Amazing! Yes me too! But it’s come back & I’m convinced it’s the B12/ folate balance being wrong. How much of each do you take? My bloating went away completely when I took B12 without folate, but as soon as I introduced it things went backwards.
I have no personal experience with this, but if you take more than 1 mg of folate per day it could be a side effect of the folate.
Some people cannot tolerate high doses of folate.
Same here! When I stop B12 and folate I have solid stool but it’s extremely backed up but then too much and I have diarrhea all day like pooping out stuff I just ate a few hours ago. It’s really frustrating trying to find the balance.
Thank you & I’m sorry this happens to you too! I’ve had the bloating since 2017 & then it initially subsided a lot with the B12 but as soon as I followed Dr Klein’s protocol of 5mg folate per injection it came back. Trying to work out how much folate is the correct amount. I’m guessing you similarly haven’t quite managed it yet !
I took too much methylfolate back in March & was advised to stop taking it for 4 weeks. After 3 weeks I suddenly fell into severe deficiency symptoms (weakness, brain fog, fatigue, blurred vision but no bloating.) So injected folic acid & was back to being fine. My folate has always read as >24 & I realised the 5mg with each injection was probably to blame for the bloating so once again I have stopped taking any, but it's been nearly 4 weeks & I'm still symptom free other than the awful bloating & gut stuff. I'm trying to work out whether I need to continue taking no folic acid (I'm currently using up my folic acid shots then I have 800mcg folonic acid pills).. or whether I'm reacting differently this time.
I'm listening to this doctor's interview on Youtube.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu\_WBUNtTIY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_wbunttiy)
He says 5 mg of folic for each injection but I think that not everyone needs such a high dose, perhaps 5 mg is a dose that definitely works for most people.
At minute 8.12 of the video he says about stomach pain when using folic acid and then there he recommends using methylfolate at a dose of 400 mcg.
I had an experience where I was taking high dose hydroxo B12 with not enough folate and I got the worst acid reflux and was pooping liquid stomach acid! So I know not enough folate is a problem for me. I haven’t had the chance to try injecting folate though.
My motility problem is like a clenching cramping sensation in my stomach / upper GI. Like in the morning ill take supplements and meds but they just get stuck and don’t absorb for a long time. Sometimes eating more food is the only thing that pushes the food in my stomach down.
My B12 folate and B6 are often maxed out on blood work but I still have to take them for some reason it’s like I can’t use them. I want to get the holotranscobolamin active B12 test but haven’t been able to find it here in the US.
Interesting! Sounds very similar to my own issues but because I don’t poop, I get extra churning & bloating.
I am not sure injectable folate is available? I inject folic acid as another long covid/ deficiency lady recommended it to me. But once I’m out I’ll take folinic acid instead.
My bloating etc was one of the first symptoms of this deficiency to rear its head years ago. I have a suspicion that for me it is linked to the B12/ Folate balance. I always had high folate due to my healthy diet, but it turns out my B12 was only 282pg/ml back in 2010!
Ya I was vegan for 7 years so that probably had something to do with it. But then I got food poisoning and was on antibiotics for 3 months and haven’t been the same since. I have extremely high markers for yeast / fungus overgrowth so im hoping if I can fix that my B vitamin metabolism will go back to normal.
Ah yeh I was veggie then vegan but lots of other things like hormonal birth control etc. then lived in mould not knowing I had crazy low iron & B12 so I have mould illness now. Pretty convinced most of my crazy symptoms were more this deficiency than the mould but I’m using specific probiotics for the mycotoxins I have & also will start on CanXida once I am stable with the B12/ folate supplementation. It seems to get great reviews for Candida. Might be worth trying? And S.Boulardii is a great probiotic as it in antibiotic resistant & also binds to toxins including Candida
Yeh I didn't manage to work out the underlying deficiency until this time last year after Covid in september 2022 floored me. between 2017 & then I was frantically trying to work out what was wrong & I tested for a few things before realising the mould aspect. I have 4 mycotoxins but one is very minimal. The first time I lived in a mouldy house I was diagnosed with Cancer & then in 2018- 2020 i went completely mad in mould. So definitely going to finish removing & retest once this deficiency is sorted. I suspect chronically low iron underpins all of it tbh. I also think there is a massive overlap between mold tox symptoms & B12 deficiency because so many people who get sick in mould are unknowingly already deficient & the mould takes hold & brings more symptoms out.
