Vitamin B may be helpful in reducing symptoms of some mental health conditions, including autism, depression, and anxiety — but is it curative?
What is leucovorin?
Leucovorin has made headlines recently with the claim that it is a cure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). You may have wondered what this medication actually is.
Leucovorin is a brand name medication for folic acid, a form of vitamin B9. It was developed for use during chemotherapy to enhance the efficacy of some chemotherapy drugs and to reduce the harmful side effects of treatment. For patients undergoing certain cancer treatments or using other medications that cause problems with the folic acid system, or that cause them to use up their own stores of folate, Leucovorin may be prescribed to help.
Leucovorin can be amazing for some patients undergoing chemotherapy — but is it also a cure for autism?
MTHFR gene mutations
The MTHFR gene is responsible for giving the body instructions on producing proteins that help your body process folate, a form of vitamin B9.
There is a correlation between variations or mutations in the MTHFR gene and conditions including severe anxiety, severe depression, social anxiety, autism or autism spectrum disorder, and even pursuing a career in engineering. There is some great data that for these patients, taking folate can help reduce the effects of the MTHFR gene mutation by reducing cerebral folate deficiency.
For example, L-methylfolate, commonly prescribed under the brand name Deplin, may be used to treat patients whose anxiety or depression is caused by cerebral folate deficiency. We have many patients with a MTHFR gene mutation that have found this medication to be very helpful in treating their mental health.
However, this is true for methylated folate — which is not the same thing as folic acid.
Folate vs folic acid
Folate and folic acid are both forms of vitamin B9. Folate is naturally occurring, while folic acid is synthetic. When ingested, each of these forms must then be metabolized by the body into the usable form of vitamin b9.
However, for people with MTHFR gene mutations, it may be more difficult for the body to metabolize folic acid into a usable form. Taking folic acid –such as Leucovorin — may even begin to cause problems when folic acid builds up without being able to be converted.
A better medication for these patients would instead be folate, particularly L-methylfolate. There are many brands selling prescription-strength doses of 15mg of L-methylfolate.
A cure for autism
While folate may be helpful for reducing the effect of MTHFR gene mutations, we do not think it’s fair to say that it is a cure for autism.
It is true that folate may be helpful in reducing nonverbal symptoms of autism in specific cases. However, autism spectrum disorder is a spectrum, and it is a disorder that is regulated by many genes and influenced by many environmental factors. One medication is not a cure all for everyone on the autism spectrum.
The idea that Leucovorin, or any such medication, is a “cure” for autism puts patients and parents in a very difficult position of needing to defend themselves by saying that they’ve already tried B vitamins, or that their child is already on B vitamins — and they still have ASD.
We love vitamins and highly encourage our patients to supplement with vitamin B, but even B vitamins are not the only or one true treatment for autism.
About Us
Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.