Caffeine/Methylation/Sulfur

 Today was a total debacle and it merits a separate post.  I never had a good pace and within just a half mile, it was clear that it was not a slow start.  It got worse with every step and I had to walk/jog the back half after a first mile in just about 10 minutes.  What happened?

The culprit is excess sulfur.  Here was the reaction to certain treatments:

Non-Caffeinated 7up- No effect.

Caffeinated Kickstart- Worsened symptoms

Extra B-12- Not a significant impact.  Negligible positive.

CoQ10- Worsened symptoms

Glutathione- Worsened symptoms

Methyl Folate- Worsened Symptoms

CBS/NOS- Significant symptom relief.

I really was not elated after the successful pill free weekend because I knew the maintenance could fail.  It did.  Let's go back to last week with the CoQ10.  I assumed that my system rejected it because it was too stimulating.  I was okay with that because it appeared that I could handle it occasionally but not every day.  Now, after a full week off it, I STILL had a reaction to it.  For the 1000th time, a SINGLE DOSE of a bad pill should NOT trigger a severe reaction!!!  If I took it every day, then yes, a bad reaction is understandable.  Taking it once after a full week off it and I still react badly?  NOT OKAY!

It seemed that a Pepsi with 50 mg caffeine that I drank on Friday is what triggered it.  I had been perfectly clean for 3 days (nothing but water).  Now, if I had a daily energy drink habit (160 mg caffeine), yes it would be understandable if I collapsed after several consecutive days.  An occasional lightly caffeinated Pepsi every 3rd day?  That should NEVER trigger a bad reaction!!

I do have the gene for the upregulation of CBS, which leaves me vulnerable to excess sulfur.  Gluthathione is high in sulfur.  I know that MF is involved in sulfur metabolism as well.  I found no evidence on caffeine but I can only conclude that it too is involved.  Much higher doses of caffeine were tolerated last weekend and I can only conclude that it was because I was pill free at the time.  Because I had been taking MF every day this week, caffeine became a big NO NO!  

The only thing that helped was CBS/NOS.  Before the TRS, I could not tolerate that but thankfully, that's no longer an issue.  A single pill resulted in an improvement from 1:52 to 1:22 on the Montreat half loop.  That's a full THREE MINUTE IMPROVEMENT PER MILE!!  That most definitely counts as extreme dependence on 1 pill!!  NOT ACCEPTABLE!!

I have several options to fight this that are not mutually exclusive:

1. Eliminate caffeine altogether-  It's a good idea but I don't think it will be enough on its own.  I already rejected CoQ10 and I figure it was only a matter of time before I rejected the MF even without the caffeine.  I already know what happens if I stop taking the MF.  Within 5 days, I will collapse.  Again, a single can of Pepsi should NEVER trigger a collapse.   

2. Back off on the Methyl Folate- Again, it's probably a good idea at least in the short-term.  Going back to occasional use of that stuff will be enough to prevent a collapse but I don't think I can get the desired results unless I take it every day.  The plan for this week is to back off for a few days then go back on it leading up to race day.

3. Increase the dose of CBS/NOS- This is almost certainly a winner based on the interval trial this afternoon.  Pace improved by 3 full minutes per mile after just one additional pill.  Perhaps, simply upping the dose of this stuff will allow me to tolerate both MF every day as well as occasional caffeine and even occasional CoQ10 or Glutathione.

4. Add Molybdenum- This is helpful for CBS patients and was effective for me in the past.  Might be worth another shot.  We shall see if it is more effective than the CBS.

5. SUOX drops- I'm not clear if I have this mutation.  I've tried this treatment in the past without success but that was before the TRS.  Probably a last resort.

Reaction to this collapse:

If this sort of thing happens every couple of months or so and I just have to tweak my dosage, I'm okay with it.  Hell, even once per month would be acceptable.  NOT EVERY WEEK!  It takes about 3-5 days to fully recover from a collapse so I have very little window for quality workouts and can never get in shape.     

UPDATE:

Things are looking more promising one day later.  I believe that simply adding moly and/or upping the CBS/NOS will be all I need to do.  I most likely can pitch the stand alone B12 and the Curcumin so there won't be any additional pills in my cocktail.