Can’t handle vitamins I’m low in

interesting dcd -

i am low in the same Markers - NAC, Vit C, Glutathione on the OAT

after much digging i found its basically a sign of depletion of anti-oxidants - and oxidative stress in general ( my guess is you would have had some raised markers of oxidative stress and maybe fatty acid oxidation)

v brief summary from memory

glutathione is the master antioxidant needed to protect the cell from free radicals made as a by-product of energy production in the mitochondria that powers all eukaryote life.

we have less glutathione than other antioxidants - but its really powerful - and sits at the top of a pyramid or cascade of antioxidants - where each successive layer underneath helps recycle the one above it and hence propping up and maintaining proper anti-oxidant function during redux ( energy production) minerals are needed for this recycling also as co-factors and in production of enzymes needed.

the indications are something is using up all the glutathione....
being low in one layer typically results in being low in all of them - and glutathione precursors like NAC also

this is where it gets tricky - as in exactly what / why

infection is one thing that can do that - pretty much all of the fatiguing infections are known to do it - eg CMV, EBV, chlamydia, TB, lyme, etc etc this problem becomes compounded and has the capability to become stuck as excessive free radicals damage teh mitochondrial membranes - and these lead to less efficient redux - and that causes - guess what - more free radicals - and so the cycle can perpetuate.

toxins also - organophosphates, heavy metals - mold probably etc etc

one of the reasons Keto helps this process is that it is much easier for the mitochondria to burn fat - it kind burns more cleanly with less free-radical production - another thing you and I have in common

there is a well known CFS expert doctor in the UK - Dr Myhill - who has published several papers on exactly what is happening - as she believes its this mitochondrial damage that is at the root of ME/CFS - has published data of oxidized phospholipids, metals and toxins stuck in the mitochondrial membrane ( its the membrane the all energy is generated across - so its critical )

i react to NAC, Vitamin C in large doses but have been taking it for years, zinc not so much but have also always supplemented with that. glutathione - only tried normal oral capsules - makes me herx a bit too - all of these effects seem to pass if i go slow and low though

as to why these thing cause herx like effects - not sure
-sudden increase in cellular energy - including immune cells ( WBC need energy to attack pathogens or toxins )
-displacement of toxins from cell membranes ?
- maybe the body just adapts to some kind of low energy state as a protective mechanism against free radical damage from energy production - and then there is a reaction to anything which tries to push the equilibrium one way or the other

be interested to hear yours and other thoughts

I herxed from vitamin C before, but it was a bigger problem with vitamin B that I suspect that I had a bigger deficiency in. Lowering stress and MCAS seemed to help to fix this problem for me.

In general, my hyper sensitivity to supplements and herbs are now gone.

This may be odd, but NAC gives me headaches. No problems with glutathione. And zinc also caused dizziness. With different infections in play, maybe that is playing a role, as Garzie mentioned?