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Is Folate Safe For Use In A Person With Schizoaffective Disorder?
Question: Hello, my name is XXXX and I am taking 15 mg of abilify in the morning for schizoaffective disorder, 1 mg of klonopin three times a day for anxiety, and 45 mg of remeron at night to help me sleep. I am feeling a little depressed. The klonopins make me feel depressed, so I ordered 5mg (5000 mcg) tablets of L-methylfolate and plan on taking one three times a day so it would be the equivalent of taking 15 mg of deplin. I will take them with the klonopins so they will erase the depression from the klonopins. Do you think this is a good idea? Do you think adding 15 mg of L-methylfolate would give me serotonin syndrome by taking it with the medications I'm already on, or would the L-methylfolate interact with any of my other medications in any other way? Please tell me if you think L-methylfolate is a good idea, and whether combining it with the medications I'm already on would give me serotonin syndrome or interact with them in any other way. And do you have to have a folic acid deficiency to safely be able to take 15 mg of L-methylfolate or can you safely take that much if you just have depression? Also, on Tuesday, I am going to get the monthly abilify maintena injection which is 400 mg, and my doctor told me to continue taking the 15 mg abilify tablets after getting the injection. That will be close to 30 mg of abilify a day with 45 mg of remeron, and I called the pharmacist and she said that abilify increases the effect of remeron. So will it be safe to take 30 mg of abilify with 45 mg of remeron? L-methylfolate also increases the effects of antidepressants so that will also increase the effect of the remeron so will this combination of medications be safe?
Brief Answer:
Folate is safe to use and you can go with this.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for asking, I can understand your concern.
A lot of studies on the patients of depressive disorder proved that about one to two third of patients of depression have deficiency of folate. Folate is involved in metabolic pathways of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is the reason supplementation of folate with antidepressants results in quick and sustained response compared to the use of antidepressants alone.
So in my opinion taking L-methylfolate is a good idea. In my opinion 5 mg twice a day would be sufficient at this stage and in about one and half month you can think of reducing the dose to 5 mg daily.
Even if you use 15 mg folate even then that would not give you serotonin syndrome, so no need to worry.
In patients of folic acid deficiency the supplementation results in best results but even in normal individuals the supplement helps to supplement the actions of antidepressants.
Taking 30 mg Aripiprazole is safe with Mirtazapine 45 mg dose. The combination is safe no need to worry.
But in my opinion 45 mg dose of Mirtazapine is high and you can think of reducing it to 30 if your doctor agrees. The dose of folate would compensate the reduced dose of Mirtazapine.
Thanks. Take care
Folate is safe to use and you can go with this.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for asking, I can understand your concern.
A lot of studies on the patients of depressive disorder proved that about one to two third of patients of depression have deficiency of folate. Folate is involved in metabolic pathways of serotonin and norepinephrine. This is the reason supplementation of folate with antidepressants results in quick and sustained response compared to the use of antidepressants alone.
So in my opinion taking L-methylfolate is a good idea. In my opinion 5 mg twice a day would be sufficient at this stage and in about one and half month you can think of reducing the dose to 5 mg daily.
Even if you use 15 mg folate even then that would not give you serotonin syndrome, so no need to worry.
In patients of folic acid deficiency the supplementation results in best results but even in normal individuals the supplement helps to supplement the actions of antidepressants.
Taking 30 mg Aripiprazole is safe with Mirtazapine 45 mg dose. The combination is safe no need to worry.
But in my opinion 45 mg dose of Mirtazapine is high and you can think of reducing it to 30 if your doctor agrees. The dose of folate would compensate the reduced dose of Mirtazapine.
Thanks. Take care
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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