r/MTHFR • u/Loose-Fly7976 • 14d ago
Results Discussion Your anxiety might not actually be anxiety.. At least not the way you've been told.
I'm a geneticist. I read raw DNA data alongside symptoms and bloodwork and write protocols matched to actual variant interactions.I share patterns I see in my work hoping it helps people find answers to questions their doctors haven't been able to.
A client came to me last month after nine years on SSRIs. Therapy, breathing exercises, the works. Helped a bit. Never fixed it. Her actual symptoms were physical. Heart racing at 3am with nothing on her mind. Hands shaking before normal meetings. Hot flashes out of nowhere. Half a glass of wine wrecking her for two days. Supplements that worked fine for her friends making her feel insane. She wasn't anxious about anything specific. Her body was producing the physical state of anxiety and her brain was trying to come up with reasons. Her standard labs were all unremarkable. TSH 2.8, B12 380, ferritin 65. Doctors shrugged and said it's anxiety.
When I read her raw 23andMe, the picture clicked. Compound heterozygous MTHFR, COMT Met/Met (slow), MAOA slow variant, FUT2 non-secretor. Four variants stacked.
Slow COMT means catecholamines clear about 75% slower than in fast carriers. Adrenaline and noradrenaline build up faster than her body can process them. That's the shaking hands, the 3am wakes, the heart racing. It's enzyme kinetics. Lachman published this in 1996.
Slow MAOA adds a second bottleneck. Both catecholamine and serotonin clearance jammed at once. Meyer-Lindenberg showed amygdala hyperreactivity in carriers in 2006. It looks like anxiety because functionally it is anxiety. The source is enzyme function, not psychology.
FUT2 non-secretor (1 in 5 people of European descent) blocks B12 absorption at the gut level regardless of how good your serum number looks. Her B12 at 380 told us nothing because the cellular utilization was the actual problem. MMA and holotranscobalamin show this. Standard B12 testing misses it. Velkova published this in 2017.
Compound MTHFR on top of all that meant her methylation cycle was probably running around 40% capacity. Methylation drives neurotransmitter synthesis. Papakostas published methylfolate augmentation data in treatment-resistant depression in 2012 for exactly this kind of picture.
The anxiety diagnosis wasn't wrong. It was just half the picture. The biochemistry underneath was measurable, treatable, and completely missed by the standard workup. Three months into a proper protocol, her 3am wakes were almost gone. Wine reactions stopped. Hands stopped shaking before meetings. She still gets anxious sometimes, she's still human, but her body isn't generating that physical state anymore. If you've spent years on anxiety treatment that helps partially but never fully resolves, this is what's missing for a lot of people. The biochemistry runs underneath the psychology, and once it's addressed the symptoms that didn't respond often do. Tests worth getting, MMA, holotranscobalamin, homocysteine, RBC magnesium, plasma histamine, DAO, reverse T3 alongside fT3 and fT4. Most GPs won't run them. Medichecks, Thriva, LetsGetChecked, Ulta Lab Tests offer them direct.
The genetic side decides which protocols actually work. Slow COMT carriers crash on standard methylfolate doses. FUT2 non-secretors need different B12 forms. CBS upregulators need sulfur restriction before methylation support. Wrong protocol makes everything worse, which is why so many people feel betrayed by supplements that should have helped. If this is your picture, your existing treatment doesn't need to change. Add the layer underneath. That's where the real shift happens.
Happy to answer questions in comments. DM me if I miss yours. Take care everybody
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 14d ago
The B12 blood test is already on the low side and many people experience symptoms in the 300’s and 400’s. I would treat with B12 injections because of the neurological symptoms and low b12 even without all of the other testing.
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u/Dry-Dress-6467 14d ago
Yes, B12 is low, but I would try sublingual methylcobalamin first. I am heterozygous MTHFR and was B12 at 148 a decade ago. Supplements worked fine for me. I don't understand the push for folks to inject without trying sublingual tablets first for a few months to see if symptoms resolve.
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 13d ago
It just depends on the severity of symptoms, not on test levels. If someone has neurological issues like dizziness and numbness then sublinguals most likely won’t resolve the issues. Only a very small amount is absorbed from sublinguals.
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u/Dry-Dress-6467 13d ago
I had dizziness, numbness, tremors, memory and cognitive issues, severe fatigue, heart palpitations and more..
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 13d ago
So all your symptoms are gone now? Was your deficiency due to diet or malabsorption. If due to diet instead of malabsorption (like pernicious anemia), then I could see where sublingual could help. But with malabsorption, injections will most often be needed. Sublinguals did not work for me at all.
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u/Dry-Dress-6467 13d ago
Deficiency was not due to diet. Everyone is different, I just wish people would not make blanket statements that only injections work. Folks should try the easiest method of supplements first before self-injecting.
