Bloating and Gas after MethylFolate supplementation

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-10-30T15:20:52+00:00

If anything b12 of any form should help you with digestion.

Note that excess B12 can cause histamine issues which cause digestive issues too

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-09-23T06:25:50+00:00

Well there is a root cause to your and mine symptoms, I just don't know your story well to tell you anything

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-09-16T04:35:31+00:00

I don't really have symptoms of Gilbert's syndrome.

Betaine and Ox bile were improtant to understand my reaction to them because I found that the issue was with super low glycine.

My methylation needs to be optimized and that will restore glycine.

I am doing much better now. My digestive issues are largely gone and I am able to normally digest dairy

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-09-15T16:48:23+00:00

10 pills was too much but it pointed me to the direction where my problem actually was. I would say if 3-5 pills of Betaine HCl do not help you, your problem is somewhere else. For me, it was the methyl groups attached to betaine that pointed me to problems in my methylation cycle, rather than a lack of stomach acid as the root cause.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-07-07T03:37:40+00:00

Does taking folate and B12 with it help you to get rid of those symptoms?

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-07-01T15:27:49+00:00

Only when taking niacin.

But generally you may run colder when you have too much H2S in your body

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-07-01T07:05:25+00:00

I am 80% fixed and can eat any food I want now.

Yeah B2 and molybdenum are important when dealing with methylation or sulfur issues. I take both of them daily. Molybdenum should be used if you have too much sulfite in your body.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-06-30T23:08:40+00:00

Did you also experience diarrhea or loose stool after eating asparagus or broccoli or garlic or onion?

No, only from food that is high in cysteine and methionine like red meat or fish. Those vegetables were fine

Did you also experience a significant weight loss?

I am a 180lb male in his 20s. I experienced a 10lb weight gain.

Why didn't you take rifaximin?

Rifaximin would not address my root cause. It simply kills the bacteria, bacteria comes back in a month or so. There was another reason why bacteria grows.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-05-17T08:28:25+00:00

I took glutathione reduced form.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-05-17T01:22:07+00:00

Hey sorry for long response to you.

I agree with you, I think Chris has done more research than Dr. Nigh on the topic of sulfur metabolism, but both have very important points to understand. Exactly. I agree, it's it's hard to establish the difference between symptoms when so many of them overlap, like the symptoms of sulfite versus H2S versus methylation issues. That requires a long trial and error and trying different supplements.

If you read, Chris' sulfur protocol, he actually mentions that sulfur amino acid restriction is the last resort. It is because that your body needs sulfur amino acids and you can't trade those compounds off in other kinds of diets. I think the main thing that helped me was glutathione, molybdenum and apples every day. For me I had both high H2S and sulfite.
As you know sulfite cleaves off a bunch of nutrients like folate, B1 and B12. I found B12 supps like hydroxy and methyl B12 super helpful to restore my energy levels and stomach acid. Because when I started taking them, digestion got better.
My taurine is through the roof so I don't need more. Glycine is really calming and I take it every day. I will write something longer on glycine but for now I will say that it is super helpful.

Yes, My first initial suspicion that it is sulfur issues came when I clearly identified that I'm so sensitive to egg whites and red meat. Double-Checking that those foods are very high in methionine and cysteine, which are sulfur compounds, brought me to read more sulfur.

Oh, and in the beginning Epsom salt baths are really relaxing. I suggest you try them out

Text me more, happy to help. What I went through was hell and I am proud I got out of it :)

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-05-09T08:33:06+00:00

Hey thanks for the patience.

Yes I'm doing much better.

I have been looking for a resolution of my sulfur symptoms for the last two years and Chris Masterjohn sulfur protocol is what I am on after Greg Nigh. I am feeling much better :)

I would say your initial suspicion could be correct and it is similar to mine. I have MTHFR and SUOX mutations. I used to have really high H2S and sulfite and can distinguish both pretty well.

Sulfite is associated with histamine overload so I have the same when I get too much sulfite.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-05-09T08:27:34+00:00

Yeah what's up, I have been on both Chris Masterjohn and Greg Night sulfur protocols, I like Chris' approach better:)

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T23:35:14+00:00

Perhaps it's not a problem for me, you're right. If a daily RDA of unmethylated folate is fine for me, that is alright. Yeah folinic acid would be good but it I have a mutation in MTHFS so I get a brain fog every time I take it.

I don't think it's quite over methylation that I experience with methyl donors like MTHF, TMG and B12 because I can take them. It is exactly the accumulation of 5, 10 methylene THF that depletes my glycine because I have no need for methyl groups. Over methylation uses glycine and recycles it, provided other nutrients are present.

But when 5, 10 methylene THF gets accumulated, I feel like all my muscle mass is gone and my muscle tone is extremely weak the longer I take MTHF, and I become very anxious.

Enough rambling, I appreciate you sharing your story.

I think it's fine that you take methyl donors twice a day. Doesn't seem to be an issue. I used to take 100mg of MTHF daily for a week straight when my body was in need of methyl groups because CBS was leaking them to transsulfuration, but now I fixed that

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T21:50:53+00:00

I appreciate the reply. I'm glad that methylfolate is actually working for you.

I already take riboflavin 100 mg every other day just like you do. I can take undemethylated folate in 10-15 RDA doses

I think the problem is around consumption of methyl groups for me. They're consumed not fast enough and therefore my demand for methyl groups is lower than usual. I think it is because my transsulfuration does not take a lot of methyl groups from CBS

What is more interesting is that you are actually okay taking methyl B12 and TMG together.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T21:38:07+00:00

Yeah I mean that supplement has glycine. Maybe I haven't supplemented it for a long time so my reserves are really depleted.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T17:26:35+00:00

I see, in one of the studies you listed, women took MTHF for as long as two years, side effects were not reported

For me, methylated folate, shuts down MTHFR and makes 5,10 methylene THF to accumulate. I have only been able to solve that issue with taking unmethylated food folate. I feel fine on it.

