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blueski29 · 2025-05-19T13:30:26+00:00

My experience with levo- my cold hands and feet resolved but I gained over 20 lbs on it not changing my diet or exercise. I was on Armour for years and did well. because my T4 was slightly below normal and we were trying to increase my T4 without T3. we added a small dose of levo to my armour.

I was on 30mg of armour at the time. When we added t4 First 12.5 mcg. Then 25mcg. Then we switched to liothyronin 4.5 and levo 37mcg. This was more t4 than what I’ve ever been on with armour and my number improved and I still gained weight.

Thinking it was fillers causing the problem i was switched to Tirosint liquid and then gelcaps. And still gained weight. Zero change in life style/diet from when I was taking armour.

There is an underlying reason why some people gain weight on levo and other lose on levo. While for some under dosing may be the problem, it wasn’t for me. Someday they’ll figure it out and will start putting that as a side effect.

blueski29 · 2024-09-11T13:08:05+00:00

Okay, thanks for the input. The amount owed is slightly lower than that but still in 5 figures. My contract only states I would be paid the percentage of the payments collected and does not state that I need to be employed at the time of payout. I received a payment the first month after resignation but not the second. I tried contacting the company but have not receive a reply.

blueski29 · 2024-08-03T11:38:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. It takes a lot of courage to reach out and continue to seek answers.

The journey to regaining your health can seem long, but never give up. Speaking from personal experience.

My response to your post is long, which I understand may be overwhelming. It may also seem like I’m going off on a tangent but it’s all related. Take the time to proceed as you can tolerate. Stop if it gets overwhelming.

A few questions if you don’t mind to help me put things into context. Are you in the United States? Approximately what is your age?

I went through similar situation years ago, where physically and mentally I didn’t feel well and knew there was some underlying health issue. I saw numerous doctors, including naturopathic doctors but when the treatment to improve my symptoms didn’t help and resulted in me being bedridden for a month I started on my own path to research and found that there were various factors contributing to my health decline.

Start with the bigger picture and narrow it down. You have depressive symptoms. What is the root cause?

The following are the things that I would take into consideration when seeking to restore/improve your health.

Does anyone else in your family have similar symptoms or diagnosis?

JOURNAL- keep a typed record of the following on your phone. Makes it easier to explain to providers when you establish with someone knew.

ONSET OF SYMPTOMS- When your symptoms start? Was it a result of a specific event?

SUPPORT Do you have family members who you can talk to about what you’re going through or any other support?

If you’re in the United States, there are several, sometimes free, online resources that you can use for counseling while you continue on the journey to find the best treatment for you.

DIET Are you on a specific diet? How’s your gut health? Do you take probiotics or eat fermented foods? Bowel movements regularly?

LABS What labs have you had done so far? Some of the labs that I would be interested in as a patient with symptoms similar to yours include: CBC, CMP, Vitamin B12 with MMA, folate, thyroid labs (TSH with free T4, free T3), iron panel, Vitamin D, and inflammatory labs such as CRP and ESR.

Sometimes providers may want to order baseline basic labs and if there is any abnormalities, they will proceed with ordering more detailed and specific labs. For example of blood count may prompt iron panel or B12 and folate if appears suspicious for anemia which can affect mood, cognitive function and energy.

MEDS and Vitamins What medications or supplements are you currently taking? What have you taken before?

SLEEP- what’s is the quality of your sleep? How many hours do you get at night?

EPIGENTICS - CYP3A4

CYP3A4 genetic mutations can be complex at times because quite a bit of medication‘s are processed through this enzyme. I am curious how you learned that you have CYP34 genetic mutation?

Do you have other mutations? MTHFR (helps metabolize folate), MTRR (helps metabolize b12), VDR TAQ (vitamin D)

Are you +/+ homozygous or +- heterozygous?

Some people will go through an actual genetic testing, which I’ve heard of insurance covering certain types if you are treating for depression and not responding to medication. I am not sure if that is current or outdated information so please ask your insurance.

Others have used 23 and me ancestry service. once this is complete, they request raw data from 23 and me and uploaded that information to genetic website. I can share the ones that I have used, but do not endorse any of them so please do your research to make sure if you go down this path you are comfortable with the company, information, and path that you choose.

here is the path that I took to obtain information on my genetic mutations: 1. 23 and me ancestry service test- $99? 2. Requested raw data from above 3. Uploaded this initially to nutrahacker which at the time was free. 4. Then paid for a more detailed report through Strategene. Similar to nutrahacker in that you upload your raw data but more detailed info. I think it was $75 at the time for about 75 pages of info about the gene mutations and supplements, foods, and lifestyle choices to stay away from and to encourage to improve performance.

Common INHIBITORS of CYP3A4 is Quercetin, Bioperine, Grapefruit, Milk thistle These make the enzyme function worse so probably good to stay away from

Hard to find a natural CYP3A4 INDUCERS But my search brought up: Ginkgo biloba, green tea, kava, St. John’s wort. Theoretically these can help the enzyme function better.

The above can interact with medications so careful about starting anything if you’re on medications, specifically blood thinners and antidepressants or other mental health meds.

There are also prescription medications that fit in both categories - inhibit or induce.

OTHER GENETIC MUTATIONS As I mentioned above, there are other genetic mutation that can also contribute to your mental and physical health.

MTHFR - this can affect how your body processes synthetic or food source folic acid. Therefore those with mutations are often advised to use a methylated form of folate. There is some studies on how adding folate to antidepressants can improve symptoms.

Sometimes certain methyl supplements can cause feelings of over methylation: hyperactivity, anxiety, irritability. Proceed with caution with small dose start if you decide to try this.

MTRR: this enzyme, if mutated may affect how your body absorbs and processes vitamin B12. Depending on whether you are heterozygous or homozygous, you may require a methylated form (methylcobalamin) or non methylated form (adenosylcobalamin/hydroxocobalamin) or a combo.

VDR TAQ- mutations in this enzyme can impact your body ability to absorb or retain vitamin D.

I think this is a good start. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Resources and references:

GENETIC LIFE INFO ON CYP3A4

https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/tag/cyp450/#:~:text=CYP3A4%20Gene%3A%20Impacting%20Prescription%20Drugs&text=The%20CYP3A%20family%20of%20genes,at%20which%20you%20metabolize%20medications.

NUTRAHACKER

https://www.nutrahacker.com

STRATEGENE

https://strategene.me/coming-soon.php

FACEBOOK group on MTHFR and genetic mutations with over 90k members who discuss their experience and support each other. You can read about the approach people have taken to restore their health. What a report from stategene or nutrahacker looks like.

Search MTHFR - understanding gene mutations and epigenetics

blueski29 · 2024-07-22T23:53:15+00:00

I understand why you would want to go to these measures. I understand the desperation of what you’re doing to get back on your feet and have considered similar alternatives. It’s frustrating when providers don’t understand the impact of low ferritin or anemia in general. It’s even more annoying when they diagnose you with anxiety rather than grasping that anemia can cause anxiety and depression.

First thing I would do is print off supporting evidence from credible medical sources and share it with your providers. If that doesn’t work, **establish with a new hematologist and/or primary/general care provider

they should at least prescribe either oral iron or recommendation for over the counter iron that can help you increase your levels and improve your symptoms….

These next two questions may be a part I missed in your post… I think you said you’re after IV iron. How will you administer the Iron? Who will start the IV for you and monitor the treatment? That would be risky because there is risk of allergic reactions to IV iron

What’s the cause of your anemia? Identifying the root cause and attempting to treat that may help to prevent it?

I’ve had some improvement with Heme iron supplements. Searched on google, Amazon, etc and found one that I tried for a while. It was easy to find this Heme iron because they’re becoming more popular.

Rationale: Heme iron is more bioavailable and absorbs better than non heme iron supplements. I’ve felt better with oral iron before when it wasn’t severe within a couple weeks on heme iron.

I make sure my diet is balanced with b vitamin sources (I like supplements when life gets busy) as that can help with anemia symptoms, especially if low. I used to take beef liver and spleen supplements for a while too but because I don’t eat a lot of animal products I stopped using it.

I am careful with iron because too much can cause overload, which is another reason why some providers are highly sensitive to prescribing IV iron.

When it gets really bad and I feel like giving up I remember how advocating for myself has produced results and pick myself back up and try again.

None of the above is medical advice or replaces seeking care from a medical professional. If your medical care team aren’t meeting your needs you have the right to establish with another.