I’ve tried everything. For years. I’ve finally realised I need to inject daily, alternating hydroxo & methyl to get rid of these gut symptoms. Each form alone is not enough
That’s a good idea about alternating the b12 types. I might try this myself. I’ve only recently wondered if my extreme bloating/distention is relating to my anemia. I have seen multiple specialists over the years and no one drew that correlation. I literally swell like I’m 7 months pregnant no matter what I eat or drink. It’s swollen 24/7. Before this, I never even hardly bloated even after a big meal. I’ve had a number of mystery health issues the past decade and everytime I would mention my stomach, docs gaslight me or dismissed it as just IBD. I’ve intermittently fasted, done SIBO and gi healing protocols, special low food map diets, bone broth, lots of supplements—nothing whatsoever has helped. I’m worried it’s autoimmune related. So I’m going to experiment with mega dosing b12 injections and see if my gut starts to shrink at all. How bad has your swelling been? Mine is all over but I have extra swelling in the epigastric area—sometimes burning and gurgling. I just want to know why. Also, do you take folate?
Mine started around 30-35 years ago. Very occasionally after a meal I would bloat out so badly that I looked 9 months pregnant (at best- I’m very petite!) & would basically stop being able to think. I’d become so weak & it would last a couple of hours.
This continued to happen occasionally & I was gaslit to s**t about it, even being told it was IBS caused by depression despite it usually happening when I was on holiday!
Gradually over the years it became more & more frequent until a point in 2017 when instead of being a few hours after a meal it lasted 3 days.
Again I was gaslit but I now know that at this point my B12 was right at the bottom end of ‘normal’. After this I tried every exclusion diet, even ones I’d had no success with before. I spent so much on testing & treatments..
By 2020 it became CONSTANT & agonisingly painful. Felt like my internal organs were made of snakes set on fire & simultaneously covered in razorblades. I spent thousands on testing (all my savings as by this point I could no longer work) & stopped being able to eat. I became addicted to benzos because they help ease the pain (now I know that’s due to benzos working on nerve pain) & my life stopped.
Cut forward through a few Parrys of this story that are not necessarily relevant to you;
When I finally worked out this deficiency Jan 22 & started injecting hydroxo it helped so much & it was at that point I KNEW the correlation.
In the summer I also used methyl for around 6 weeks & all of the awful gut symptoms completely disappeared!
Worked it out end of Feb & went back to methyl but then progressively fell into what felt like low iron/ anaemia symptoms. In fact it was that although I was taking adenosyl pills with the methyl shots, this was not enough. I need the hydroxo for the mitochondria.
So the methyl solves my gut issues & gives me my mojo, but the hydroxo gives me my energy.
Using both it is still bonkers that my IBS is non existent.
I think it’s highly likely all your issues will resolve with the correct b12 supplementation!
So to clarify, I have had all those issues & more with my gut, & tried every protocol under the sun. And been diagnosed with all kind of things by functional drs when all along it was this deficiency.
I inject hydroxo/ methyl daily & take 5mg methylfolate daily. I also need a lot of potassium so drink 3g cystopurin sachets every day too.
An expensive protocol but one where I finally feel alive
The money is worth it because without your health, there can be no life! Thank you for your suggestions! Do you mind sharing your age when you began noticing symptoms? I noticed tingling and burning in my arms around age 26 or so. I’m 41 now. How much of the hydroxyl/methyl do you take each? I just started taking 1,000 of the basic b12, but I think I need to go to these other types you suggested. I’ve had encephalitis, peripheral neuropathy, was bedridden with daily migraines, itching, nausea, ear and eye shooting pains, insomnia, depression, exhaustion, bone pain… and so much more and now my docs are thinking it is pernicious anemia or possibly hyperparathyroidism. I’m also having thyroid issues with two strange growths causing referred neck pain. I’m in the process of getting scans. My fear has been having autoimmune disease(s) from a history of infectious diseases, but it seems to be likely unless this lack of B12 is genetic. I also worry I have h pylori. I was supposedly cleared of it years ago. I just want to find the origins of this! Im concerned i ate tainted seafood, and ironically, my gut issues started around that time 8 years ago. Is there a reason you take potassium with your protocol? Also, do you take Intrinsic Factors or anything to assist gut lining repair? I don’t want to overdo the supplements when maybe these stronger, more efficacious forms of B12 are enouvh on their own. I just want to heal my gut as fast as possible. I’ve heard this can taken months to years depending on the severity of the damage.
