L-methylfolate as Deplin (what is the point/mechanism of action)

[golden1]

Is there any reason to take this beyond a folate deficiency? I was prescribed 15mg/day which is somewhere about 4000% rda of folate to compare, it was prescribed after I said I had low energy and motivation along with my clonazepam to taper over 6mo.(I got physically dependent on phenazepam..fucking worst thing you can do..not even recreational..)

I just see no scientific reason to take it especially since I doubt I'm deficient in folate and if I was I'm not now.. after taking it for 3 days. I noticed it might have made my general restlessness worse, and I certainly felt effects similar to taking B6.. but is there any evidence that l-methylfolate does anything more at such a high dose? I know it's marketed as an adjunct to antidepressants supposedly to boost neurotransmitter production, but does milligrams extra of l-methylfolate actually do anything substantial?

I'm pretty sure it's just a rip-off random pharm money maker.. but maybe someone has info I missed on it? I ask because apparently the effects are supposed to come after 2weeks+, but many medications say that and it doesn't necessarily bare any merit in reality..

Note that I take all vitamins including folate(well not with the deplin) daily, and the prescription is based only on the fact I'm on benzos and lacking energy, but I'm not really interested in that.. just if this has any use at all for me : P

 

[sekio]

No, there's no reason to take folate supplements if you are not a pregnant woman, or severely deficient in leafy green vegetables

Eat some broccoli or spinach instead, it's cheaper and provides a wider spectrum of nutrients

 

[golden1]

No, there's no reason to take folate supplements if you are not a pregnant woman, or severely deficient in leafy green vegetables

Eat some broccoli or spinach instead, it's cheaper and provides a wider spectrum of nutrients

thanks, that makes sense like it should. now I question my psychiatrists reasoning and bias behind prescribing it...but hey if they're the only reasonable way I can get the clonazepam I need to taper.. whatever. 8)

 

[sekio]

Folate is occasionaly depleted with alcohol abuse, so I could see someone thinking "more vitamins = better performance" - even though that's not strictly true - but IMO the lack of energy you're experiencing comes from daily high dose benzodiazepine usage

If you found that folate supplementation helped, well, there's another data point you can work with. Since it didn't, I'm pretty sure all you're doing is harming is your wallet. Folate should be present in most multi-vitamins, anyway. (and things like enriched wheat flour)

 

[golden1]

yeah it's clearly the benzos, not something I think massive folate intake is going to cure, but I can see where they are coming from a bit yeah. At least clonazepam is much less numbing than phenazepam, feels like I lifted a veil between me and reality(at least in comparison).

I wonder how many people are dependent on phenazepam.. eh? It's certainly easy with it's long half life and subtle effects. (I consider myself pretty careful and it still landed me a harsh dependency..mostly because I didn't know how to explain to a doctor/psychiatrist my problem or if they would help.. so I kept using it via. liquid measurement for like 2 years..trying to slowly taper with zero success because of inaccuracies w/ my scale landing me @ an equivalent 3mg/day clonazepam... lol. Worst life choice possible, if anyone is dependent on phenazepam deal w/ it asap )

 

[sekio]

You're not the only one, I've seen a few phenazepam casualties posting these boards before.
GIven its structural similarity to clonazepam, that's really the best drug to taper with, so you should be good (as long as you actually manage to reduce your dose, and don't keep postponing it of course .)