Go off folate cold turkey?

[Blessedbymybabies]

Hi atomic. You once mentioned to me that I should wean off my high intake of folate after the first trimester. Right now I’m 13 weeks, my doctor advices me that for Cardiac development (if you recall, my last boy had heart defects) she told me to continue the dosage of 4 mg until 14 weeks. My question is, is it okay if I would just quit the 3 mg cold turkey at 14 weeks and just go straight to the 1 mg in my prenatal? I have just enough folate for the next week and I thought if it’s all the same I need not go buy another bottle just for a few extra days. Does it make a difference?

[atomic sagebrush]

You need to wean off. We have seen too many people who dropped folic acid or folate suddenly, or switched suddenly from folate to folic acid and then had unexplained losses at the end of the first trimester (this dates all the way back to my time on IG, so 10 years now) and I strongly, strongly suggest you pay the money for the extra bottle so you can wean off gradually.

[Blessedbymybabies]

Oh wow, okay good thing i asked. Can you explain to me the process of weaning off from the 3 mg extra if I start next week (at 14 weeks pregnant) for example, do I just drop 1 mg for now at a time and how long do I stay at that amount before dropping another?
I just dont want to do anything harmful. Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

so you're taking 1 mg pills?

[Blessedbymybabies]

Yes, so my prenatal has 1 mg of folic acid, and i am taking 1 mg Folate, three times a day to top it

[atomic sagebrush]

So what I would do is go first to eod on one of the folates. So you're doing prenatal, then 2 folates one day, 3 the next. Give that a couple days before ditching the 3rd. Then do the same with the second, till you're down to just one folate and the prenatal. Then with that final one, go even slower. Do EOD for a couple rounds, then every 2 days, then three, till you're down to one extra per week, then drop. I'd give it a solid 3-4 weeks to complete, and you may want to start the process IN the 14th week so you're not continuing on much beyond that because taking folate into the late second, third tri may be harmful so we want you to balance between taking it as long as possible yet not taking it too long, and yet still not coming off too fast.

[Blessedbymybabies]

Okay got it. So it’s just my prenatal, and 3 mg folate. The next day 2, the next day 3 again then back to 2 and keep that pattern going and slowed when at the last dose. Yes I’ll start it at 14 weeks I don’t want to keep on a high dose long. What does EOD mean? Couldn’t figure that ☺️

[shinay]

EOD means every other day [emoji4]

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[Blessedbymybabies]

Thanks! And Atomic, Im out of luck and cant seem to find the exact brand folate I have. I got them off amazon but cant find them on Prime orders anymore (Which is a membership I have where my orders arrive in two days) So if I ordered them normally it could take weeks to Canada. Would it be okay to switch to another to continue to wean off them?

[atomic sagebrush]

Okay got it. So it’s just my prenatal, and 3 mg folate. The next day 2, the next day 3 again then back to 2 and keep that pattern going and slowed when at the last dose. Yes I’ll start it at 14 weeks I don’t want to keep on a high dose long. What does EOD mean? Couldn’t figure that ☺️

Yes sorry every other day.