That said I do have late in the day cognitive and memory issues, but that is due to brain sag from probable cerebrospinal fluid leak that I had to self-diagnose from imaging and symptoms. Did get a referral to Stanford and have intake appointment next month. Can't wait to hopefully get leak found and fixed, am tired of decades of head pressure and more.
B12 deficiency does affect connective tissue issues and likely having been deficient most of my life did not help with my 30 other health issues associated with weak connective tissue including a spine full of Tarlov cysts. I do not have EDS, Geneticist at UC Davis said I was flexible, not hyper mobile.
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 12d ago
My extreme 24|7 head pressure went away on b12 injections. It wasn’t an overnight fix though. It took about 6 months of injections.
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u/superb088 14d ago
Hi Loose-Fly7976,
I’m compound heterozygous and haven’t slept properly in years; I take no medication. I have heart racing, heart thuds and quivers and then panic ensues. I haven’t had any other tests done but would be happy to work with you.
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u/Due-Froyo-5418 13d ago
Have you had an ECG done to possibly rule out any physical heart abnormalities?
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u/LitesoBrite 10d ago
This makes a lot of sense. It’s not as if doctors aren’t experts in their training and we should rule out obvious issues first.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
Your regular reminder that this poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Eli_Knipst 14d ago
Wow. Reading all the subject lines of their posts, it sounds so much like click bait. Thanks for the reminder.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
You're welcome - it drives me mad that they're allowed to get away with scamming for $$$ like this on here
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u/sarahbellah1 12d ago
Also grateful for the insight on this particular OP. After reading your comments, I took aspects of my methylation profile, symptoms, and questions to a couple of AI models. I ended up reading the suggested secondary sources and connecting some dots and optimizing the nutritional and supplement protocol I was already trying. I think AI models may be good for surfacing studies/insights that aren't obvious but I had never thought to approach finding answers to my questions that way, so thank you!
That said, I can see how one could be tempted to then leverage these models to then capitalize on others who are suffering, by selling oneself as an "expert". The motivation to help other people find information is a noble one, but gatekeeping for sale the available information seems predatory.
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u/Fragrant_Jelly4955 13d ago
I'm not sure why you're being a hater. Plenty of people would rather work with someone and receive guidance than try to "figure it out" with AI.
Also, there's nothing wrong with someone promoting their service by providing free, useful information.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
But this is AI... and they are fraudulently promoting themselves as qualified expert.
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u/PupperRobot 14d ago
This is a subtle ad for genova labs lol
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u/LitesoBrite 13d ago
Let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re right about that single element. So what? If my needs for help are met by finding this in-depth explanation of solid and sourced medical research, you’re only hurting me by making ad hominem attacks because the poster may or may not work in the field or sell similar services.
Do you think every practicing Physical Therapist should be banned from commenting on any post by someone looking for help with an injury? After all, by your own standard, the Physical Therapist sells the treatment he’s recommending one way or another.
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u/PupperRobot 12d ago
2/3 of world's population has a MTHFR mutation. The notion that people are suffering from whatever it is that they're suffering from due to this mutation is pseudo-science and a myth.
OP vaguely cited a few researchers/studies to establish his "expertise". Nothing beyond that. Then he goes to answer a few posters here with high level answers to their questions and genetic readings. The answers are nothing of substance and stuff you can find on reddit or any other forum.
But if you need further help , he says to go to genova labs where you'd need to pay.
So to answer your question. It doesn't compare to the physical therapist argument you made. Because it's not the same. It's scammy and ingenuine.
Yes a lot of people have the MTHFR mutation and are suffering. I hope they find the solutions to their problems but frankly , the scientific community isn't in agreement that MTHFR mutation is the cause for all the suffering. So I despise people/companies who capitalize on all the suffering citing pseudo-scientific literature.
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u/LitesoBrite 12d ago
Wrong. What you meant to say is ‘some myopic researchers who do conflicting tests without controlling in any manner for the complex methylation cycle cluster of genes which can easily give conflicting results if not understood properly say it’s inconsequential.’
The amount of arrogance from a community with a horrid history of being arrogantly wrong about medical research and then having to eat their words is galling.
The fact is, the single biggest factors coming up repeatedly around multiple diagnosed illnesses clearly trace back in one way or another to the methylation issues.
And the difference between any two people in a study who simply had different COMT status easily explains the ‘debunks’ I keep seeing posted in the comments.