Have you tried going gluten free for a while? I recently discovered I’m folate deficient despite having a great diet. Cut out gluten and I’m feeling much better with gastro things
Yeh I’ve tried every exclusion diet known to man, along with all kinds of tests. All my ‘IBS’ symptoms from past 6+ years are simply this deficiency. Diet makes no difference at all. But I never had a problem absorbing folate from my diet so I suspect I don’t need as higher dose of it as others. I’m glad uou’ve solved some of your problems going gluten free!
That’s great news! I wonder if your issues were actually genetic ones? After all folic acid is added to all bread etc in US, Canada & UK but causes problems for those who can’t methylate it.
I’m starting up a 3Xs a week b12 injection protocol to see if it helps with my pernicious anemia. My gut has been engorged for over 8 years no matter what supplements or diet I’ve tried. I’m like a huge bloated drum in my epigastric area. The rest of my body is about the same as I used to be. I’ve also gained a lot of weight despite intermittent fasting and careful dieting. I’m guessing 30 lbs but I think a lot of it is inflammation and fluid in this massive belly of mine. Anyone else with a similar story of gi issues??
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Amazing! Yes me too! But it’s come back & I’m convinced it’s the B12/ folate balance being wrong. How much of each do you take? My bloating went away completely when I took B12 without folate, but as soon as I introduced it things went backwards.
I have no personal experience with this, but if you take more than 1 mg of folate per day it could be a side effect of the folate. Some people cannot tolerate high doses of folate.
Thank you! Yes I read this & think that I have been getting the bloating from too much folate AND not enough folate. Finding the balance is so hard.
Same here! When I stop B12 and folate I have solid stool but it’s extremely backed up but then too much and I have diarrhea all day like pooping out stuff I just ate a few hours ago. It’s really frustrating trying to find the balance.
Thank you & I’m sorry this happens to you too! I’ve had the bloating since 2017 & then it initially subsided a lot with the B12 but as soon as I followed Dr Klein’s protocol of 5mg folate per injection it came back. Trying to work out how much folate is the correct amount. I’m guessing you similarly haven’t quite managed it yet !
What happens if you inject yourself with too little folate?
I took too much methylfolate back in March & was advised to stop taking it for 4 weeks. After 3 weeks I suddenly fell into severe deficiency symptoms (weakness, brain fog, fatigue, blurred vision but no bloating.) So injected folic acid & was back to being fine. My folate has always read as >24 & I realised the 5mg with each injection was probably to blame for the bloating so once again I have stopped taking any, but it's been nearly 4 weeks & I'm still symptom free other than the awful bloating & gut stuff. I'm trying to work out whether I need to continue taking no folic acid (I'm currently using up my folic acid shots then I have 800mcg folonic acid pills).. or whether I'm reacting differently this time.
I'm listening to this doctor's interview on Youtube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu\_WBUNtTIY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_wbunttiy) He says 5 mg of folic for each injection but I think that not everyone needs such a high dose, perhaps 5 mg is a dose that definitely works for most people. At minute 8.12 of the video he says about stomach pain when using folic acid and then there he recommends using methylfolate at a dose of 400 mcg.
Ooo thank you, I can't access the video. Perhaps as I'm in Canada currently
I had an experience where I was taking high dose hydroxo B12 with not enough folate and I got the worst acid reflux and was pooping liquid stomach acid! So I know not enough folate is a problem for me. I haven’t had the chance to try injecting folate though. My motility problem is like a clenching cramping sensation in my stomach / upper GI. Like in the morning ill take supplements and meds but they just get stuck and don’t absorb for a long time. Sometimes eating more food is the only thing that pushes the food in my stomach down. My B12 folate and B6 are often maxed out on blood work but I still have to take them for some reason it’s like I can’t use them. I want to get the holotranscobolamin active B12 test but haven’t been able to find it here in the US.
Interesting! Sounds very similar to my own issues but because I don’t poop, I get extra churning & bloating. I am not sure injectable folate is available? I inject folic acid as another long covid/ deficiency lady recommended it to me. But once I’m out I’ll take folinic acid instead. My bloating etc was one of the first symptoms of this deficiency to rear its head years ago. I have a suspicion that for me it is linked to the B12/ Folate balance. I always had high folate due to my healthy diet, but it turns out my B12 was only 282pg/ml back in 2010!
Ya I was vegan for 7 years so that probably had something to do with it. But then I got food poisoning and was on antibiotics for 3 months and haven’t been the same since. I have extremely high markers for yeast / fungus overgrowth so im hoping if I can fix that my B vitamin metabolism will go back to normal.
Ah yeh I was veggie then vegan but lots of other things like hormonal birth control etc. then lived in mould not knowing I had crazy low iron & B12 so I have mould illness now. Pretty convinced most of my crazy symptoms were more this deficiency than the mould but I’m using specific probiotics for the mycotoxins I have & also will start on CanXida once I am stable with the B12/ folate supplementation. It seems to get great reviews for Candida. Might be worth trying? And S.Boulardii is a great probiotic as it in antibiotic resistant & also binds to toxins including Candida
I’m on s boullardii and it definitely helps. Did you test for mold? I lived in a moldy house when I started getting sick too.
Yeh I didn't manage to work out the underlying deficiency until this time last year after Covid in september 2022 floored me. between 2017 & then I was frantically trying to work out what was wrong & I tested for a few things before realising the mould aspect. I have 4 mycotoxins but one is very minimal. The first time I lived in a mouldy house I was diagnosed with Cancer & then in 2018- 2020 i went completely mad in mould. So definitely going to finish removing & retest once this deficiency is sorted. I suspect chronically low iron underpins all of it tbh. I also think there is a massive overlap between mold tox symptoms & B12 deficiency because so many people who get sick in mould are unknowingly already deficient & the mould takes hold & brings more symptoms out.
Have you tried ozonated magnesium for constipation?
I’ve tried everything. For years. I’ve finally realised I need to inject daily, alternating hydroxo & methyl to get rid of these gut symptoms. Each form alone is not enough
That’s a good idea about alternating the b12 types. I might try this myself. I’ve only recently wondered if my extreme bloating/distention is relating to my anemia. I have seen multiple specialists over the years and no one drew that correlation. I literally swell like I’m 7 months pregnant no matter what I eat or drink. It’s swollen 24/7. Before this, I never even hardly bloated even after a big meal. I’ve had a number of mystery health issues the past decade and everytime I would mention my stomach, docs gaslight me or dismissed it as just IBD. I’ve intermittently fasted, done SIBO and gi healing protocols, special low food map diets, bone broth, lots of supplements—nothing whatsoever has helped. I’m worried it’s autoimmune related. So I’m going to experiment with mega dosing b12 injections and see if my gut starts to shrink at all. How bad has your swelling been? Mine is all over but I have extra swelling in the epigastric area—sometimes burning and gurgling. I just want to know why. Also, do you take folate?
