Methylation Balance? Methylation is like a chemical switchboard. It helps turn genes on or off, detox the body, make neurotransmitters (like serotonin and dopamine), and support energy, mood, and immunity. Too much or too little methylation can lead to health imbalances.

 

 

 

🔺 Overmethylation (Histapenia)

🚨 What it Means:

• Your body is adding too many methyl groups
  
• Can be due to genetics (like COMT variants) or excess methyl donors (e.g., too much folate, B12, TMG)
  

⚠️ Common Signs:

• ADHD: Those who are overmethylators may have attention deficits and may have been previously diagnosed with ADHD.
• Anxiety: In some cases, the overmethylation can lead to increased levels of anxiety and susceptibility to panic attacks.
• Artistic: Some sources have suggested a link between artistic and musical pursuits and overmethylation. Whether this is accurate is subject to debate.
• Depression: Those with overmethylation may become depressed as a result of high levels of serotonin, lack of motivation, and accomplishment.
• Dry skin: It has also been speculated that those who are overmethylated tend to be more susceptible to bouts of dry skin.
• Food sensitivities: If you are an overmethylator, you may notice that you are highly sensitive to certain foods and/or chemicals.
• Frustration: Another sign among overmethylators is rampant frustration or becoming easily frustrated in seemingly benign situations.
• High pain threshold: Unlike those who are poor methylators, overmethylation is associated with higher pain tolerance.
• Low libido: Another symptom of overmethylation is a decreased sex drive. They may be considerably less interested in sex than average.
• Low motivation: The general tendency among overmethylators is that of deficient achievement in the workplace or competitive settings. This is often a direct result of the motivational deficit that may be a byproduct of overmethylation.
• Nervousness: This ties into the generalised anxiety that a person may experience as a result of the overmethylation.
• Obsessions: Some have suggested that individuals with overmethylation may demonstrate clear obsessions, but they aren’t usually accompanied by compulsions.
• Overweight: Those who are overmethylated may be more likely to pack on weight in part due to motivational deficits and depression.
• Paranoia: Among those who are strongly affected by overmethylation, paranoid thoughts and possibly auditory hallucinations may emerge.
• Restless legs: Another possible symptom that you may experience if you’re dealing with too much methylation is restless legs.
• Self-imposed isolation: Those who isolate themselves from others may do so in part as a result of depression and or anxiety from overmethylation.
• Self-harm: Researchers believe that among those who commit acts of self-harm and mutilation, overmethylation tends to occur.
• Sleep disorders: Those with sleep problems may be more likely to have overmethylation.
  
  

🧠 Neurotransmitters:

• Often have high serotonin and dopamine sensitivity
  
• May respond poorly to SSRIs or methyl supplements
  
  

🛠️ Supportive Approaches:

• DMAE
• Folic Acid (Folate) or Folinic acid
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

If you are taking a medication and have a mutation of MTHFR that leads to overmethylation, below are some likely reactions.

• Antihistamines: Since you already have low levels of histamine, you are going to respond poorly to any antihistamine drug. Overmethylated people tend to have less allergic responses than usual as a result of the low endogenous histamine.
• Benzodiazepines: Favourable responses have been noted among those with overmethylation to taking benzodiazepines.
• Lithium: The mood stabilising agent, Lithium, has also been thought to yield noticeable improvement among those who are overmethylated.
• Oestrogen therapy: Should you engage in oestrogen therapy as an overmethylator, you are likely to experience an adverse reaction.
• SAM-e: This supplement should be avoided by any individual who is dealing with overmethylation. Adverse reactions are likely to occur as this will further increase methylation.
• SSRIs: In general, people who are overmethylated already have high levels of serotonin and don’t require an SSRI. Further increasing serotonin levels may be problematic and may yield unwanted side effects or adverse reactions.
• Many persons who are overmethylated might have an adverse reaction to serotonin-enhancing substances such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, St. John’s Wort, and methionine.

 

 

 

 

🔻 Undermethylation (Histadelia)

🚨 What it Means:

• Your body isn’t adding enough methyl groups
  
• Often linked to low SAMe or MTHFR gene variants
  

⚠️ Common Signs:

