Folic Acid: study card

Generic name

Folic Acid

Class

B vitamin (folate)

Mechanism

Precursor of tetrahydrofolic acid, a cofactor in purine and thymidylate synthesis; converts megaloblastic to normoblastic marrow.

Used for

Megaloblastic anemia from folate deficiency; Nutritional anemia (pregnancy, infancy, childhood)

Common side effects

Allergic sensitization, reported rarely; Anorexia reported with 15 mg/day for one month; Nausea reported with 15 mg/day for one month; Abdominal distention reported with 15 mg/day for one month; Bitter or bad taste reported with 15 mg/day for one month

Warnings

Previous intolerance to folic acid; Folic acid alone is inadequate treatment for pernicious anemia or other B12-deficiency megaloblastic anemia; Anemia can improve while B12-related neurologic injury continues, masking the underlying deficiency

Interactions

Phenytoin (antagonized anticonvulsant action); Methotrexate / pyrimethamine (folate antagonists); Primidone, barbiturates

Brand questions use only name pairings verified against the linked product source. Unverified pairings are withheld from these questions; the other study content remains available.

Label date: 20261015 · For learning, not clinical decisions. US label and brand information; always consult the current source.

Source snapshot checked: 2026-10-21. The source document and selected fields were compared. The complete card has not had an independent clinical review.