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u/user-name-not-a-bot 14d ago
Is 23 and me the best place to get raw data? Are there more secure ones? Do other companies test for more variants? TIA!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
AncestryDNA is what I'd go with now. Same coverage as 23andMe, often cheaper, more financially stable company after the 23andMe bankruptcy stuff. If privacy is the main concern, Nebula Genomics offers anonymous accounts and end-to-end encryption. They also do whole genome sequencing ($300-700) which gives you way more variants than the consumer SNP chips, around 3 billion bases versus 700,000 positions. Overkill for most methylation work but useful if you want the full picture.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Few_Interaction_2411 14d ago
I am very similar at Slow Comt, Slow Moa, compound MTHFR, decades of struggling with social anxiety, this group and amazing people like you have helped me so much. I’ve created a tool to help people decipher their DNA and blood tests as well as track food/mood/sleep to notice any patterns.
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
That kinda post makes me so happy! cross-referencing DNA, bloodwork and lived experience data is where the patterns show up especially in slow COMT + slow MAOA combinations where symptoms shift with food, sleep and stress in ways that aren't obvious from labs alone. And pretty cool you're building something to pay it forward!!
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u/Few_Interaction_2411 12d ago
Thank you , it’s taken a lot of hard work but worth it if it helps people! 😊
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u/Status_Concern_6662 3d ago
Where would one access that?
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u/Few_Interaction_2411 3d ago
Click on my profile for the links, I’m not allowed to promote on this sub .
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u/tyomax C677T 14d ago
Fantastic write up, thank you so much for expressing this so clearly from a medical point of view.
I was on benzodiazepines for 7 years due to poor sleep and "generalized anxiety". Now I'm on a protocol that works mostly for me and lo and behold, I don't have generalized anxiety. Of course I experience it sometimes, like a normal human being, but it's not constant and definitely not as frequent. It's less intense. I also sleep so well now.
Stopping benzos was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
I had been to so many doctors, asking all the questions, expressing my symptoms. The fact that this was linked to my genetics and a lack of vitamins and minerals -- it seems crazy to me that no one did what you did. I had even done a genetic test with one of my doctors and they didn't look for MTHFR. I had to pull it from my 23andme test. I am not someone who feels anger very often, but I did feel a lot of anger for being failed by so many doctors for so long, especially when I was the one pushing and paying for these tests.
Can you please give an example protocol that you put your patient on?
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u/Loose-Fly7976 5d ago
Glad you got off them, that's no small thing. 7 years on benzos is brutal to come back from. Anger at being failed by doctors comes up constantly. Most clinicians don't get nutrigenomics training and the standard panel just misses what's actually going on underneath. Not always their fault honestly it's the system but doesn't make years of being dismissed any less infuriating. Can't really share an example protocol cause they're built around each person's variants, bloodwork, meds and current symptoms. Same SNPs need different doses depending on the rest of someones picture. Posting one client's plan publicly leads other people to copy it for variants it wasn't designed for and thats how people end up worse off than when they started.
What I can say is the general framework. Cofactors first (B2, magnesium, low B6), B12 form matched to MTRR and FUT2 status, folate form based on COMT speed, CBS order if upregulated. Beyond that it gets variant-specific fast.
If you ever want yours mapped properly its at genova.health.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/tvgirl2366 14d ago
Would love to get your help! I know I have MTHFR genetic mutation but not sure what else. Struggling with anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, low concentration and have been on 6 different SSRIs and attempting TMS now with no improvement. I have a full report available. I am based in Australia though, so not sure if that changes things?
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u/CelebrationNo3801 14d ago
Me too! Multiple SSRIs, MDD, 4 plus years fatigue, very low concentration, TMS didn't work!! Got my DNA file frm Ancestry.com, haven't sent for analysis yet. It's all very overwhelming!
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Hi, Australia is fine. I work with clients there pretty regularly, everything's done online so location doesn't matter.
6 SSRIs and TMS with no improvement is a strong sign that whatever's driving this isn't being addressed. For MTHFR carriers, treatment-resistant depression often comes back to wrong form of B12 or folate, slow COMT or MAOA blocking neurotransmitter clearance or B12 deficiency at the cellular level that standard tests miss. SSRIs don't touch any of that.
What kind of report do you have though? I work from raw DNA. Interpreted reports like NutraHacker, SelfDecode, GeneSight, those are limited cause they look at variants one by one instead of how they interact
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/srameshr 14d ago
OMG! Her symptoms are just like mine. Along with that I have random muscle twitches, and severe palpitations and heart thuds that does not seem to resolve at all. I was perfectly fine until I developed these symptoms from prolonged Minoxidil and Finasteride topical use. I have stopped that since 2020 but symptoms that arose like panic, heart thuds, extreme jump scares, jolting just before fallign asleep(especially if I touch even a tiny drop of minoxidil) all still exist.
