Folate Deficiency

[georgie]

I have just been dx as folate deficient. Has anyone any idea if Celiac could be causing this ? I also have Pernicious Anaemia/ low B12. I was dx with that 12 months ago , and Celiac... and have been having B12 shots regularly , and regular tests for B12 & Folate. Folate until now has been perfect and high.

If I am eating gluten-free now- does that mean that my drop in Folate is not caused by diet but is a genuine folate anaemia ? I mean .... has being Celiac anything to do with this ? After being gluten-free for 12 months I thought I would not get 'worse' re villi damage and absorption.....Why is it worse now than 12 months ago?

Will taking a folate tablet work for me ? If my absorption is poor ? Does anyone else have folate anaemia here ?

[marlene57]

Hi Georgie,

I also am folate deficient, but have been for a few years. Only found out about the celiac about a year ago. I did go off of the folate supplements, thinking as you do, that I'm better and can get it from foods. I'm back on it because my last test shows I'm still deficient. I attribute it to my intestines not being completely healed yet. I've read that it can take adults 2-3 years to fully heal.

I also have Pernicious Anemia and get injections monthly.

Good luck!

Marlene57

I have just been dx as folate deficient. Has anyone any idea if Celiac could be causing this ? I also have Pernicious Anaemia/ low B12. I was dx with that 12 months ago , and Celiac... and have been having B12 shots regularly , and regular tests for B12 & Folate. Folate until now has been perfect and high.

If I am eating gluten-free now- does that mean that my drop in Folate is not caused by diet but is a genuine folate anaemia ? I mean .... has being Celiac anything to do with this ? After being gluten-free for 12 months I thought I would not get 'worse' re villi damage and absorption.....Why is it worse now than 12 months ago?

Will taking a folate tablet work for me ? If my absorption is poor ? Does anyone else have folate anaemia here ?

[grey]

Hi Georgie,

I too have long-standing B12 deficiency (may be PA), and I have a folate def. caused by Celiac Disease; I've been supplementing the B12 with self-injection weekly. I haven't been gluten-free for that long, but my doctor has said it's going to take a while for these vitamins to normalize. Part of it depends on how much damage was done before you went gluten-free how long it takes to heal and studies have shown that your symtoms can be normalized but your gut still damaged.

I was told that one of the things that gets supplemented into non-gluten-free breads and cereals is vitamins - folate being a major one. So, when you changed to a gluten-free diet, maybe you lost some of that supplementaton? Did you change anything else in your diet recently?

-grey

[Rachel--24]

I have folate deficiency.....no Celiac Disease though....I'm gluten intolerant/leaky gut.

I'll be starting daily B12 shots any day now to be followed with supplementaion of folate. I have tablets now but my Dr. said its not doing me any good w/out the B12. Once I'm on the B12 shots for two weeks I can then start taking the folate.

Apparantly for me...this was caused by mercury toxicity.

[georgie]

Hi Marlene, So ..the folate tablets get absorbed OK but you are not absorbing folate from your food - is that how it seems ?I am still trying to see why I am 'worse' a year after being gluten free. How much folate do you take a day, and how often do you get re tested ? Is it forever - like Pernicious Anaemia ? Did your Folate Anaemia happen with PA, or come on later after treatment for PA ?

[georgie]

I too have long-standing B12 deficiency (may be PA), and I have a folate def. caused by Celiac Disease; I've been supplementing the B12 with self-injection weekly. I haven't been gluten-free for that long, but my doctor has said it's going to take a while for these vitamins to normaliz

This is my Big ???, as I have had about 5 Folate tests since being dx as Celiac , and all the Folate was perfect. Its suddenly got WORSE despite me eating gluten-free. So ... it WAS normal, and now its not.

I'll be starting daily B12 shots any day now to be followed with supplementaion of folate. I have tablets now but my Dr. said its not doing me any good w/out the B12. Once I'm on the B12 shots for two weeks I can then start taking the folate.

Apparantly for me...this was caused by mercury toxicity.

Ahhh...I had a huge mercury amalgam crack, and it was removed and tooth capped....about a month ago ....?????

[grey]

Sorry, I thought you were also asking if anyone thought folate could be related to celiac. I'm sorry I misinterpreted your question.

I guess I was wondering if you had maybe still some damage to your gut, and for some reason, maybe you had changed something about how you were eating? I'm guessing you'd know if you were pregnant (using up more folate). Folate is also often defic. if you've been drinking a lot.

One other thougt - Or if you had changed a medication? Some affect folate - Have you had your homocysteine level checked lately? That can sometimes cause B12 and folate to drop; I had a migraine med (topomax) mess with my homocysteine levels this way and it probably aided in the dropping of my folate even with the celiac.

I think other anti-seizure meds (a lot of migraine drugs are) can have this affect. Other meds too, but I don't know what kinds (antibiotics, pos.?)

good luck

This is my Big ???, as I have had about 5 Folate tests since being dx as Celiac , and all the Folate was perfect. Its suddenly got WORSE despite me eating gluten-free. So ... it WAS normal, and now its not.

Ahhh...I had a huge mercury amalgam crack, and it was removed and tooth capped....about a month ago ....?????