Many of us, during one of our panic trips to our GP's, have discovered through blood tests that our Iron and B12 levels are low. That was the case with me and I've now taken Iron Supplements for over a month and have had two B12 injections. Prior to that I had trouble sleeping and had bizzare head jolts ( not brain zaps) that seemed to have gone away a short time after taking these two things in combination. I haven't had them since.
Was it all a placebo effect?
Are you a believer in Supplements being of assistance to anxiety symptoms?
Also, if you take a B12 supplement ( my arm gets tired of injection) which one is highest quality for value? ( Not for anxiety purposes but because mine was actually low).
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Clarita83
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I don’t believe taking b vitamins is a placebo effect as many people are low in them and taking b vitamins do show improvements in those people
As for which brand the Jarrow b complex is very good( my m showed the dr what we take and he thought it looked like an excellent product) I also need iron but for that I drank chlorophyll daily and would eat a spoon full of molasses as they both have iron and other good minerals for you
Indeed! 😊 I don’t think many people know about Chlorophyll I also like it since it is very detoxifying which is them same with molasses although you need that blackstrap molasses for the benefits:)I went to urgent care once because I didn’t know I was having a panic attack and they did some blood work anyway, but the dr was wondering what I took as my hemoglobin/iron was high for a girl! She didn’t think that was Bad and said all my blood work was good and to keep doing what I was doing! 😊 and that was just from the three things I was taking.
B12 It is only found in animal products - meat/fish/dairy/egg - so strict vegans and people who eat very little of the above can develop a B12 dietary deficiency. This can be corrected using 50mcg tablets taken orally
B12 is stored in the body in quite good quantities - in the liver - so it can take a very long time to develop - years or even decades. The symptoms creep up very slowly - and include anxiety, depression, pins and needles, a type of anaemia in which red blood cells are larger than normal.
The mechanism for absorbing B12 is very specialised - relying on the ileum, a certain degree of stomach acidity - specialist cells producing proteins that bind to B12 allowing it to be absorbed. Things can go wrong with this mechanism leading to a problem absorbing B12 - and it is absorption problems that are the more common causes of B12 deficiency. There are also a large number of drug interactions that can inhibit absorption of B12 - including metformin used to treat type 2 diabetes, and PPIs uses to treat high stomach acidity.
Iron deficiency can also result in anxiety and depression - not quite sure of the precise mechanisms but may be related to reduced amounts of oxygen in the blood.
you are having B12 injections because you have a B12 absorption problem - and after your loading doses (6 over 2 weeks if you don't have neurological problems) you will need maintenance doses at least every 3 months to keep your levels up because you won't be able to use stores of B12 properly anymore.
Not sure what you mean by your arm getting tired of the injection - they can be quite painful - particularly if they are injected cold or two quickly. Although the B12 that is being injected needs to be stored in a cool dark place - it doesn't need to be injected cold and ideally should be warmed slightly in the hand before injection.
Oral supplementation does work for some as a way of keeping their levels high - but you need to be taking tablets containing 1000mcg+ of B!2 to ensure you get what you need as you will actually be absorbing very little of this.
Depression and anxiety are actually terms for a group of symptoms that can have several different causes which includes vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Note: B12 isn't toxic. However, high dose B12 is only needed if you have an absorption problem and can cause problems if you don't.
Thank you so much for all the valuable information. Indeed my Dr assumes I may have trouble absorbing Iron and B12. I've only been on iron supplements for over a month so it's too early to check if it's working. I don't feel energetic like I was told I would. The B12 shot, unfortunately I didn't finish my rounds because I couldn't pay to go back for two weeks now. Hopefully next week it'll be different. I noticed I slept better at night receiving them and my head jolts at night stopped. Really don't want them to return.
I also started to wonder where exactly my level of B12 are right now to figure out whether I should even take the B12. I never knew I had B12 issues, Iron yes. Last I saw my Dr she wanted to investigate why I might have absorbtion issues but I haven't returned and she wasn't sure the culprit was absorbtion. I know it's something that needs more attention.
Thanks for pointing out the importance of vitamins!
please note that there is not a lot of point in having serum B12 levels checked after a loading dose as it introduces new factors that mean that the normal range (which is a poor guide to whether levels are right for an individual during diagnosis) really doesn't apply. You need to go on symptoms.
Take it that you are US based? protocols for treatment vary from country to country. Please take a look at and join the PAS forum. You will get lots of information and support there. B12 doesn't just affect your blood and cause a type of anaemia - it also helps maintain proper nerve function, and regulates a couple of key provesses that can lead to cardio vascular problems
Thank you. I have joined the group earlier today. I've yet to browse with better concentration, I'm leaving that for night time reading tonight.
I'm from the US but reside in Australia. The more I know about this the more I can fix my severe anxiety symptoms that started after a panic attack over a month ago. I'd like to go into my Drs office better equipped to get full help.
For info - although injectable B12 is prescription only in UK and US (amongst other countries), its actually an over the counter medication in Australia - and Canada.
Oh right! I didn't know this. I guess it is a matter of knowing how to self administer or not. I will look into that. I'd prefer my GP to do it since she knows more what she is doing. Perhaps there is also the stigma of bad health knowing that I'd have to inject something into my body for maybe what is to be the rest of my life!
your life will be much shorter if you don't get injections/find a way of keeping your B12 levels up. Diabetes is a common condition and requires much more frequent injections. The injections are about stopping you being ill and ensuring good health.
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I also like it since it is very detoxifying which is them same with molasses although you need that blackstrap molasses for the benefits:)I went to urgent care once because I didn’t know I was having a panic attack and they did some blood work anyway, but the dr was wondering what I took as my hemoglobin/iron was high for a girl! She didn’t think that was Bad and said all my blood work was good and to keep doing what I was doing! 😊 and that was just from the three things I was taking. 
I need someone to talk to
My mum won't talk to me.
High blood pressure after talking
I need someone to just talk to :-(
Is there somewhere I can talk to someone?