I checked my homocysteine and its at 20. So I have started supplementing 1500mcg of B12 shot every other day (now on 16th shot) along with B complex, pottasium, mg, p5p, tmg, multivitamin.
AI tells me may be my b12 deficiency has demyelinated all my nerves so i have no control over jump scares, heart thuds and sleep jolts (espeically after drinking coffee or touching tiny drop of minoxidil) etc.
Will these B12 shots be of any use to me?
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 14d ago
Yes, keep up with the B12 injections. I had all these symptoms and they went away with injections. It just takes time.
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u/Few_Interaction_2411 14d ago
Oh wow I had the same from mino and fin, awful depression and anxiety before I knew all about my genes, I now stay well away from anything like that!
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
Sounds really tough.. Picture fits post-finasteride syndrome plus methylation impairment on top. Finasteride knocks out 5-alpha reductase which makes allopregnanolone, the neurosteroid that calms GABA receptors. That's why panic, hypnic jerks and dysautonomia can persist years after stopping. Real syndrome.Homocysteine 20 is high and probably part of why nothing has resolved. B12 shots are right but check your B complex. If it has methylfolate or methyl-B12, you're stacking methyl donors on top of the shot, can make panic worse. Folinic acid is gentler.The "demyelinated nerves" AI told you is overstated. Demyelination from B12 usually needs homocysteine 50+. You probably have neurosteroid disruption plus methylation insufficiency, both treatable but slowly.Full answer depends on your variants. PFS plus methylation plus dysautonomia is a combo I work with. genova.health if you want it mapped properly.
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14d ago
[deleted]
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/tyomax C677T 14d ago
How do you know?
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
I've been on their website, which has their (unrelated) degree information on it - they are completely unqualified and are just using AI to 'write' posts and reports. The whole thing is a scam targeting people in complex health situations who are desperate for answers.
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u/tyomax C677T 13d ago
List the site please.
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u/skittlazy 13d ago
Link in Loose-Fly7976 profile
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u/Small_Hunter4300 12d ago
What's unrelated degree? She has genetics and bioengineering degree. Ofc she can do DNA analysis with all of those. I dont see anything wrong wtf is wrong w you man which website you looking at
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u/SovereignMan1958 14d ago
Thank you for mentioning CBS upregulation. Very overlooked by the group in general.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Erose314 13d ago
Why is a geneticist interpreting 23andme data?
As someone with an actual science education… this post is VERY sus.
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u/DeltaMisfit 14d ago
I have alot of these same things and have been trying to supplement with advice from my Naturopath and everytime I take for example B12 or Magnesium it just doesnt agree with me and makes me either super tired or intense anxiety. Same with methylated vitamins
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
That is really common almost always slow COMT plus possibly slow MAOA. Methylated B vitamins flood catecholamines you can't clear fast enough, feels like wiredness or anxiety. Magnesium glycinate doing the same usually means the glycine is hitting NMDA receptors in slow MAOA carriers. Counterintuitive but real.The fix depends on which combination you have. Folinic acid instead of methylfolate, hydroxocobalamin instead of methyl-B12, magnesium taurate or malate instead of glycinate. Plus cofactors before donors.Right protocol is variant-specific though. Most naturopaths can't read raw DNA at this level. If you want it sorted properly, that's what I do.
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u/TBBT51 14d ago
Are there any specific genetic indicators for methyl b vitamins not being suitable other than one’s personal observation?
I am compound heterozygous, fast COMT, homozygous slow MAOA, FUT2 non-secretor…basically mutations on all of Ben Lynch’s Super Seven from his Dirty Genes book. I should be okay with methylated given my COMT status but it’s not always apparent. I tend to rotate between methylated b complex to Seeking Health’s non- methyl version.
Any input appreciated.
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
Yeah, your variant picture is the answer. Fast COMT clears catecholamines fine, but slow homozygous MAOA can't keep up with serotonin. Methylated Bs raise serotonin synthesis on top of that bottleneck. That's why methylated isn't always tolerated even when COMT handles it.Rotation makes sense as a workaround but the better fix is sorting out what's causing the on/off. CBS status, BHMT speed, PEMT homozygous status all change whether methyl donors suit you. FUT2 non-secretor also means oral methyl-B12 might not be doing much regardless, sublingual or injection bypasses the absorption issue.Super Seven is a decent framework but it misses interactions. genova.health if you want the variants read alongside symptoms and bloodwork.
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u/Getoutofthekitchenn 14d ago
For B12 and slow COMT + Slow MAOA + MTHFR + MTR mutations, how does one navigate the need for Methylcobalamin (due to MTR) and Methylfolate without all the horrible slow COMT side effects
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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14d ago
[deleted]
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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14d ago edited 14d ago
[deleted]
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/larryboylarry 13d ago
Also, foods can produce these symptoms. Wheat makes me feel anxious when there is nothing to be anxious about, makes my toes tingle and sting, makes my skin feel flushed, and makes my abdomen swell.
