Has anyone tested for the MTHFR gene?

Somehow by the Grace of God I got hooked up with a psych who suggested I get tested for a genetic mutation on the MTHFR gene, which prevents folate from adequately passing the blood-brain barrier. I decided to be the test case for my family, where depression, anxiety, OCD and bi-polar run rampant. I have the two mutations. Was prescribed l-methyl folate, (I take the brand called deplin) a refined food form of folic acid. It has been transformational for my depression and anxiety. I'm waiting for family members to be tested. I've been taking this for 6 months, taken myself off one anti-depressant in my cocktail and can see the possibility of cutting down by half the other. My psych says "you are making your own seratonin". In fact. I joke when friends ask me what's new: I say, I'm making my own Seratonin. This has been transformational for me. I feel good, and I am driving and the phobias and ruminations of anticipatory anxiety are way way way in the background noise of life.
Anyone else experiencing this? I encourage all to investigate this as it applies to your own mental health and well-being. I think we all feel that there is some brain chemistry piece of the puzzle in our own separate experiences of depression and anxiety, even though it comes in different flavors. Somehow we know that there is something that is off. This MTHFR gene mutation could be an important piece of the puzzle. I hope my story helps some one. God Bless.

Scardycat, this journey thru the blood test and taking Deplin has inspired me to share my experience in hope that others can gain something.
1. I asked my therapist to refer me to a psychiatrist for a med review. I was tired of being treated as a drug seeker for wanting my rx for freaking .25 mg of Xanax so I could function in my life. BTW, I am college educated and run a company. The nice intern referred me to a panic/anxiety book and asked me if I was interested in getting off my meds. Really? No, I want to really live my life and NOT strategize how I will drive from A to Z or get on a plane for vacation, live a normal life. Be treated by doctors with the respect I deserve. And it's taken me decades to finally realize I deserve respect from these quacks.
2. Psychiatrists understand the daily struggle of anxiety and panic. You are not a drug-seeker to a good psych. They laugh at .25 mg of Xanax. No problem. She knowsmi'm trying to stand in a line, make it thru the left turn signal, and that my quality of life needs help. Finally someone who gets it.
3. 90% of her population of people who are depressed, have anxiety, panic, bi-polar have tested POSITIVE for the MTHFR gene. An overwhelming majority of her population have been able to reduce their dose of anti-depressants and anxiety meds after 6 months on Deplin. I decided this was a great win/no loss if I took the test. I had 2 mutations. Took Depin and after 4 months started my journey of driving on the freeway --- my nemesis. Still supplementing with Xanax as needed, but the almighty freedom of being myself,grounded, free from phobic thoughts has been amazing. I need to add that Deplin is indicated for depression, to help your anti-depressant work better, not poop out and require another med to "help". I had no expectation that I would feel grounded enough to tackle the personal ogre of The Freeway.
4. I need to add that after 2 months on Deplin, my psych suggested that I go to .5 mg of time-release Xanax. I had no idea there was such a thing. But it really helped to ground me. The combination, I think, helped tremendously with anticipatory anxiety, and has allowed me to be more ME in ways I cannot yet describe.
5. As far as I know, Quest Diagnostics does the test. Most health plans do not cover it, although I believe Medicare does. My cost after ins was $30, am told it costs $150. You have to advocate for it. I am doing my part to raise the roof. It's a piece of the puzzle for people like us...
6. Type MTHFR into a search engine, ignore the snake-oil salesmen, and decide for yourself. Deplin isn't a drug, it is a food. It could help tremendously, but not hurt. In the end, I have decided that nothing is more important than my health and well-being. I hope this inspires you to test, to take charge of you. BTW, after I tested, I encouraged my PTSD/ADHD veteran husband to test. He has 2 mutations and from my view, he is more focused and less anxious. It's worth a try. It has been the most transformational thing to my mental health and I hope my discovery can help someone, anyone out there.
God Bless, Tessa

shetakesdeplin, I found out that I have two copies of the MTHFR mutation in 2004 after a full miscarragie work up, little did I know that this would be the root or cause of my depression and anxiety which worsened years later. Fast forward to 2010 I began taking Celexa for depresssion/anxiety but when I went up to 40mg two things happend, the medicine wore off, that's when I saw the brochure to Deplin in my psychiatrist office, I quickly spoke to my doctor when I saw the MTHFR mutation on the pamphlet on the list of people who may benefit from deplin. He prescribed it and it made a world of difference only another side effect arose from the Celexa, (urinary frequency) and I was tappered off and continued on the Deplin, I thought i was ok, i was exercising and only on Deplin for a while and thought all my problems had been resolved... Deplin unfortunately is NOT covered by insurance and back then it was costing me about 60.00 ...so iresponsibly I went off it. Continued exercising but slowly but surely depression/anxiety returned :( ..I have yet to find a psychiatrist that is passionate and knowledgeable about MTHFR mutation and its link to depression/anxiety. Anyway last year for some reason I started having throat issues, chronic cough, constant throat clearing etc, was told it was due to (silent reflux) and I was put on a regimen of PPI's (nexium and zantac) and on an acid reflux diet, i was also put on a drug called Elavil, (antidepressive) my ENT thought he would treat me for nerve damage as well, because I've had the sypmtoms for three months with no relief. At that point I had started the Deplin again, because it seems to help my mood and irritability tremendously. However I was so desperate with these throat symptoms, I stopped everyting I was on to just focus on the problem at hand. I even started to think that perhaps the Deplin migh be causing my stomach issues. So I stopped it, and doc also added the Elavil 25mg and low and behold in eight weeks I was perfect my throat issues dissapeared. I went on Vacation in november and went back to old eating habits and late Jan. I wanted to start deplin again since I felt depression creeping up and I started on 15 mg (full pill) well side effects were pretty bad :( ..gas, stomach upset etc, and a little after that, throat problems resturned. I'm sorry I'm i'm going on and on, just seems that I have so many issues I'm so confused :( My depression is also back full force especially during PMS, super weepy and sad adn anxious about any little thing. In the interum I found another psychiatrist to treat depression and he suggested I continue the deplin, (didn't seem too knowledgeable like it was no big deal and certainly didn't seem to care or understand about MTHFR) he put me on Wellbutrin XL 150mg and it put my anxiety over the roof! I also take Zanax .5 as needed and I have never needed it so much :( ... in the interum I saw my ENT again for the throat issues and he put me back on Elavil started me on 10mg 1 x day, and I didn't want to mix the two. I was only on Wellbutrin for 3 days and on the fourth day that I didn't take it I had an anxiety attack out of no where. :( I called the psychiatrist asking him if elavil and wellbutrin had any reactions, as I was reading that they may, and he didn't seem to really give me any information so I made my own decision to stop the wellbutrin, deplin, and continue with treating this throat problem :(. HOwever not sure it was the right choise. I feel like I'm deciding things without any direction and I feel lost :(. I know that Deplin helps me but I'm afraid it's aggrevating my stomach, to the point that it's causing me to reflux and then causing my throat issues. So anyway I decided to give myself time to get better again by doing exactly what I did months ago, which helped, but my depression is just not good. Just wish I could find a doc. both medical and psychiatric that understood how important this gene mutation is and can help me and choose the right treatment plan for me. :( Today i'm particularly weepy and anxious. I'd like to go and see the psychiatrist again, but he left a bad impresion on the phone very quiet and not really giving me any other options when I told him the Wellbutrin was causing my anxiety to worsen... anyway when I read your post I thought you might understand my frustration, and was wondering how you were doing...since we both have this same gene mutaiton it feels good to talk to someone who understands.

YES! I just found out last May I have this. My doc didn't make it into a big deal so I didn't think much of it. I was tested again (he does routine blood work for preventative means) at the beginning of this month and with my increasingly bad digestive, reflux, LPR, throat spasms, panic, OCD and anxiety, I paid more attention to the results. They seemed to be worse than last time even though he had me on a multivitamin with folate. WELL! I am heterozygous for 1298 AND 677. I'm on very few vitamins now but see the doc in two days to discuss results. I have been on a week of low acid, low histamine, non dairy, gluten, grains, soy, etc. foods and am down to like 10 foods including sunflower seeds, a handful of greens and chicken, egg, and fish in moderation as well as apples and almond butter. I am beginning to feel better however still have issues with nausea if I don't cook the food and just eat the veggies raw, which I am doing some of. These foods have folate in them! YAY! Without realizing it, I'm doing the right thing. Before, I was eating a lot of grains like rice and high protein and not much vegetable.

