How benzodiazepines induce withdrawal and chronic fatigue

[Baz493]

Since my last I found that I actually have two different gene variants (MTHFR and SLC19A1) reducing my active folate (5-methylenetetrahydrofolate or 5-MTHF) levels. While the MTHFR supplement helped it was insufficient to repair everything due to the SLC19A1 gene being responsible for encoding transporters which carry folate into the mitochondria of cells. I simply had too few of these transporters to get enough folate into my cells and the solution for this is folinic acid. Since commencing taking this supplement a month ago my health has made significant strides towards improvement.

Folate plays a key role in regulating the bodies levels of oestrogen and progesterone as well as being necessary for the methylation required for iron absorption in the gut. So my folate deficiency was evidenced by things like low oestrogen, iron, and red blood cell levels as well as high testosterone levels (resulting because of the low oestrogen levels). This now explains several past bouts of chronic fatigue which I experienced following work exposure to trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent. This solvent is an endocrine disruptor and I experienced all of the symptoms of excessively low oestrogen levels after exposure to it. My testosterone levels also increased following the exposure.

So I already had a genetic predisposition for these issues as a consequence of my folate related genes and the trichloroethylene exposure became the trigger for the problem to become pathogenic; inducing symptoms such as the chronic fatigue. One of the bouts of chronic fatigue occurred after the passing of my mother, fitting with the pattern of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy induced by low oestrogen levels.