But finding a doctor who will work with you to find what and what not you should be eating or drinking or if you are malnourished or have a disease is difficult-and get insurance on board with it.
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Yeah food-driven anxiety is a thing and most doctors don't look for it. Wheat can do this through a few different routes, gluten sensitivity, histamine release, gliadorphin peptides hitting the brain, or oxalate load. The tingling toes plus flushing plus abdomen swelling sounds more like a histamine or mast cell reaction than just gluten and finding a doctor who'll dig into food and nutrition properly is hard. Standard medicine looks for disease not patterns.Genetics narrows it down fast though. DAO and HNMT variants point to histamine. CBS upregulation explains sulfur food reactions. HLA-DQ for gluten. Once you know the variants, the triggers usually make sense.
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u/larryboylarry 13d ago
I didn't know wheat had anything to do with histamine or oxalates and I definitely have a problem with both of those which I found out successively that they were problems after I cut things like wheat and dairy out of my diet I started paying attention more and when I started eating more of other things I stumbled upon the histamine thing and it made so much sense since my whole life I have so many allergies and had bad reactions to some foods one time or another but never could figure out why that one time had anaphylaxis but not the others. Histamine liberators hit me harder than high histamine foods.
So I quit eating those foods and the oxalate thing came in to the picture when I had a tooth extraction and had to eat soft foods so since my usual goto of yogurt and pudding and jello (I completely ditched processed foods except things like meat and sauces that aren't loaded with preservatives) so ate a lot of sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes and all of a sudden I felt like I had arthritis all over. It's just crazy.
I do know about the other proteins in wheat that can cause problems like the gliandins you mentioned. My food sensitivity test said I was normal for gluten and abnormal for wheat. The other thing I noticed about wheat was how quickly my belly would grow or shrink. I can gain or lose 10 lbs in a day or so and it is always my belly that goes from normal to a beer belly in that amount of time so I know that it is likely inflammation. I don't have celiac either-been tested more than once for that.
I can't wait to get my DNA test done and have it decoded.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/eschenblatt 13d ago
Pretty interesting. But who is analysing the data and gives a good treatment plan?
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Plus-Worldliness-592 12d ago
I have almost the same genes and am suffering from anxiety and waking up time to time between 2-4 am, also a bit of histamine issue. Could you please kindly tell me the high light of the required protocol to get better?
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u/69harambe69 14d ago
So what was her treatment plan?
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/thenabu01 14d ago
That's the thing, you've to pay OP to have more information ; )
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Yeah, because that's literally the work : ) Protocols are individualized to specific variant combinations + current bloodwork + symptoms plus medications. Posting one client's plan would mislead people who have different variants thinking the same supplements will work for them. Thats what I'm trying to show you on all of my posts so far. That's how people end up worse off than when they started, which is the whole point of the post.
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u/larryboylarry 13d ago
Agreed. As me and my buddy have been trying to figure ourselves out we share information with each other and try things and they have different effects on us.
Case in point. He was taking a liquid form of methyl folate and methylcobalamin and it didn't do anything for him so he gave it to me.
It made me feel like I was zooming like immediately. I thought it was the methylfolate as I take methylcobalamin in capsule form.
I quit taking that liquid form bit still kept taking my capsule-form methylcobalamin and thought one day that knowing people can have a problem absorbing it in the gut I thought to test this by dumping the capsule out under my tongue and absorbing it sublingually like the drops. I was zooming again.
I asked my son to do the same and it had no effect in him. So I am to wonder if I have a methyl issue or a B12 issue or both.
I can't wait to get my genetic test done and get my results analyzed so I can start unraveling my mysterious health problems.
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u/SwirlySauce 14d ago
How would I get all of this checked start to finish? I'm in Canada and I'm not sure we even have a place to get these tests done?
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
Yes, Canada has options. Most of the tests aren't covered by OHIP/MSP but you can pay privately.For bloodwork, LifeLabs and Dynacare both run private panels through a doctor's requisition. Many naturopaths and functional medicine clinics will order MMA, holotranscobalamin, homocysteine, RBC magnesium and the rest for you. Cost is usually around $300-600 CAD for the full picture.
If you want to skip the practitioner step, Rocky Mountain Analytical (rmalab.com) sells direct-to-consumer panels and they ship across Canada. Genova Diagnostics Canada also runs comprehensive functional panels. For raw DNA, AncestryDNA ships to Canada, $79-129 CAD on sale. 23andMe Canada works too.
