Total Serum B12 is quite a blunt tool and not necessarily very accurate. You can have quite a lot of B12 in your system but it may not necessarily be the active form that you need to metabolise it fully at the cellular level and hence to use it for all the things that you need to use it for so it is possible that your son is suffering from B12 Deficiency.
The NICE guidelines in the UK are moving towards treatment on the basis of symptoms rather than results of tests though I know a lot of people think that you should really find out exactly what the source of the problem is before you start treatment as starting treatment first can interfere with tracking down the exact problem ... from your posts it sounds as if you have B12 deficiency as well so you've probably been down that road yourself.
B12 tends to be stored in high levels in liver so an absorption problem can take years to show up and what you may see is a deterioriation in the next set of results.
You could also look into getting an active B12 test done - which is more accurate - but isn't available generally on NHS in the UK but I don't think it is hugely expensive.
Hope this helps and would more than understand if you felt that you/your sun just wanted to try B12 and see, though of course you'd have to do it yourself if you can't get GP to agree to a trial.
I do have b12 defeciancy mine was 100 when had it done in June, had loading doses am due first 3 monthly one in 2 weeks, after seven weeks all my symptons came back can't wait for this next one,thanks
If you have neurological symptoms then NICE guidelines are maintenance shots once every 2 months not every 3 - may be worth discussing with your GP.
Also if you have neuro symptoms then the loading shots should have been 1 every other day until you stopped noticing an improvement.
There doesn't seem to be any real scientific evidence supporting the once every 3 months - the closes I've managed to see anyone get is a study in the 60s that showed that hydroxocobalamin (used in UK) seemed to last on average 2x as long in the body as cyanocobalamin (used in US), however, the study also showed that there was a very wide distribution so the average wasn't a good guide. Then at somepoint in 70s/80s the recommendation went up to once every 3 months.
Personally, I find that 2 months is even too long and earlier this year started supplementing for myself - nasal spray and sub-cut injection. Have had long term depression and that seems to have completely gone since I started supplementing for myself.
Hope you manage to get things sorted and something that works for you.
Thank you, I did mention I wanted it more than 3 months but didn't get very far, I did mention on Friday about an operation I had in 2002 think I had part of my ileum out due to my appendix going into bowel and. Bladder, that would explain a lot why I have b12 defenciancy, said my IF was negative but. My mum had PR, will see how I am after having next injection, thanks again,
Hi Ozzie1234 ,
If you are worried then the active B12 test is worth doing, it costs £18,- if you go to St Thomas in London, you do need a request letter from GP for the test and the results will be sent to GP. But if things are not right the GP will get a written explanation of the results. I did that with one of my daughters, she is on B12 for life now.
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