Folic Acid for peripheral neuropathy

It's part of my neuropathy supplements that I've shared before. I think it may help but not sure if it helps much by itself. I don't have pain with my neuropathy but I take most all of the supplements shown to help neuropathy that are listed on the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy - https://www.foundationforpn.org/vitamins-and-supplements-for-nerve-health/. **** EDITED Aug 8, 2025 - FPN updated website with new information, fixed broken link.

Methylfolate 400 mcg - methylfolate is the active form of folic acid. The administration of l-methylfolate has been associated with increased levels of nitric oxide, thereby increasing blood flow to the peripheral nerve tissue. -- https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/podiatry/blogged/why-you-should-consider-use-supplements-management-diabetic-neuropathy.

Hi John ,can you let me know the brand of l Methylfolate I should use and the dose. Is it a good idea to also take vitB12. at the same time and the dose.

Any advice is very much appreciated, I’m at a low ebb at the moment and I look forward to your postings.

John

Before the protocol that I use contracted with a local pharmaceutical company to manufacturer and combine the supplements we were taking into fewer capsules, we used to order the supplements from the manufacturers or through Amazon. Here's the one I used to order through Amazon although there are others available - Seeking Health brand Methyl B12 with L-Methylfolate - https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Health-Supplement-Methylfolate-Lozenges/dp/B00822JNTC

Hi John - since we have similar symptoms relating to PN, I am curious to know how this supplement you mentioned above helps you. I've heard about this supplement but never went forward with a trial period for 6 - 9 months. Ed

Hi Ed, When I started taking the protocol in Sept 2016, the numbness was just below my knees. After 2 months, the numbness seemed to be just above the ankles which is subjective on my part with no additional testing. Not really a dramatic improvement but the progression seemed to be stopped which was my main goal. Since then I'm still about the same except I do have some days where I actually have some feeling in the bottom of my feet. What kind of complicates the numbness feeling is that I was diagnosed with lymphedema in my legs in 2018 and have to wear compression socks which puts the squeeze on my legs and feet to keep the swelling down. I do think it's something that takes some period of time once you start taking the supplements because it's working on the restoring the peripheral nerve health vs how most of the neuropathy medications work by addressing the nerve signals to the brain (in my non-medical opinion).

John, the 1st link is not working would you review please ?

Thanks for letting me know. I was able to fix the link above. The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy is updating their website and changing some of the pages. Here's the updated page - https://www.foundationforpn.org/vitamins-and-supplements-for-nerve-health/.

Hi John,
When you say "methylfolate is the active form of folic acid", what does that mean?

I take 100mg folate daily.

I also take b-1 and b-6. I used to also take b-12 but my tests kept coming back showing my b-12 levels were too high.

Thanks!

Hi, I take 100mg folic acid daily. When I was diagnosed in 2019 my PN was progressing pretty quickly from my toes to below my knees.

I was put on folic acid 100 mg, B-1 100 mg. B-6 100mg.

As you probably know, these do not in any way cure neuropathy but the are intended to support the nerves that are still functioning.

I can't say for sure that they are helping me, however,
the damage has seemed to stop progressing further up my legs. I have not had any noticeable side effects.

I was also taking B-12 daily but had to stop because my levels were showing way too high.

I would recommend getting lab work done regularly to monitor your blood levels for these vitamins. They are usually not a part of the normal CBC testing.

Of course, this is just my experience but I thought I would share. Best of luck to you!

Hi @ohkay2, Here's an article/reference that explains the difference.

"Recent data suggest the need to distinguish between naturally occurring folates and folic acid (FA), terms often mistaken and used interchangeably, both by practitioners and consumers, causing considerable confusion.1
In particular, 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate [methylfolate, 5-MTHF, or (6S)-5-MTHF], has been evaluated as a better alternative to folic-acid supplementation.2-5 In this article, I endeavor to clearly identify the difference between folic acid and folate, pointing out why Quatrefolic, the 5-MTHF glucosamine salt from Gnosis by Lesaffre, is the ideal choice, suitable for anyone but in particular for those expressing methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR) polymorphism, which is approximately 40% of the global population.6-10"
-- Active Folate Versus Folic Acid: The Role of 5-MTHF (Methylfolate) in Human Health
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9380836/