I've heard conflicting comments about taking B12 when dealing with PCa. My husband's oncologist is recommending he take sublingual B12.
Also, what about chicken livers, range feed, not corn feed. Also spinach and garlic to bring up anemia levels?
Thanks very much
I’m no doctor but I would have thought if your husband has been tested and found to be deficient in B12 then he needs a supplement in spite of having PCa. My hubby has recently been found to be deficient, has had several replacement injections over a short period and will now get a booster every 3 months. Hope that helps but I’m sure there will be far more expert replies along shortly to answer your question.
Has he been tested for B12 deficiency? Or does the doc suggest B12 to all patients? I'd be wary of B12 unless there is deficiency. If he has symptoms that suggest deficiency, he nonetheless should be tested for verification.
For near or actual anemia due to ADT, iron is not the problem (at least the primary problem.) Red blood cell counts rise or fall according to testosterone levels. There have been threads on the subject here.
-Patrick
Is there any treatment for the anemia if your testosterone is low due to ADT, or do you just have to adjust to the situation.
Some studies have shown exercise to be helpful while on ADT. In particular against fatigue. But I don't know whether the red blood cell [RBC] count is affected.
The oxygen supply to the body is limited by RBCs, which contain the hemoglobin that carries the oxygen. With exercise, RBCs will make more trips to the lungs for re-oxygenation.
-Patrick
Patrick, yes his B12 continues to drop. It is at 159. The range is 250 to 1500. I will have to read the articles via the search.
Well, you certainly don't want to risk pernicious anemia or dementia.
But, on the other hand, we use very little B12, so I would supplement just enough to get into the normal range.
Sublingual B12 theoretically gets around the problem of the stomach no longer producing intrinsic factor, but my integrative medicine man insisted that injected was the only reliable approach.
I received a tiny bottle of B12, a 6 month supply of syringes & a lesson in injecting into belly fat, all for about $24. If my B12 becomes too low, I would go the same route, but inject a smaller dose less frequently.
Best, -Patrick
I used to inject myself. This was when things were easier to get and docs weren't so afraid of the system.
I was told that if I continued I would risk I think a folic acid problem. This was in the 70s.. does this make any sense and yes.. I think we need to supplement.
Patrick and All, I've been in this for almost 12 years, yes a blessing and I look for the silver lining ALWAYS.. though added to the silver lining is such hell at times... thanks for making things a little easier.... everyone here... may you all be blessed with strong health..
Thank you for your protocol. We are going to begin bringing his numbers up with B12 sublingual . We have it here already.
If today my husband was diagnosed, we most likely would when he was off ADT for one year, 2009, we'd begin T, but at this point we can't. There's no looking back. We did what we knew how to do at the time. No doctor would have sanctioned this at that time. He would have loved nothing more than to have T.
The mine field, and I've called it this for many years now is just that- a mind field. What is indicted, contra-indicated. When faced with a life threatening challenge the psyche does many things. Thanks for your input.
I acknowledge and accept you are just reporting your experience. I fully understand this.
We always sort through information ... This is what is good about these forums. This one in particular is very good. There's a wide range of people who share. It's invaluable support.
I had a problem with anemia while on Lupron injections (Eligard - generic). It turned out that my kidneys were going bad, my creatinin levels were up to 5.1 which means dialysis.
My creatinin is down to 3.5 now and I no longer am on Lupron for 4 months. The kidneys have a hormone that tells your bone marrow to release RBC's. So if your kidneys are in bad shape you become anemic. They are giving me occasional shots of Proctrit (an artificial hormone). They also gave me 5 infusions of Iron in an I.V. that helped. You may need to see a Nephrologist or Hematologist for this. There are answers to all of these problems. My hemoglobin was 9.6 and now is 11.2. Iron tablets did not work for me, they just made me feel constipated all the time. Eating chicken livers is bad for your cholesterol. Spinach has iron and I try to eat it as much as I can. Stay healthy! It probably is not "anemia" and B-12 sublingual made me feel great when I first tried it. But if you still are anemic, go to a Doctor and find out why. It usually is something simple.
My primary care doc also has me on sublingual B12 due to low levels in blood tests. One thing it does do is lower inflammation in the body, in particular lowering your homocysteine.
I take omeprazole, a stomach acid reducer medicine, for GERD / reflux. Dr Oz, the TV guy, says that people taking such a med, and old people in general, should consider a B-12 supplement as the normal digestive process would be impaired in producing B-12. A deficiency is not good for brain health.
My personal trainer said use b12 sublingual to increase energy. Should I worry about using it while on adt?
Nal
Thanks. Anything that helps increase energy / reduce fatigue while on adt is a blessing. Working out of course does big time. Anything else you know of?
Bob
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