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Folate deficiency and loss of too much weight, really worried

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hilary95948
hilary95948

I have been diognosed with Folate deficiency.... I feel very tired, depressed, anxious, irritable, and lost a lot of weight can't think straight, my memory has gone poor.... My ferriton is 38.2, a year ago it was 70.3, my Zinc is 12.7, vitamin B12 is 244..... The last 19 months I have been on Antidepressants, as I had late bereavement (Husband) none of them did me any good, made me worse, the last antidepressant I was on was venlafaxine, was only on them 5 weeks, lost a lot of weight, so just come off them over 5 weeks, they have given me Diazepam 3 ml per day while i feel anxious.... I have lost 2 stone in the last 19 months, GP is sending me for a scan today to see why i am loosing so much weight,this was after I have never been away from his surgery.  Spent a lot of money on a large thyroid test in Manchester UK, and that's were they found my Folate was 2.7... 19 months ago I was quite normal in weight and mind, just wanted counseling,as i felt quite sad over my loss, but because of the long wait with the NHS, they put me on AD's,  went from bad to worse, but thought in the end there was an underlying issue.... would appreciate any help on my issues.... as I am so worried.... many thanks Hilary

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • All4Health
    All4Health hilary95948

    Posted

    Hi Hilary,

    I'll throw in this suggestion / possibility, as it could be an underlying issue that matches some of what you're experiencing:

    Coeliac / Gluten intolerance - seems to be a hugely undiagnosed issue these days - they reckon a large percentage of folks who suffer it, don't realise they do.   I know of 3 people currently in that situation, and possibly a 4th one.

    It effectively can cause you to lose weight, as your digestion system is not operating as it should, so foods / nutrients are not getting properly digested, and folk do suffer anaemia from it.

    So it could definitely account for the weight loss you've suffered, and some (possibly all ?) of the changes in blood count you've had measured.

    The good part is that you could test it (by eating Gluten Free) without having to add new medications etc.  Although you might need to go 'Gluten Free' for 2-3 weeks to start to see a change.  Maybe worth trying.  If it turns out to be that, the anaemia may take a little bit longer to correct.

    Or ask your GP to arrange some tests for that.  Hopefully the scan may be taking that into account.

    Good Luck.

  • jace81824
    jace81824 hilary95948

    Posted

    Hi Hillary....sorry that you feel so badly. Folate deficiencies on their own are usually caused by a few extenuating issues. For example people with inflammatory bowel disease, celiacs or alcoholism can contribute to the deficiency. However, that is very easier to correct. You can purchase a B complex vitamin with folic acid right off the shelf in most drugstores. It is important to take a complex of B vitamin because they are not very well absorbed unless they are taken together. B12 can be taken on it's

    own and it is quite well absorbed but the others are not. I am not sure what your blood work consisted of but you may also be anemic although you said your B12 and ferritin was at a decent level. Your symptom sound very much like anemia, especially the weight loss.  I'm not sure if you are having bowel issues but if you are you may want to ask for further testing in that regard. Good luck.

    • jace81824
      jace81824

      Posted

      Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the diseases were easy to correct, I meant the folate deficiency however, if the disease is not corrected the deficiency will continue.

    • hilary95948
      hilary95948 jace81824

      Posted

      I know my B12, Ferritin are normal, but I was told on the thyroid site, as i take thyroxine, that they are at the low end of normal, but my question to you or anyone else is, can Folic acid make you depressed anxious and irritatable? as all of this has gone worse since taking the Folic acid, also feel more tired and passing my bowel more, eating the right foods, and even loosing more weight.... Haven't heard anything from the Scan, so I am thinking there's nothing badly wrong.... hope you or someone else can help me with this   Hilary

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