MTHFR Mutation + Deplin

Hi Everyone,

I found out yesterday that I have two MTHFR mutations (C677T and A1298C), which my doctor says have kept my body from being able to process folate. He believes this has led to many of my health/mental health problems including depression, anxiety and ulcerative colitis.

I started on 15mg of Deplin last night. From what I understand, Deplin is basically just a mega-dose of folate. I'm very medication sensitive, and felt a jolt of energy within a few hours, but also slept more soundly than I have in years last night! I woke up once, but drifted back to sleep because I was able to quiet my anxious thoughts pretty easily. Today I feel pretty happy and energized, but also notice my anxiety is slightly more pronounced.

Have others had good results with it? Has anyone else had slight heightening of anxiety that eventually tapered off? I've had the slight heightening of anxiety in the past with other antidepressants, but it usually never went away. I'm really hopeful with this drug, though, because of the fact that I could also sleep really well on it.

I'm going to post this in the depression forum, too. Any insight would be much appreciated!

Hi Kitt,

Thanks for the response. I've been on Deplin now for 5 days. I have definitely been feeling better, close to "normal" I'd say. Last night i woke up in the middle of the night having what I think was a mild anxiety attack, but I took half a Xanax and it passed quickly. I was then able to sleep again fairly quickly. I think I'll have to be careful since it seems to mildly flare up my anxiety ever few days, but that's really a small issue considering how much better I feel all around. I'll keep everyone posted!

~Laura

Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. “Folic acid” and “folate” mean the same thing. Folic acid is a manmade form of folate. Folate is found naturally in some foods. Most women do not get all the folic acid they need through food alone.

I would check with your Dr. and discuss Deplin. 

Reviving and old thread. I've been suffering from panic, anxiety, and overall ill feeling. Today I got the blood test back from my Dr showing positive for the MTHFR 1298 mutation. Anyone else get relieve from their panic and anxiety by taking the appropriate vitamins for this disorder?

Folic acid is a manmade chemical and it is NOT the same as folate. Folate is made in the body and in some foods. For people with the MTHFR polymorphism(s), they are not able to turn folic acid into folate. Therefore, supplementing with folic acid, and eating foods enriched in folic acid, is pointless and can be harmful because the folic acid will just build up in the body, but the body can't use it or convert it to folate. Why don't food companies skip all this and just enrich their foods with folate itself? Because folic acid is dirt cheap and folate is not. If you have MTHFR, and you are pregnant, you must supplement with folate, or you run the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect, like I did. In 1980, before the MTHFR polymorphisms were ever heard of, I had a baby girl with no brain. This defect is called anencephaly and it's a neural tube defect directly caused by the MTHFR defect. (read NIH article on MTHFR). Or you may have a baby with hydrocephaly or microcephaly or spina bifida or any of the other types of neural tube defects. If you are taking Methotrexate, and you have the MTHFR defect(s), you must supplement with Folate and Methylated B12 and B6. My mother took Methotrexate and was never supplemented. She died from B12 deficiency dementia. To check your B12 levels, please insist on the Methylmalonic Acid test, NOT the serum B12 test. The serum B12 can show normal levels of B12 in your blood, but if you have MTHFR, you can't access and use that B12--it's just going to stay floating around in your blood. You must take a methylated B12, and B6, and of course B9 (which is folate). These are all B vitamins.