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Folic Acid & Insomnia

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  • 12-02-2016 11:25am
    #1
    Kintarō Hattori
    Registered Users Posts: 14,989 ✭✭✭✭


    Folks, I was hoping you could give me some advice on behalf of my better half.

    Currently she's taking some folic acid supplements but suffering from insomnia which apparently is one of the side effects.
    Naturally this is tough to deal with. We're curious as she's eats incredibly healthily and has organic beetroot chopped fresh in the blender, eats fresh spinach like it's going out of fashion- both of these are higher than most foods in folic acid.

    Would it be ok to stop taking the supplements and eat the above, as well as all the other fresh fruit and veg she eats or are the folic acid supplements a necessity?

    Thanks.


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    #2
    Digs
    Registered Users Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭Digs


    How far along is your wife? My doctor said it was fine to stop folic acid around the 12/13 week mark as he could see the spine had fully formed and I moved to the he pregnancy vitamins then.

    She should probably discuss making such a decision with her GP as folic acid is so vital in the early weeks.

    Just also I know insomnia can be a side effect of pregnancy itself so it may not be the folic acid at all. It calmed down for me around the second trimester and sleep returned!


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    #3
    Speedwell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,809 ✭✭✭Speedwell


    Check with her doctor to see whether she can take a magnesium chelate supplement. (Magnesium oxide is worthless; it should be a different and more bioavailable form.) Magnesium is a mild and often effective sleep aid. Many pregnant women are deficient in it and one of the symptoms of the lack is insomnia. If she is having trouble keeping her blood sugar stable, magnesium deficiency can often be contributing.


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    #4
    olaola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    Digs wrote: »
    Just also I know insomnia can be a side effect of pregnancy itself so it may not be the folic acid at all. It calmed down for me around the second trimester and sleep returned!

    It's a pretty common side effect too!


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    #5
    Keane2baMused
    Registered Users Posts: 1,576 ✭✭✭Keane2baMused


    Its more likely the pregnancy that is causing the insomnia than the folic acid. This should resolve around the second trimester but then later on things get more uncomfortable at night which can cause the insomnia to return.


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    #6
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    I've had insomnia since the start of the second trimester on both my pregnancies, and I've never taken a folic acid supplement.

    Check with your GP/gyny to she if it's ok to stop taking them.


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    #7
    Kintarō Hattori
    Registered Users Posts: 14,989 ✭✭✭✭Kintarō Hattori


    Thanks for the feedback folks. She's not far along but has been doing plenty of reading and not coping well with the idea of insomnia for a good while longer.

    We will of course talk to the doctor and take onboard what they have to say.


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    #8
    Roesy
    Registered Users Posts: 2,323 ✭✭✭Roesy


    One of the first symptoms I had on all my pregnancies was insomnia. It started before I even got a positive test on one!!! So annoying. I was told the same about the folic acid too, that it was fine to stop taking it after the first trimester. I took a pregnancy multivitamin which contained some though.


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    #9
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    I'm 35 weeks and sitting here half past midnight....with insomnia (I was asleep earlier).I'm not taking folic acid any more.I'd have said the insomnia was more to do with being pregnant than with any supplements.This is my second pregnamcy and I've had insomnia on and off all along, increasing in the last few weeks.Same in the first pregnancy.
    She should definitely talk to the gp if she seriously wants to stop taking the supplement, but personally I'd be quite surprised if stopping had any effect on the insomnia.It's a feature of pregnancy.


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    #10
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    I had insomnia throughout all my pregnancies. It was one if the first signs that i was pregnant. Never had it taking folic acid before pregnancy... First decent sleep i had was when the epidural kicked in, just before the birth.

    It's completely exhausting. Talk to gp, maybe she can drop the folic acid for a while, but like the others, i think might be the pregnancy itself rather than the folic acid.


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    #11
    Lucuma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭Lucuma


    pwurple wrote: »
    I had insomnia throughout all my pregnancies. It was one if the first signs that i was pregnant. Never had it taking folic acid before pregnancy... First decent sleep i had was when the epidural kicked in, just before the birth.

    It's completely exhausting. Talk to gp, maybe she can drop the folic acid for a while, but like the others, i think might be the pregnancy itself rather than the folic acid.

    I agree. Never heard of folic acid causing insomnia. I've had insomnia all the way through this pregnancy (I'm in 3rd trimester). Pregnancy vitamins contain just as much folic acid as just the folic acid suppliement alone (they all contain 400 ug or whatever it is...the recommended daily allowance).
    Folic acid is vital for the first 12 weeks, just think of the alternative - a child with spina bifida.

    The insomnia is terrible but you do actually get used to it......yawn!! :(


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