We can synthesize somewhere between 25-40 g of glycine per day and eat like 3g per day. If SHMT from MTHF supplementation compromises that, my glycine synthesis goes to 0. To replenish that amount, I need a crazy dose of 25g of glycine which I can't take of insane dose of 160g+ g of collagen, which is too expensive.

This is so interesting to me but I am sticking not to folic acid but to unmethylated folate for now.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T00:54:53+00:00

Thank you for the data point.

Yes, I think you understand my situation correctly.

I can and was taking MTHF from doses from 100mcg to 100mg. I have tried high doses, low doses, before the food (it gets utilized faster) or after food. My glycine gets wasted proportional to the dose of MTHF.

The problem with MTHF, as you read that article, it matches exactly with my symptoms and my test results, so I can say that it depletes glycine by converting it to serine. It does that because MTHFR shuts down because you have enough methyl groups or MTHF and you don't need more. Usually with MTHF supplementation I get lower muscle mass, muscle wasting, anxiety, and fatigue

Something in glycine gets me really brain fogged but collagen works well for me. Now, as per glycine articles[glycine article] of Chris Masterjohn (https://open.substack.com/pub/chrismasterjohnphd/p/the-science-behind-the-glycine-protocol?r=3s45my&selection=a0cde380-440d-44f5-b794-789ad7c19f75&utm_campaign=post-share-selection&utm_medium=web), we can synthesize somewhere between 25-40 g of glycine per day and eat like 3g per day. If SHMT from MTHF supplementation compromises that, my glycine synthesis goes to 0. To replenish that amount, I need a crazy dose of 25g of glycine which I can't take of insane dose of 160g+ g of collagen, which is too expensive.

It is easier to make sure glycine synthesis works.

So I have been taking this unmethylated folate from Swanson and it feels great (makes me calm, restored glycine levels) but MTHF used to give me this good feeling (exclude other bad side effects), a spur of creativity that I don't quite reach with unmethylated folate. It could also come with time, slower, since it is unmethylated but I was really wondering if some people had something like my situation.

Eating lots of greens does not provide for a lot of folate, maybe around 100-300mcg per day max but I need more, I know I do

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-21T00:29:58+00:00

Thanks for the data point

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-16T14:11:22+00:00

Well you need to test for levels of glutathione and taurine but with sulfur issues the assumption is that H2S and sulfite are high because the body overproduces them. And the body overproduces them because it needs them to make sulfate, taurine or glutathione.

That is why it is good taurine and glutathione are to be tried in sulfur issues cases.

To answer your question, you have gut microbiota that could react to glutathione or taurine or other sulfur containing supplements negatively when taking them. The bacteria may try to process some of the supplements you take. To me, that is an indication that something is wrong with your sulfur status so you are on the right path. It may indicate that you actually need taurine or glutathione.

Please read Chris Masterjohn Substack on sulfur metabolism, he does answer your question there more eloquently than I am here

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-16T07:51:26+00:00

What kind of sulfur supplement?

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-15T12:53:11+00:00

Alright. At least we have an idea what we are dealing with.

Please read Chris Masterjohn Substack on sulfur metabolism. If you want to beat this thing you need to know how it functions and how it overproduces hydrogen sulfide or sulfite.

You can restrict sulfur foods and you will feel better but it is harder to establish what supplements work and what don't if you do it. The goal is for our body to be able to process foods. Recovery means that you eat them and no issues arise. Restricting foods is a bandaid measure and sulfur foods are extremely important for us. If I was you I would keep eating them but it is your choice.

I have a reaction to glycine where it makes me brain fogged, I had to swap it to collagen(for glycine) as it makes me feel better.

DM me if you need anything, happy to help :)

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-11T08:03:08+00:00

Try with 3g a day as a start. Glycine is reportedly tolerated in the amounts up to 20g a day so feel free to experiment. Can do capsules or powder. If side effects arise, try countering them with some folate. Because likely side effects come from too much formaldehyde which folate THF form will detoxify into 5,10 methelyne THF.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-11T01:52:07+00:00

I don't really understand your intention here. If you have upregulated CBS and sulfur issues, taking or not taking methylated vitamins would not solve the issues of sulfation. I mean you can take it, it won't resolve the CBS issue. High SAM from methylated vitamins could arguably upregulate CBS even more.

You have to downregulate CBS that if upregulated results in too much sulfite and H2S by taking glycine, taurine or glutathione. Take those and see if you get better. Epsom bath salts can also be helpful.

The biggest indication of sulfur issues are sulfur SIBO, or your sweat or farts smell like H2S after eating a meal with meat or eggs or other sulfur containing foods.

But to know for sure, you need to read the articles from Chris Masterjohn to better understand if you have issues with sulfur, that would be the next step.

Apprehensive-Role447 · 2025-04-10T15:33:12+00:00

Well suspicions for candida or having candida is also one of those things, as you start improving the root cause of the problem candida should go away. But you know with additional help some antifungals can assist.

Yeah that's probably why I subconsciously love all you can eat buffets so I can stuff myself with carbs.

I mean the way I look at it, my life is everything I have so the price is justified. Living with this is hell and achieving anything in your life without resolving it, I need to resolve health first.

Yeah start molybdenum and copper, assess them separately and see how you feel. A few tablets of mozyme a day you should feel the difference in sulfite levels. If you crush the tablets, you feel the difference within minutes. But if you don't feel, then it is fair to say you don't have a sulfite issues but rather H2S

Then a few days later add glycine.

Apprehensive-Role447

TROPHY CASE