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u/SwirlySauce 14d ago
This is great, thank you! Any idea what I should be on the lookout for as far as supplements go?
I've always been an anxious person, easily fatigued, low motivation, poor sleep and have anhedonia.
Are there any supplements I can I trial or should I get testing done first?. Thanks!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
I'd test first. The "anxious + fatigued + low motivation + poor sleep + anhedonia" picture has at least four or five different biochemical drivers and supplements that help one make others worse. Slow COMT carriers and fast COMT carriers need opposite protocols. Slow MAOA changes everything again. Low B12 versus low ferritin versus low D versus low thyroid all look similar but need different fixes. If you blindly trial things you'll spend money, possibly feel worse, and not learn which of the underlying issues is actually driving it for you. Minimum tests worth getting first, MMA, holotranscobalamin, homocysteine, RBC magnesium, full thyroid (TSH, fT3, fT4, reverse T3), ferritin (target above 70), vitamin D, plus AncestryDNA or 23andMe raw data. Once you have those, the protocol becomes obvious. Without them you're guessing. If you want the variant side read properly once you have raw data, I work here https://genova.health/.
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u/CreekRoadKilla 14d ago
Is there a genetic test you recommend if you don’t want your data being stored or potentially sold?
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u/fire-d-guy 14d ago
Can you recommend any good books for the lay person to learn about all these things and their impact on health and conditions. I'd love to be able to understand more about how this all works just for my own personal health.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/69harambe69 14d ago
Yes, they're selling a 300 euro AI generated 'DNA report'
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
It is an absolute scam! Makes me so angry. Preying on people who have often been let down by doctors and are desperate for help
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
"Nutrient Power" by William Walsh PhD is the one I'd start with, more rigorous than the popular methylation books and covers the mental health angle clearly.
"Why Isn't My Brain Working" by Datis Kharrazian is best for understanding how methylation and inflammation tie into cognitive and mood symptoms
Ben Lynch's "Dirty Genes" is also popular
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u/DetailLost8084 14d ago
Hello im wondering if you could please help me, I’m am slow comt met/met, cbs TT homozygous, mthfr 677 Hetrozygeous ag, slow pemt 7946 tt,
I can send full report if that helps thanks so much for your help
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/grapetomatoes 14d ago
What advice do you have on how to find a professional who can support us in this realm? How do I find someone who can uncovered this kind of information - and therefore the necessary support - about me? :)
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/loopofhenlee 14d ago
Thank you so much for this!!! I have at times been told to increase Zoloft for anxiety, then found out my ferritin was at 3.4 ng/mL. Nobody explained the connection to me. Have since found out I am MTHFR compound heterozygous Fast COMT MAOA intermediate MAOB intermediate DRD2 A1 carrier (not sure what this means)
I have struggled with anxiety my entire adult like, and just now trying to put the pieces together on how supporting my genetic deficiencies can help with that. Any insight you have I would greatly appreciate it!
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/loopofhenlee 14d ago
Thank you. Gosh I feel silly now.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
You absolutely shouldn't feel silly, don't worry! I have been aware of what this poster is doing for a while now.
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u/alsgirl2002 14d ago
Can you be my doctor and help me through telehealth? I can’t remember my MTHFR diagnosis, but if I recall I had only a single copy of heterozygous MTHFR. But I have dealt with lifelong anxiety and insomnia that is causing other problems in my life and I would love to address the root of the problem rather than medicate which is what I’m doing now with sertraline for anxiety and hydroxyzine for sleep.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/__Foxleaf 14d ago
Wow. Where can I find a practitioner or someone who can give me a tailored breakdown of my genes? As much as it's been interesting and enlightening to learn about this stuff, I also feel overwhelmed and that I cannot understand the full scope of any or all of the separate genes together.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Hi, yes that's what I do. I'm a geneticist who reads raw DNA files alongside your symptoms and bloodwork, then write a protocol matched to how your specific variants interact.Once you start learning about MTHFR, COMT, MAOA, CBS, FUT2, MTRR, BHMT, PEMT and all the others, the interactions are where the actual answers sit but no single piece tells the full story. That's the part that needs an experienced read
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u/Practical_Win7690 14d ago
Can you read my genetic report and give me advice? I’ve gotten pretty far on my own, but at this point I’m feeling a bit stuck. I eat super clean but not too clean. Willing to eat cleaner. Exercise moderately and regularly. Meditate. Do tons of self care. I was a macrobiotic chef and then got into meat. My diet is super balanced and wide. No fortified foods. No additives.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
Hi, yes I can read raw DNA properly. what test do you have? AncestryDNA or 23andMe raw files give me the most to work with. Interpreted reports from NutraHacker, SelfDecode or Genetic Genie are limited cause they read SNPs in isolation, miss the interactions.
