Should I take suppliments now my B12 has risen.

[bowler]

Cut a long story, I was taken off B12 injections by my Dr. due to side effects after only having 3 injections. This was in May/June.

I have just had a blood test and my B12 has gone from 226 to 875. [ so just those 3 injections did some good ] Is this high enough, or should I start taking B12 suppliments to keep this level up?

My serum folate was also up to 18.1 [was 10.] and my platelets which were on the low side last time have gone up.

[Hidden]

Hi Bowler,

Ideally treatment should be symptom-led. Monitoring the serum B12 levels are not generally helpful because it doesn't tell you anything about what's happening at tissue level. In most cases of B12 deficiency treatment needs to be for life, if you stop putting B12 in you'll get ill again. So it's a question of how you feel really, not one of numbers.

Hampster

[bowler in reply to Hidden]

Hi hampster1

I am still having pins and needles in my arms, hands and feet. So I have decided to take take the B12 sublinguals, I had my first today. My other "iron" results are good, so I will just take the B12. for now and see how things go.

I feel OK at the moment, but I do get some bad days due to my GCA/PMR and of course taking steroids for 14 years have taken their toll.

I also have stage 3 kidney disease, and was told that pins and needles are a symptom of kidney disease!! so who knows ? however taking the B12 cant do me any harm, and as my B12 went from 226 to 875 it proved I needed it. I'm not sure what a good B12 level is. But like you say, "it depends on how you feel, and not a number"

Thank you for your reply

bowler