• Addictions: Those who are considered undermethylators may be more likely to battle addictions and/or have addictive personalities.
• Competitive: It is believed that many undermethylators are extremely competitive in sports, business, and other facets of life. Competition is a notable signal that a person may not have a sufficient methylation process.
• Concentrative endurance: Some individuals who are suffering from undermethylation may have a difficult time maintaining focus for prolonged periods of time. In other words, their concentration ability may wane quicker than average.
• Delusions: Certain individuals who fall into the undermethylation diagnosis may experience delusions or beliefs that aren’t based in reality. While these generally are not severe, they can interfere with the accuracy of a person’s perception of reality.
• Headaches: Some researchers believe that undermethylation may cause physical symptoms such as headaches.
• High achievement: One characteristic (rather than a symptom) of people with low levels of methylation is that of accomplishment and achievement. Many individuals considered top athletes, CEOs, and professionals may be fueled in part by undermethylation.
• High libido: A person may be highly interested in sex and/or have a higher than average “drive” compared to others.
• Obsessive-compulsive: Undermethylation may provoke symptoms of OCD or other obsessive tendencies. In fact, someone may actually get diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder as a result of their methylation deficiency.
• Oppositional defiance: Another common finding is that those displaying signs of oppositional defiant disorder(ODD) tend to also have undermethylation. While this isn’t a very common diagnosis, it is thought to be related to undermethylation.
• Inner tension: While a person who is an undermethylator may appear to exhibit a calm demeanour, they may be filled with inner tension.
• Low pain tolerance: Individuals with undermethylation tend to have a poor tolerance to any sort of pain.
• Perfectionism: Another trait of undermethylators is perfectionism. They aren’t satisfied unless tasks are completed in accordance with their specific methodology. They may be intolerant of less-than-perfect outcomes.
• Phobias: Certain phobias or irrational fears may be caused in part by undermethylation.
• Ritualistic behaviour: Those who are undermethylated may engage in ritualistic behaviour with rigid schedules. They may have specific daily rituals to which they must adhere.
• Seasonal allergies: It has also been suggested that allergies may be stronger among undermethylators, particularly during seasonal transitions. This may be related to naturally elevated levels of histamine, leading to more pronounced reactions.
• Self-motivated: A person who is undermethylated may be highly self-motivated in both school and work functions. They may not need any outside inspiration or encouragement to complete their work; they are fueled internally by themselves.
• Social isolation: Some individuals with undermethylation may isolate themselves from others and prefer to be left alone, especially during the completion of work.
• Strong-willed: Another characteristic that is found among those who are undermethylated is that of a strong will.
  

Since undermethylation results in low levels of calcium, magnesium, methionine, and Vitamin B6, it’s important to consider these for supplementation. Additionally, it may be important to avoid folic acid as levels may be abnormally high throughout neurons. Correcting nutritional imbalances is considered an important step towards improving undermethylation symptoms.

🧠 Neurotransmitters:

• Often have low serotonin – may do well with SSRIs
  
• May benefit from extra methyl support
  

🛠️ Supportive Approaches:

• Choline
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Methionine
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• SAM-e
• Vitamin B12 (methyl B12)
• Vitamin C
  

Medication Outcomes

If you plan on taking medication, some researchers have noted that outcomes among individuals with undermethylation are considered specific based on the type of drug utilised.

• Antihistamines: Since those with undermethylation tend to have high levels of histamine, using an antihistamine may result in favourable effects.
• Benzodiazepines: People taking benzodiazepines like Xanax tend to have unfavourable responses if they are suffering from undermethylation.
• SSRIs: Those dealing with undermethylation tend to respond well to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are antidepressant drugs that specifically increase the amount of extracellular serotonin. These are considered helpful among undermethylators because they have low levels of serotonin.
• Vitamin B Complex: Those taking Vitamin B Complex may experience adverse effects. This is because the person already has high levels of folic acid (Vitamin B9), and the complex serves to further elevate it.
• These undermethylated persons may benefit nicely from Paxil, Zoloft, and other serotonin-enhancing medications, although nasty side effects are common.  A more natural approach is to directly correct the underlying problem using SAMe, methionine, calcium, magnesium, among others.  Although most undermethylated patients thrive on folates, supplements of folates must be avoided for patients whose problems are dominated by low activity at serotonin receptors.  Folic acid, folinic acid, and methylfolate all reduce serotonin/dopamine neurotransmission by an epigenetic mechanism, and this effect overwhelms the folate benefits of improved methylation and serotonin synthesis.

🧬 Genetic Clues:

Gene	Overmethylation	Undermethylation
MTHFR C677T	Rare (unless taking too many supplements)	Common
COMT V158M	Slower breakdown → higher dopamine	Normal breakdown
CBS	May increase sulfur overload	Normal sulfur detox

Enzyme polymorphisms (genes)

• MTHFR

• COMPT

MTHFR: The Truth Behind Overmethylation vs Undermethylation Symptoms – Southwest Integrative Medicine

PLEASE NOTE: ANY VIEWS REGARDING THE RESULTS ARE MY UNDERSTANDING AND DO NOT SERVE AS PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. THE TREATMENT RECOMMENDATION IS STRICTLY RELATED TO ALEX’S RESULTS AND NOT MEANT FOR SELF-TREATMENT. ALWAYS SPEAK TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER BEFORE STARTING ANY TREATMENTS.