Is there anything more I can do to help myself before I see the doctor?

I just want to say THANK YOU GOD-finally people who understand what I am going through and have felt victory in their journey!!!
I also have tested to have both gene mutations. Though I don't understand a lot of the terminology I do understand that it has greatly deminished much of my life. I have spent so much of the beginning stages in melancholy and anxious states of mind and never realizing that it was not normal to feel that way until I had a horrible phase of panic attacks and took an antidepressant to stop them. All of the sudden I felt good and was strangely feeling outgoing and content. I never realized I had any real problems until I would try to stop the medicine and return to the old me of anxiety, depression and irritableness. Yet even knowing I have these mutations has not solved the puzzle-as I struggle with reactions to all but a couple of the medicines and supplements.So I first want to ask if anyone has taken the sertraline for depression and anxiety with success. I have tried it back and forth with mostly just a dulling and lack of motivation. It does help with some of the mind racing I get but not much for depression without dulling my emotions.
I have tried the deplin while on a small amount of lexapro-as I was in a weaning stage due to anxiety I thought was coming from the lexapro when we found out about one of the genes. With that I broke out in a horrible welted face rash. I also tried some natural supplements to get back up to that dose and didn't seem to have any issues until the dr. put my on a B-complex with the correct ingredients and I then broke out in the same type of rash on my arm.
I recently had gotten myself down to 12.50 mgs of sertraline and 5 mgs of lexpro, along with o.0125 of clonazopram at night and sometimes half of that during the day if I feel the anxiety returning. They seem to have worked better together, it may just be me as it seems to fluctuate every few days for some reason-maybe not. Anyway-I just need to get this out there-I feel like just a nut case these days not knowing whether I am coming or going half the time anymore.
Any input is appreciated.
thanks

Hi! I am working with a few different professionals. Because my symptoms and treatment plans plans are always so complex and need constant monitoring I have a few well known professional in my area 'stumped' and hopeless in helping me.
My pysciatric medicine manager is usually very helpful and supportive of my 'sensitivity' to various drugs and supplements-so that is a good thing. He is comfortable with me upping for trial and reducing if I feel the symptoms are not tolerable-as with the sertraline. We have tried that a few times t see if it is my imagination or really numbing me on normal doses such as 25 mg. The Lexapro appears at first to help for some of the depression then it feels as though it has altogether stopped helping out of the blue. A few months ago he agreed to check my thyroid which is another issue. (It goes up and does and now since seeing an endocrinologist my blood tests have to be sent to the Mayo Clinic due to my blood binding proteins differently I guess. As in the past few years I have been diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism only to find out it was not nearly as bad as the test showed. However, though the endocrinologists found that out-she was resistant to accept that I have in been diagnosed with sluggish adrenals in the past and pooh-poohed the idea that their weakness could be contributing to my thyroid fluctuation. In my experience it does. Not to mention every time she has done the blood when it comes out with healthy levels of Free T4 I have been taking low does of iodine supplementation.) Anyway I had not been taking the iodine for quite a while and working longer hours. Though he had upped my lexapro weeks before to 20 mgs. but then dropped it back to 10 mg. with 25 sertraline. I felt better with the drop but then I began to feel worse again. l got that usual hopeless, dark gloomy, and weighed down feeling I get out of the blue. So he checked my tsh only and again it had become sluggish-3.69 they try to keep it at 2.0 or below in my area. So we decided to try some thyroid medicine to augment the lthe two meds. I felt terrific for one week, only to begin to have irritable feelings and terrible sluggishness again but not so depressed. Turns out studies indicate thyroid meds can create havoc with adrenals and thyroid when the thyroid problem is related to the adrenals. I eventually had to stop the thyroid medicine as I couldn't stand being in my own skin. : )
As far as supplements I have used the Methylguard and had great results with focus and motivation but not so much with improved mood-but then again it is all so complicated with the adrenals and thyroid that I might be missing something else. I have recently begun seeing a new naturalpath that has a bit of knowledge with the MTHFR but probably not enough so I am still left to research on my own. I di though recently find out that I have sensitivity to various food items. Mostly dairy. Gluten is low as well as tomatoes and chocolate. Probably all foods I am supposed to avoid but I gravitate to them! : (
So last night I got tired of the empty feelings in my brain with the 25 of sertraline after four days of trying that dose and felt compelled to go back to the 12.50 baby dose that seemed to work fine for the anxiety for a while. I don't feel as dull this morning. I still took the clnazapam I take at night-0.0125 and if the weirdness in my brain acts up -the fleeting thoughts and and gloom and doom-then I will just try taking 1/2 of tht during the day. I do have an appointment with my prescriber on Friday. He will hopefully help with another plan if needed. In the mean time I wonder...should I try starting up with some folate again?

