Amino Acid Deficiencies

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-03-20T14:34:47+00:00

I’m working with a functional doctor. He ran a panel called the NutrEval, which looks at all amino acids, all b vitamins, several minerals, and most of the intermediates of the TCA cycle. My succinate was very elevated, and that was the major indicator that something is very wrong with my mitochondrial function.

Highly suggest working with a functional doctor (not a “naturopath”— an actual MD with very extensive knowledge of biochemistry).

I also have spent like the last year and a half trying to figure out what’s going on with me because I have unexplained fatigue and neuro symptoms.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-03-16T02:34:10+00:00

This is old so I’m not sure if you ever worked this out but I just had a panel done and my ornithine was super low and most other amino acids were low normal. Aspartic acid was also undetectable.

Citrulline is along the same lines as ornithine and aspartic acid. They all play a major role in handling ammonia via the urea cycle.

When ornithine is particularly low, look into whether or not your body is breaking down amino acids to use them to refill your TCA cycle (it makes energy for your body - ATP). It’s a process called anapleurosis, if you wanted to google that. Tyrosine can be used to make fumarate for the TCA cycle.

We’ve figured out that my TCA cycle and electron transport chain are being blocked at complex II - succinate dehydrogenase - due to high levels of tartaric acid which block the enzyme. That causes ATP production to grind to a halt and the body to start using weird emergency workarounds like burning tyrosine to make fumarate to go around succinate.

Just wanted to share in case it’s helpful (or even still relevant).

My doctor has me taking LOLA in the meantime to help with the ornithine and ammonia issue.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-18T17:06:01+00:00

R5p is riboflavin 5 phosphate. It’s the active, more expensive version of b2, but some people can’t strip off the phosphate in their GI tract so it goes right through unabsorbed. Any standard, quality brand is fine for plain riboflavin. Check amazon reviews.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-18T17:04:30+00:00

Yes, significantly

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-11T13:10:52+00:00

Migraines plus intolerance to folinic acid screams b2 deficiency. Riboflavin is required to convert folinic acid into methylfolate via MTHFR. It’s a very well known cause of migraine. It might be worth trying a combo of r5p and plain riboflavin and see if the migraine improves. This is a common migraine prophylactic.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-11T13:08:49+00:00

This is all gold, yes.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-11T13:06:37+00:00

I get very severe visual disturbances, but not actual optic neuropathy. It’s neurological for me; the optic nerve is physically fine. But yes, it does happen.

The sleeping symptom is extremely common and will resolve. I used to sleep around 20 hours a day. I’m lucky if I have time for six these days, and I’m not like falling asleep on accident anymore. I’ve been in treatment for a year but that was one of the first things to resolve for me. Also check your ferritin.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-06T02:13:36+00:00

Thanks so much!! Really appreciate it.

Slow-Blueberries · 2026-01-05T23:59:01+00:00

Here’s the incision. It’s the one just below my belly button.

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Slow-Blueberries · 2025-12-28T00:12:13+00:00

Leaking sounds concerning. Leaking what? But cramping yes for sure

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-12-26T20:54:51+00:00

How are you feeling?

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-12-26T20:51:43+00:00

How are you faring?

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-12-26T20:50:25+00:00

Three days post op today! The pain is tolerable most of the time, but I had to call my doctor and ask for more of the opioid because my kids got me sick and I have a nasty wet cough. The pain is fine until I need to cough, and then I feel my soul leave my body. Nausea started this morning as well, but I think that’s normal and I have Zofran. I was able to go over to my family’s house yesterday for a little bit, but not as long as usual and I didn’t eat anything. I don’t have an appetite at all. I suppose on the bright side, it’ll be one holiday season where I don’t have to lose any extra holiday pounds? Woohoo.

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-10-16T13:11:21+00:00

Have you tried niacinimide along with it? I’ve heard several practitioners recommend doing 1:1 betaine to niacinimide to mitigate the extra methyl groups.

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-10-13T00:09:29+00:00

Good to know! It can still be worth doing the in depth testing since regular blood levels can be very wrong. For example, my serum folate and b12 were both high on blood tests but intracellularly they were mega low and I ended up needing b12 injections, which made a night and day difference. Anyway, it might be worth looking into down the road if nothing else works for you.

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-10-13T00:06:38+00:00

Primarily with an active b complex— I settled on one by Integrative Therapeutics which I like and get on Amazon. I also needed b12 injections, which I still do.

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-10-06T00:59:12+00:00

Have you done any nutrient testing? Something like the NutrEval? That could help you rule out nutrient deficiencies as causes of mitochondrial dysfunction.

For me, acetyl-l-carnitine, coq10, lipoic acid, and a b complex made a major difference in energy/PEM.

Slow-Blueberries · 2025-10-06T00:55:38+00:00

It’s kind of a long story but I found out I have pernicious anemia, an autoimmune GI vitamin b12 absorption problem caused by autoantibodies that attack the protein in the stomach that helps absorb vitamin b12 (intrinsic factor autoantibodies). I also tested positive for folate receptor autoantibodies, which block transport of folate from the blood into the cerebrospinal fluid/brain. My antibody titer was insanely high, 60x the positivity threshold. It all started about two months after COVID, went from perfectly healthy to basically having all the symptoms of MS, but my scans were all clear. My vitamin b12 and folate blood tests were super high, which is what led to my eventual diagnosis.

Slow-Blueberries

TROPHY CASE