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High serum B12, but feel awful,opinions please

siskin profile image
22 Replies

Serum B12 1099, max 1100 whilst supplementing.

Low MCV&MCH. Was diag. with iron deficiency anaemia now just in range whilst on ferrous sulphate.

If I understand correctly pernicious anaemia would give High MCV & MCH.

Any suggestions please as to what could be going on here or am I clutching at straws.

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siskin
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22 Replies

Yes Vit B12 and or folate def will cause high MCV, but with iron def MCV can be normal. I do not know what to advise, see a haematologist, find out why your iron is was low?

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to

Hi marre I will put that request to doc. Thank you for that.

engels profile image
engels

Has your folate level been tested?

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to engels

Hi engels, thanks for replying, no, folate has never been measured. I have copies of all my blood tests and that is not among them.

Will ask next time I see doc. in about 10 days time

engels profile image
engels

Testing iron and B12 without also testing folate is just stupid as all three can have an effect on MCV. As Marre has already said, low B12 and folate can cause a high MCV, low iron a low MCV. Unless you know the level of all three it is impossible to draw any conclusion.

We often talk about a high folate level masking the anaemia of a low B12 by making the MCV appear normal. Perhaps in your case the reverse is happening and your high B12 is masking a low folate. You will also not get the full benefit from the B12 without a decent level of folate as the two are interdependent.

engels profile image
engels

I meant to ask this earlier - what form of B12 supplements have you been taking?

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to engels

Hi engels the tabs I WAS taking were High Strenght Vit B12 1000mcg. After I heard about the 2 forms of B12 I rang the company to ask which form theirs were and told the cyo not methyl one.

I have decided not to take them any more.

tiredone profile image
tiredone

Hi....Take the iron every day and eventually you will feel better. It will take a few weeks.

After that keep an eye on your iron intake. I felt better after taking iron but after I finished the tablets my levels went back down and I felt ill again.

Mch/MCV is usually high with PA. Maybe someone else could reply re that part.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to tiredone

Thanks tiredone, am now on ferrous sulphate 100mg 1 a day, so will see how I go..

BLVD profile image
BLVD

My serum B12 is 1207 so doc says that's good! After supplementing with cianocobalamin? I read an article saying if it's high then it can mean the liver isn't absorbing it and sends it back to the blood to discard it. Can't find that article now but I printed it and gave it to my doc, think he threw it in the bin. Will be interesting to see what the reading is after I swapped to methylcobalamin that is easily absorbed but that won't be for a long time as doc isn't interested!

BrecklandRanger profile image
BrecklandRanger in reply to BLVD

Hi. do you have a link? My serum also came back high. Thanks.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BrecklandRanger

Hi BrecklandRanger, I have found a link which may be of interest, posted in the response to BVLD hope it is of interest. Looking on your profile I see you are on Thyroid UK as well and seem to be on the same long haul road. Good researching.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BrecklandRanger

Hi BrecklandRanger, I have found a link which may be of interest, posted in the response to BVLD hope it is of interest. Looking on your profile I see you are on Thyroid UK as well and seem to be on the same long haul road. Good researching.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BLVD

Hi BLVD after reading your post I googled and found this

dadamo.com/B2blogs/blogs/in...

I realise it may not be the article you found but I thought it was interesting.

I would be interested to hear if you start to feel better on the methyl

Regards.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BLVD

Hi BLVD after reading your post I googled and found this

dadamo.com/B2blogs/blogs/in...

I realise it may not be the article you found but I thought it was interesting.

I would be interested to hear if you start to feel better on the methyl

Regards.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BLVD

Hi BLVD after reading your post I googled and found this

dadamo.com/B2blogs/blogs/in...

I realise it may not be the article you found but I thought it was interesting.

I would be interested to hear if you start to feel better on the methyl

Regards.

siskin profile image
siskin in reply to BLVD

Hi BVLD left a response to you but it has come out below somewhere. I seem to have got a case of the stutters as it has come out about 3 times.

BrecklandRanger profile image
BrecklandRanger in reply to siskin

Thank you. Yes, I've come across this info re Cyanocobalamin Versus Methylcobalamin previously (book: Could it be B12?).

BLVD profile image
BLVD

Siskin, thank you for that interesting article. Due to this site I've learnt all I need to know and for me, taking methylcobalamin has done the trick. Within a week I felt normal! My deficiency is quite mild compared to others who have PA and have injections but at my worst I was experiencing little electric shocks in my head along with the macrocytosis ( that my doc wanted to blame alcohol for) Halleluyah I say! :)

BLVD profile image
BLVD

Siskin, thank you for that interesting article. Due to this site I've learnt all I need to know and for me, taking methylcobalamin has done the trick. Within a week I felt normal! My deficiency is quite mild compared to others who have PA and have injections but at my worst I was experiencing little electric shocks in my head along with the macrocytosis ( that my doc wanted to blame alcohol for) Halleluyah I say! :)

helonlegs profile image
helonlegs

Low MCV and MCH is usually due to iron deficiency. Not sure how long you have been taking iron supplements but it takes quite a few months for it to really kick in - red blood cells live for about 120 days so you have to wait until they are gradually replaced. Did you have a reading for MCHC? If that was also low that would confirm iron deficiency.

As suggested, get your folate checked as well.

siskin profile image
siskin

Hi helonlegs Have been taking iron supps for about 130 days. 1st bottle of tabs had about a hundred at a guess another 30 or so gone. No reading of MCHC but I think I can calculate when I get a moment of fog free brain. I saw the calc. on google and then promptly lost it. Ugh. Thank you for your help. Sorry I took so long to acknowledge your reply.

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