So what did you ever do for you major depressive struggle. Did you finally over come it or did you take medication? Are you still being treated for your depression and anxiety?

Hi SB and welcome.

I am sorry to hear of your daughter's condition and your own health challenges. It is my sincere hope that you can manage all the issues for the best quality of life for you both!

TBH, your questions are getting a little beyond our expertise....and unless your inquiries relate to your anxiety levels/management...it's also a bit off topic.

One suggestion I can make us to consult an endocrinologist regarding the thyroid questions if you've not done so already.

Please feel free to check out our Resources at the top of the main forum page here for great self help material for anxiety management. ..and post with us regarding stress issues anytime.

Scaredy Cat

Hi guys...

Thank you so much for your input. Really helps! Even just reading your stories and hearing how this mutation has affected your lives is very helpful, and thank you for sharing. I understand that I'm probably asking a bit much; I just thought that if I put my 'feelers' out there, I'd come up with something. Thank you, S.C. for mentioning an Endocrinologist. I will look into that. I thoght I'd reach out - even thoughI don't know where I personally stand with regrds to my having the mutation or not, the symptoms I have have piqued my curiousity... Now that I may have a definitive reason fo rmy depression makes me feel like I'm onto something and that I can actually present something 'solid' to the Prof that wants to help me. Luckily, his wife is a geneticist and no doubt will have other connections that I may be put into contact with...

The more I read, the more I understand. Even listing the medication you guys are taking helps, as it all helps in contributing to what I aim to achieve which is to create awareness of mthfr and consequent treatment in South Africa...

3 shadows - it's great that your dr told you to get tested, when I broached the subject with my dr he gave me a deadpan stare! haha

With regards to the 'depression' etc, it's great that I have people who can relate and offer support via this forum if need be. I always (and still do) hated being dependant on meds as one is unfortunately "labelled"... even if I was just having a normal bad day, I'd always get a snide comment from the "monster-in-law" : "have u taken your meds?!"... recently her sister called me a psychotic *****. . .
Anyway, I find this Chat very interesting and look forward to more exchanges! :)

I just want to add that no matter what you do find that seem to give a mood lift; if it works and you feel much better it doesn't matter if it is natural or pharmacy labeled. The important thing that I have found throughout my journey is that it is more important to treat 'you' then do what everyone else is doing; thinks is best or that your decision is unwise and unnatural.

Also, you will find a wealth of support on this site that will help even if they can't relate to a symptom, medicine, vitamin or diagnosis.

I haven't been on this site in quite some time. But it is not because I do not value everyone here. With that being said; it is good to be able to check in again.

In closing...I will say this as one with the mutation and diagnosis. OCD'ing over symptoms can really suck the life out if you and delay the best treatment for fear of med's. FYI I WAS hospitalized for trying to fix my depression with to many solutions on my own in combination with a medicine; because I felt the same as you did...I didn't want to take medicine all of my life. I was diagnosed with 'med phobia" LOL!! Seriously I was. So don't get caught up in the latest fad out there. Be thankful if you do find a treatment that works for YOU. Because YOU matter.