PlainPill

Vitamin B9

People mainly take Vitamin B9 for energy. Based on 5 first-hand reports and 20 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #1400 of 1,974 overall.

14
User score
Mostly positive
20% positive0% mixed0% negative80% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 100% are positive.

Clinical research
BModerate research base
20
meta-analyses
6
RCTs
469
papers

What Vitamin B9 does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

betterno changeworse

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

BModerate research base

At least one meta-analysis, or 5+ randomized controlled trials. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Medicine (Baltimore) · 2024 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
The concept of folic acid supplementation and its role in prevention of neural tube defect among pregnant women: PRISMA

Conclusion: As a result, women are recommended to take 400 microgram FA/day from preconception until the end of the first trimester to prevent NTD-affected pregnancies. This allows the developing neural tissue to acquire critical mass and provides the preferred rostrocaudal orientation so that these divisions contribute to the elongation of the developing neural tube in embryos.

PubMed 38728462 ↗
Int Psychogeriatr · 2015 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of folate and vitamin B12 for depression

Conclusion: The number of available trials remains small and heterogeneity between studies high. The results of these meta-analyses suggest that treatment with folate and vitamin B12 does not decrease the severity of depressive symptoms over a short period of time, but may be helpful in the long-term management of special populations.

PubMed 25644193 ↗
Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2022 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Folic acid supplementation and malaria susceptibility and severity among people taking antifolate antimalarial drugs in endemic areas

Conclusion: For each individual outcome, two review authors (KSC, LFY) will independently assess the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach (Balshem 2011). For assessments of the overall certainty of evidence for each outcome that includes pooled data from included trials, we will downgrade the evidence from 'high certainty' by one level for serious (or by two for very serious) study limitations (risk of bias, indirectness of evidence, serious inconsistency, imprecision of effect estimates, or potential publication bias).

PubMed 36321557 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

dailyas reported

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

No side effects reported so far.

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“Vitamin B9 needs Coenzyme B3 and coenzyme B2 to make MTHF”
Source discussion ↗
“B vitamins like b6 (p5p form), b2, b9 and B12 can give alot of mental energy.”
Source discussion ↗
“if you never eat green vegetables you may be deficient in vit B9 also, then you will need Vit B9 in folate form”
Source discussion ↗
“I have had this issue even before taking Ritalin, it just got worse recently”
Source discussion ↗
“Im strange i feel good on oxide + b6 b9 and bad on glycinate.”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Other options for energy

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate