Folic Acid

[Hopefulcb]

Quick question:  How much Folic Acid are /were you all on pre-pregnancy?  My family Doctor put me on 5 mg which seemed like a lot! Anyone else? Does anyone know if it's bad to get too much?

[redBlues]

Hopefulcb:

There must be a reason as to why ur doc. described u 5 mg of folic acid.
Pls do not buy anything over the counter and do what ur doc. told you...

I'm also taking 5 mg of folic acid and the reason is that I had a failed preg. and the baby had a heart defect....

I'm sure ur doc. also knows that a woman who doesn't have any condition or problem needs 800 mcg ,but woman who has a condition needs 5 mg....

Pls find out the reason..good luck

[Jeanie20]

I have been taking the 800 mcg in my prenatal vitamin and the doc also gave me a prescription for an additional 1 mg of folic acid that I take both once a day.  I also started taking a DHA supplement a few months ago.  I think 5 mg does sound high but I guess the docs just want to be extra careful.  I would ask them why such a high dose next time u see the doc.  I hope this helps you and good luck with your little bean.  Let us know how everything goes.  

[Courtcoop]

I have been taking 1000 mcg/2 times a day. Folic is majorily important.
Go to GNC and buy the 3 pack combo of Prenatals (included is extra Calcium and DHA 200).
It may be pricey(@ $35 for the 3 pack) but half *** prenatals can cause havoc on your gut (it did mine!) and these are much better as they have no additives.

[AnnieBrooke]

March of Dimes website says you need an extra 400 mcg a day.  That's a lot of difference from 5 mg.  I'd be tempted to say "No guts, no glory" on this and think the March of Dimes is just being conservative, but the gap is so large that it does seem worth asking the doctor about.

[AnnieBrooke]

I had 800 mcg in my prenatal plus an 800-mcg tablet that I supplemented my prenatal with, sometimes taking a couple of those and sometimes taking one.  So, somewhere between 1.6 and 2.4 mg.  But this was not on my doctor's instructions. (Are you are eating a wheat-free diet, by any chance?)  Anyway, folic acid is prescribed a lot lately for heart health, and so maybe there are new guidelines that the doctor is following.  It's a B vitamin, i.e., water-soluble, so not dangerous in larger doses.