High B12 levels

[borahae]

Hi, so with my recent blood test, it said that my B12 levels were higher than the normal range. I was wondering what this could mean and what could be the cause?

I've also recently had an abdomen ultrasound and everything was okay.

[Smyally]

Speak with your GP or the doctor who ordered the blood test as they know your medical history and are best placed to advise you. No one on this forum is medically trained so we can only give support and advice based on experiences. We’re you taking medication for anything else when you had the blood test as sometimes this can effect the result sometimes. Hope you get the answers you are looking for xx

[Hidden]

My B12 level has been high a couple of times that I know of and probably other times that I don't know about because measuring B12 level is not usually done as part of a standard blood test. In Australia where I live the normal level is 135 - 650 pmol/L. The first time my level was marginally high at 675 my GP congratulated me because he wrongly interpreted it as a sign that I was really healthy. The next blood test my B12 level was 809 so I did some research & I discovered that the liver stores B12 however when it's stressed it can't store it as well so it releases it into the bloodstream. With the wisdom of hindsight it was an early warning that the way I was living was stressing my liver. I should have made the lifestyle changes then that I eventually made after the warnings from my liver became so strong I could no longer ignore them! You need to avoid all liver stressors to try & get it back into the normal range.

[borahae in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thank you for replying. What exactly do you mean by liver stressors?

[Hidden in reply to borahae]

By liver stressors I mean alcohol, drugs & an unhealthy diet. If you take prescription drugs make sure they are absolutely necessary. If all of your other blood test values were normal then your liver is only mildly stressed & you should be able to easily get your B12 level into the normal range through a healthy lifestyle.

When I researched high B12 levels I discovered that the normal range in the US is higher than most other countries. In the US people tend to eat large quantities of meat (which is a principle source of B12) & fatty liver & obesity are at epidemic levels so average B12 levels tend to be higher. Instead of asking people to adopt healthier lifestyles the 'normal' levels of B12 were raised!

[borahae in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your info! I googled online and was pretty frightened at the results (liver disease, hepatitis, leukaemia etc.)

Along with high B12, my iron levels were pretty high too. Though I was taking iron supplements prior and have stopped now. My diet I admit can definitely be healthier. Can I ask how long it takes for your B12 levels to get down to normal levels?

[Hidden in reply to borahae]

If your other blood test values (besides iron which was probably high because you were taking iron supplements) were normal then your liver is only slightly stressed so I'm guessing it would happen fairly quickly. I wouldn't be too concerned about it. You could request another blood test in 3 months if you are worried about it. When I had the high reading of 809 I didn't worry much because it was the only value out of normal & I had my next blood test 12 months later & the level was down to 572. I never thought to ask to have it measured again after that. Now that you've reminded me I'll ask for mine to be checked at my next blood test in 6 weeks.