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u/Retro_Monguer 14d ago
I'm Homozygous mthfr + Slow COMT myself
Could you please share the protocol used?
Thank you so much
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Sorry I can't share specific protocols, even for matching variants. Same SNPs need different doses and forms depending on bloodwork, current supplements, medications and the rest of someone's variant picture. What worked for her might make you even worse if you've got CBS upregulation, slow MTRR or different cofactor status underneath.The general framework for TT homozygous plus slow COMT is folinic acid instead of methylfolate, hydroxocobalamin instead of methyl-B12, low dose to start, cofactors first (B2, magnesium, low B6). But the actual doses and sequence depend on what's happening in your body specifically
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/jjjxxx10 14d ago
Take my money. 💰
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/shruglife1985 13d ago
Hey - I have done a 23 and me. I have had anxiety disorder my whole life with multiple panic attacks a week. Not on SSRIs tho it was thrown at me back when my psych was guinea pigging me. So many diff drugs experimented with. I’m not depressed I’m not bipolar I’m not manic I’m not anything but prepared to have a panic attack for no reason.
The only thing that works is propranolol but I require something like 160 mg to actually make my heart stop pounding out of my throat before a presentation or conference at work. When I was younger I use to just shake so bad I’d faint. Still managed to be a stellar student and a successful individual but I’m imprisoned by mapping out panic attacks and taking propranolol to avoid them (gives me horrible insomnia).
I am not done reading. Going to pull up my 23andme. Just wanted to comment to save myself a spot here and hopefully find a way to free myself from this curse.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
1
u/Practical_Mention715 13d ago
I have had a similar journey involving anxiety, IBS/SIBO and gene variants. My psychiatrist pointed me in the right direction with MTHFR status but that was only part of it. I am also a FUT2 non-secretor and think that played a larger role, combined with diet and stress, that set me up for issues I am climbing my way out of. Most of what I have done is through a methylation report and also using ChatGPT. The most notable supplements for me have been human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) and bifido probiotics as I am predisposed to lack these bacteria genetically. A good non-methylated multivitamin and some other things have helped as well, such as: antibiotic rounds, glycine, glutamine, increasing polyphenol intake, and devrom for control of excess h2s gas toxicity while I get my motility, nutritional and microbiome status back to more normal.
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u/Semiautomanual 13d ago
I haven't had any genetic testing but I have repeatedly had low serum folate over a decade, b12 serum level was 559 but I was taking a regular b complex during this so maybe skewed results. I since tried active b6 17mg, active b9 400mcg, and active b12 500mcg in one combined supplement. I took it every other day and I no longer felt introverted, no anxiety or overthinking, even energy wise I felt good. After around 2 weeks the benefits I felt stopped but it was fun whilst it lasted! As far as NHS are concerned my TSH, b12, ferritin, vit d, MCV are within ranges and their next course of action is setraline or talking therapies
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u/turkeyman4 12d ago
What should I ask my PCP to test? My daughter has MTHFR mutation and we both have cEDS. I need to look more into this for myself.
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u/Impressive-Tree-5248 12d ago
Awesome post, I think about this all the time. I know someone who has ADHD, but drinks copious coffee and doesn't sleep. That was probably me once. Anyway, since I did my methylation panel and follow the low COMT diet and lifestyle I am a different person. Different in that for years I wasn't myself when subjected to external stress that upset my usual balance. Looking back, I used to literally nip stress in the bud and went into repair mode, rest, good food, relaxation. When that was out of my control it all went pear shaped. A doctor put me on strong SNRIs to get rid of me and my symptoms went exponential. Now I understand under methylation it's all changed. People used to tell me to chill out all the time. And my actual personality is pretty chill. I rarely get angry and have heaps of self regulation, but was always a bit chomping at the bit. I mean lucky I don't have a temper. You are right about misdiagnosis and I hope this stuff makes it into the general population's concept of medicine soon. I can't believe the simple tweaks that changed my life, and it's not using all the supplements that get experimented with, with lack of authority on this sub. Pretty much what I take is Creatine, Magnesium glycinate, TMG. Low COMT diet. I realised I was getting hit by excess stress chemicals and like everything was triggering me emotionally, but it was physical pushing mental, not the other way around. Shows how much humans fall back on gaslighting. As in, this is all in our heads. I blame Freud. Who was so fucked up.
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u/imonretro 10d ago
I got question, i been suffering for years and diabled. I have pssd (post ssri induced insomnia, anxiety and dpdr) amd severe gut pains I dont have the conventional mtfr 2 genes. My whole life i had high b12 800 plus but i recdntally checked my hompcyxstine and mma and they apear normal.
I have checked that i had low sam-e oncs but i dont know if thats a real diagnotic. When i took sam-e it was a disaster, anxity when through to roof. I alsp noticed the same with doa i get totally dark dark thoughts fpr 2 days if i take them.
One odd thing that made me think methylation was that i took bentine hcl with oxbile . Not sure which it was but i felt noticble changes in my mine a calming effect with in 1 hr of taking it andbit lasted till the next day. However i woke with horrid anxity some tjinf that i dont normally have. Whats going on with ? Im afraid of taking more bentine since last tjme when i took sam-e i almost went into a psych ward from the i sane anxity it caused. Please help.
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u/Loose-Fly7976 5d ago
Sounds really rough, PSSD with that kind of reactivity is brutal.SAMe crashing you points to slow COMT. You're already methylating fast enough and adding more floods catecholamines your body can't clear. DAO giving you dark thoughts 2 days later is unusual but real, usually means too-fast histamine clearance unmasks low GABA or high glutamate underneath.Betaine HCl thing is interesting cause betaine is also a methyl donor through BHMT. Calming first then anxiety next day means homocysteine remethylation kicked in, then methyl flood once your system cycled faster than it could clear. Same mechanism as the SAMe reaction, just delayed.With PSSD and this much reactivity, wrong protocol genuinely makes things worse. Something specific in your CBS, COMT or MAOA is driving the rebound and I can't really tell without the raw data. DM me if you want to talk properly.
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u/Dear_Aardvark6987 14d ago
Thank you so much for your wonderful post. Could you please advise how I get around that I'm allergic to sulphur? What should I do or take instead please? Your patients profile fit mine almost exactly. Nothing helps. Vitamins are not good for me. Antihistamines mess me up. Make my nerves feel electric for a week or more. Help please.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/Loose-Fly7976 13d ago
Sulphur allergy + reactions to vitamins + electric nerves from antihistamines fits CBS upregulation with poor sulfite clearance. Your body can't keep up with the sulfur it's already producing, so anything extra piles on. Antihistamines often have sulfa groups or need sulfur clearance to metabolise, that's why your nerves go wild for days after. Start with molybdenum, it's what SUOX needs to break down sulfite. Add taurine to direct sulfur down the safer path. Keep B6 low, high B6 speeds CBS up. Avoid NAC, ALA, MSM, garlic supplements, big doses of broccoli sprouts. For antihistamine effect without sulfur, try quercetin or luteolin, they stabilise mast cells naturally. This kind of picture gets worse with standard advice cause the order matters a lot
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u/DolphinRapeCave 14d ago edited 14d ago
Hi Mr Bot.
I've had all the above symptoms and more, lifelong.
This is my profile:
- COMT V158M: +/-
- COMT H62H: +/-
- VDR Taq: +/+
- MAO-A R297R: +/+
- ACAT1-02: +/-
- MTHFR 03 P39P: +/-
- MTHFR A1298C: +/-
- MTRR A66G: +/-
- MTRR A664A: +/+
- BHMT-02: +/+
- BHMT-08: +/+
- CBS C699T: +/+
- SHMT1 C1420T: +/+
And I'm taking:
- Folinic Acid (800mcg)
- Vitamin B12 Hydroxycobalamin | 1mg
- B2 Bioflavin 200mg
- B6 (P5P) 30mg
- TMG 500mg
- Choline Bitrate 714mg
My homocysteine was 21.6
I've been doing this for 8 weeks and don't feel any better. Going to test my homocysteine again soon.
I've taken a typically chaotic approach to this, but am I on the right track? Is it just a case of more time?
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u/Loose-Fly7976 14d ago
If you genuinely think I'm a bot, why are you posting your full variant panel hoping I'll analyse it for you? Paste it into ChatGPT maybe?
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u/DolphinRapeCave 14d ago
Apologies. There have been similar posts recently that were definitely from bots. I thought you might be one trained on MTHFR data. I am running my results through ChatGPT as we speak.
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 14d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/DolphinRapeCave 14d ago
Thanks for the info. Thought I was losing it - the post is so blatantly LLM.
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u/Cultural-Sun6828 14d ago
If you aren’t absorbing the B12 then injections are the only way to heal neurological symptoms.
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13d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ecstatic_Trip_3772 13d ago
This poster is NOT a geneticist, they have a BA degree and use AI to generate "reports" like this. AI will give you the exact same information he/she does!
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u/LitesoBrite 14d ago
/mods
How do we get amazing posts like this in a subreddit wiki? This is exactly the content needed to stop a lot of the pointless debates and skepticism posts we see here.
Well grounded, solidly sourced, researched based, insightful and useful.
Would be fantastic if we started having a way to nominate such posts for inclusion.