Lyme, Asberger's, Gluten Intolerance or Autism...tell them to look into this whole methylation thing...it looks like the research is finally starting to draw a bead on this and the methylation system seems to keep coming up suspect. If you start clicking like I did, you may wind up on the educating end of your next doc chat...this is just emerging from the research side into the main. Good luck. Justice means it's just us. Old cop joke...from an old cop.
Update D+10: Sleeping MUCH better than I have in a long time...I always knew that sleep was at the center of the problem. This is a very positive development. Went for an easy jog this morning...because I wanted to...felt great...needed extra potassium afterwards (never used to), so the Metafolin must really be cranking things up. Cooking on the stove again after 3 years of zapping frozen dinners...interesting.
I use high end video games (usually shooters or top shelf role players) to keep my reflexes, eye/hand coordination, decision making and judgment skills sharp (or as sharp as I can)...ultimately they are just high speed puzzles and problem solving exercises...and these are becoming easier. I probably couldn't compete with the average 15 year old, but those other 50-somethings had better look out!
Update 06-08-12: Experimented with doses up to 15 mg/d and back down to one tab of this (800 mcg). All the doses seemed the same to me. Depressives may need to use more, in which case a script for Deplin via PamLab would be cheaper.
Energy levels are improved but not the initial rush when everything seemed to jumpstart at once. I gained a couple pounds a month due to increased appetite until I added a lot of green tea which really helped both with mood, cognition, and weight. Don't let that keep you from using it if you need it...just add the green tea and be aware that your body craves nutrients to repair itself and it signals that via hungers. My hungers seemed to be for extra protein and brown rice (B vitamins). Now I add a whey protein shake and extra B's and the gobbler is back in his cage. Not sure if this is the reason, but a recent very comprehensive blood workup was straight down the middle perfect.
Lastly, if you can't nail down what's got you feeling bad and you've chased every rabbit you can think of...and gotten a dozen different diagnoses (all usually favoring payment of the diagnoser)...then let me suggest one more rock to turn over...the one that I finally found an answer under after 30 years of looking: Get a sleep study done. Why am I adding this to a review about a special B vitamin? Because I know why 90% of you are here: You're like me looking for answers to why you don't feel as good as you know you should.
Yep, I wrote and have said for decades that I knew sleep was at the center of it all along, and yet feel so stupid for not doing this before now, because I wasn't very sleepy during the day. I thought sleepiness was the gold standard diagnostic it's useful, but there's a non sleepy variant that might even be worse. The endo who ordered the other blood work kept getting hits on sleep apnea with his other patients, so he ordered one on me...to my surprise and relief...and when all the tests came back negative, this one came back strongly positive..and it explains almost the entire picture. Sleep affects almost everything. Fortunately, the treatment is drug free and very effective..we'll see.
Don't be like me and let your preconceived ideas of what an apnea victim looks like keep you from getting what in many cases is a free test. Mine costs a co-pay and a night in the hospital, but my insurance company advised that a (better) in-home test is free. Either way it goes you come out ahead. Knowledge is power.
This is a long post and I thank you for getting this far and hope something in here helps you or someone you know.
I admit I take a lot of supplements but this one was highly recommended to me by a physician. I've been taking this now for a year or more and it's definitely working. When I started taking it this was the only methylfolate out there but I see now that there are several more. I'll be sticking with this brand because they've been consistently good with delivery, product etc. I was told to take this because of the relationship between periods of depression and what it can do to the brain over time. It's actually related to the development of dementia and I have alzheimers in the family. I'm all for doing what I can to avoid that and if this helps stabilize mood over time then it's worth the money to keep taking it. I've not noticed a huge difference but... I don't want to take chances either.
Buy Solgar - Folate (Metafolin)800 Mcg, 100 tablets Now
I have to cut the tabs in half and take only 400 mg per day. However, I am also taking methyl B-12 (methylcobalamin), TMG, calcium d glucarate, inositol, and choline, all methylators, so someone that is not taking a lot of methyls they may find that this dose is fine for them. It muscle weakness tested for me as being completely bioavaialable.
Read Best Reviews of Solgar - Folate (Metafolin)800 Mcg, 100 tablets Here
I have a Folate variation, and have to take a prescription Folate L-Methylfolate. The L-Methylfolate in the Solgar product is called Metafolin. (just a quick mention... folic acid isn't the same. I didn't know that before.).
The Solgar Folate is the only Folate I've taken that gives me a boost in the afternoon, when I'm starting to feel like I need a shot of B-12, or "I coulda used a V-8!", or a Red Bull... do you ever have that feeling where you really feel wilted?! I've found a couple of things that seem to really help, the Solgar Folate 800 mg. I'm trying a couple of new products and will review those after I've had a chance to give them a try.
The taste isn't bad, you can even chew them if you want. It has a bit of a sugary, but powdery taste so you might want to follow it up with a sip of something. The bottle does say the product "provides an insignificant amount of sugar alcohols if there are any people who need that information. The size is about the size of a regular Tylenol tablet not at all difficult to swallow if you go that route .. instead of chewing! And it's "free of gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, yeast, sugar, sodium, and artificial colors and flavors".
As of the time I purchased there was not a subscription for this particular product, but I will continue to purchase as it is the best product at the most reasonable price that I have found!
Solgar Folate (Metafolin)800 Mcg, 100 tablets
Trace Minerals Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops-Glass, 4 Ounce
Source Naturals Ginseng (panax) 10 grain 648mg, 100 Tablets
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I seem to crave foods high in folate, regardless of my folic acid intake. I got these pills to test out the thesis. The product is kosher (kof-k), pareve, wheat and dairy free, and easy to swallow.
At 800mg, they are double the recommended amount, and this product is sold in the 400mg variety as well. I'd be nice if there was a way to split this pill in half easily.
If you need folate, excellent product.
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