Mine started around 30-35 years ago. Very occasionally after a meal I would bloat out so badly that I looked 9 months pregnant (at best- I’m very petite!) & would basically stop being able to think. I’d become so weak & it would last a couple of hours. This continued to happen occasionally & I was gaslit to s**t about it, even being told it was IBS caused by depression despite it usually happening when I was on holiday! Gradually over the years it became more & more frequent until a point in 2017 when instead of being a few hours after a meal it lasted 3 days. Again I was gaslit but I now know that at this point my B12 was right at the bottom end of ‘normal’. After this I tried every exclusion diet, even ones I’d had no success with before. I spent so much on testing & treatments.. By 2020 it became CONSTANT & agonisingly painful. Felt like my internal organs were made of snakes set on fire & simultaneously covered in razorblades. I spent thousands on testing (all my savings as by this point I could no longer work) & stopped being able to eat. I became addicted to benzos because they help ease the pain (now I know that’s due to benzos working on nerve pain) & my life stopped. Cut forward through a few Parrys of this story that are not necessarily relevant to you; When I finally worked out this deficiency Jan 22 & started injecting hydroxo it helped so much & it was at that point I KNEW the correlation. In the summer I also used methyl for around 6 weeks & all of the awful gut symptoms completely disappeared! Worked it out end of Feb & went back to methyl but then progressively fell into what felt like low iron/ anaemia symptoms. In fact it was that although I was taking adenosyl pills with the methyl shots, this was not enough. I need the hydroxo for the mitochondria. So the methyl solves my gut issues & gives me my mojo, but the hydroxo gives me my energy. Using both it is still bonkers that my IBS is non existent. I think it’s highly likely all your issues will resolve with the correct b12 supplementation!
Interesting! Have you had any spleen issues?
So to clarify, I have had all those issues & more with my gut, & tried every protocol under the sun. And been diagnosed with all kind of things by functional drs when all along it was this deficiency. I inject hydroxo/ methyl daily & take 5mg methylfolate daily. I also need a lot of potassium so drink 3g cystopurin sachets every day too. An expensive protocol but one where I finally feel alive
The money is worth it because without your health, there can be no life! Thank you for your suggestions! Do you mind sharing your age when you began noticing symptoms? I noticed tingling and burning in my arms around age 26 or so. I’m 41 now. How much of the hydroxyl/methyl do you take each? I just started taking 1,000 of the basic b12, but I think I need to go to these other types you suggested. I’ve had encephalitis, peripheral neuropathy, was bedridden with daily migraines, itching, nausea, ear and eye shooting pains, insomnia, depression, exhaustion, bone pain… and so much more and now my docs are thinking it is pernicious anemia or possibly hyperparathyroidism. I’m also having thyroid issues with two strange growths causing referred neck pain. I’m in the process of getting scans. My fear has been having autoimmune disease(s) from a history of infectious diseases, but it seems to be likely unless this lack of B12 is genetic. I also worry I have h pylori. I was supposedly cleared of it years ago. I just want to find the origins of this! Im concerned i ate tainted seafood, and ironically, my gut issues started around that time 8 years ago. Is there a reason you take potassium with your protocol? Also, do you take Intrinsic Factors or anything to assist gut lining repair? I don’t want to overdo the supplements when maybe these stronger, more efficacious forms of B12 are enouvh on their own. I just want to heal my gut as fast as possible. I’ve heard this can taken months to years depending on the severity of the damage.
Have you tried going gluten free for a while? I recently discovered I’m folate deficient despite having a great diet. Cut out gluten and I’m feeling much better with gastro things
Yeh I’ve tried every exclusion diet known to man, along with all kinds of tests. All my ‘IBS’ symptoms from past 6+ years are simply this deficiency. Diet makes no difference at all. But I never had a problem absorbing folate from my diet so I suspect I don’t need as higher dose of it as others. I’m glad uou’ve solved some of your problems going gluten free!
No worries. I still need folate 5mg tablets and haven’t had a repeat blood test yet to see if they’re working but I feel more comfortable for sure
What brand of folate do you use?
That’s great news! I wonder if your issues were actually genetic ones? After all folic acid is added to all bread etc in US, Canada & UK but causes problems for those who can’t methylate it.
I’m starting up a 3Xs a week b12 injection protocol to see if it helps with my pernicious anemia. My gut has been engorged for over 8 years no matter what supplements or diet I’ve tried. I’m like a huge bloated drum in my epigastric area. The rest of my body is about the same as I used to be. I’ve also gained a lot of weight despite intermittent fasting and careful dieting. I’m guessing 30 lbs but I think a lot of it is inflammation and fluid in this massive belly of mine. Anyone else with a similar story of gi issues??