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Folic Acid: Side Effects
Folate has been tolerated without significant side effects in dosages as high as 250 mg and 1,000 mg/day (Zettner et al. 1981; Brown et al. 1986). However, Hunter et al. (1970) reported malaise, sleep
problems, irritability, and an increased activity level when folate was given to normal, healthy volunteers. Folate has been reported to exacerbate the frequency of seizures in epilepsy (Reynolds 1967), but we have not experienced
this problem in patients with FXS and seizures. Folate treatment should be avoided, however, in patients with poorly controlled seizures. Folate may occasionally cause loose stools and can prolong diarrhea in children recovering
from gastroenteritis. If diarrhea occurs, the dose of folate should be lowered or discontinued until the diarrhea resolves. We reported vitamin B6 deficiency in males with FXS taking 10 mg of folic acid per day (Hagerman et al. 1986). To avoid this problem, patients should take daily a multiple vitamin with B6 while on folic acid therapy. Folate can also interfere with zinc absorption in the intestine, and serum zinc levels should therefore be monitored at least once a year (Milne et al. 1984).
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This article is not intended to give medical advice for individual cases. Any change in medical treatment
should be done in consultation with appropriate medical personnel. This article is written for medical professionals. Some of the terms will be unfamiliar to those who are not trained in medical fields.
*This article is from the chapter on treatment in the 3rd edition of Fragile X Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research edited
by Randi Jenssen Hagerman, M.D. and Paul Hagerman, M.D., Ph.D., to be published May 2002. It is included with permission from The Johns Hopkins University Press. References to other chapters refer to chapters in
the book which are not included as part of this website.
The complete 3rd edition of Fragile X Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research can be ordered from the National Fragile X Foundation by calling
1-800-688-8765 or from The Johns Hopkins University Press at 1-800-537-5487.
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Medical Follow-up Pharmacotherapy Future Prospects
Outline Medications Medical Conditions
References: A, B, C, D, EF, G, H, IJ, K, L, M, NOP, QR, S, T, UVWXYZ
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