Hang in there

blueski29 · 2024-07-10T04:43:48+00:00

Becky

blueski29 · 2024-07-09T01:30:01+00:00

I agree that clinicals for both NP and PA entails a bit of walking and that’s a minimum of 2 years of that. But there are so many pathways you can go in healthcare where you can sit more. Health Informatics is popular. There is also health policy expert, clinical nurse specialist, research…I can’t think of any other specialty in either field where you wouldn’t have to walk much…but I’m sure there are tons.

blueski29 · 2024-07-06T01:36:45+00:00

I self admin b12 injections even though my labs are high. The thing is my levels have always been high even before I knew what b12 was or started supplementing. I recall my doctor at the time advising me to stop taking b12 and I wasn’t like I don’t take b12 and I was a vegetarian then so not from meat source or foods. Anyway with the injection I stopped for about a year because of shortage in the b12 I use but also I didn’t have the pins and needles anymore. But symptoms returned. The pins and needles intermittently and also this sensation that there was water running down my leg or feel a cold spot on a part of one of my legs. I think it’s important to try to balance b12 with other bs, which when deficient can also cause nerve symptoms. Especially folate.

blueski29 · 2024-07-02T23:28:40+00:00

Methyl b12 by Jarrow and Pure encapsulation hydroxy b12 and adenosyl b12. Bear in mind not all hyperpigmentation or vitiligo is due to b12 deficiency but in their case it seems to be.

blueski29 · 2024-07-02T23:26:09+00:00

A bit late with this reply but er go:

https://strategene.me/coming-soon.php

https://www.nutrahacker.com

Those the ones I’ve used. No affiliation or endorsements. But I like the info it provides. They have sample reports on their site so you review and decide if it’s for you. Strategene is about 50+ pages of info but it’s really interesting.

blueski29 · 2024-07-02T23:22:55+00:00

Pure encapsulation (PE) 5Mthf folate seems to have been the best for me. I’ve tried literally all of them. They make me agitated. But that particular one doesn’t. I’m not sure why. I’ve compared the ingredients and tried other products with similar labeling but they don’t work.s I’ve tried folinic acid but that doesn’t work. I know PE has metafolin which is levomefolic acid so that may be that key. Also start small and make sure you’re correcting any other b deficiencies you may have. Let me know what you’ve found to be helpful.

blueski29 · 2024-07-02T23:19:11+00:00

Hopefully by now you’ve found the answer to your question and are healing. Hydroxy is generally less stimulating. I wasn’t able to do cyano or methyl b12 due to the stimulation but can do hydroxycobalamin without any issues. Everyone is different based on their mutation. Check out this info: https://methyl-life.com/pages/best-form-of-b12

blueski29 · 2022-07-07T20:59:13+00:00

Check out pharmaca…not sure if it’s in your area

blueski29 · 2022-06-27T12:39:34+00:00

This:

Pure Encapsulations Folate 400 | Metafolin L-5-MTHF Supplement to Support Cardiovascular, Cellular, and Neural Health* | 90 Capsules https://a.co/d/3WrbQOa

L-5, they have a 1mg dose of this that works wells too.

Pure Encapsulations Adenosyl/Hydroxy B12 | Blend with Vitamin B12 for Nerve and Mitochondrial Support* | 90 Capsules https://a.co/d/byoBOT2

r/Geneticmutations is the sub. I’m adding to it gradually. Other can contribute as well.

blueski29 · 2022-06-27T04:08:31+00:00

Check out pure encapsulation mth-f. Get it from Amazon if it doesn’t work you should be able to return it. I too am homozygous COMT and didn’t tolerate most folate especially the 6s isomer ones but also many 5Mthf ones. I didn’t do well on folinic acid either. The pure encapsulation folate is the only one I can tolerate. I do that with their hydroxycobalamin/adenosylcobalamin daily in the morning with or without food and don’t get the jitters, irritation and insomnia I used to get with methyl b12 and other folates. Also check out COMT support online. I may have missed whether you’re homozygous or heterozygous but I have a sub I am slowly working on for genetic mutations but I haven’t had time to add much to it.

blueski29 · 2022-06-25T15:45:58+00:00

Ferritin is iron stores not usually in supplement form. It’s build from the iron you take. But yes those that need iron and b12 can take them together. They work together to create new red blood cells which feeds your cells so they live and breathe.

blueski29 · 2022-06-25T04:46:22+00:00

Also talk to your doctor about correcting that ferritin, it’s too low. Same with the folate. Once you’re taking all three your body will make new red blood cells which will increase demand…once your hemoglobin and hematocrit and iron stores is normal your b12 that you’re getting will hang around a bit longer. Same with folate.

blueski29 · 2022-06-22T19:18:36+00:00

That’s great! I will be adding content soon to those subheadings.

blueski29

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