What Vitamins to take with PA?

[Mark123]

Hi everyone,

It has been a while since we have added anything new on here. We have been trying to work out what vitamins assist with PA. My husband has had PA for many years but we would like to find out if there is something he should be taking other than a mens multi-vitamin? He has recently started taking probiotics to assist his stomach. He doesn't really have any issues with what he can and cannot eat but we just thought it may help in some way. I was reading through some other posts and saw that a B complex assists with PA also. He recently had a blood test and all his bloods were perfect so he is not lacking in anything really but if it helps in any way with the fatigue etc that would be great!

I am just interested in finding out what helps everyone else.

Thanks everyone!

[shevie]

If hubby has PA he should be getting injections of B12. Is he? Alongside those he needs to be taking 5mg of folate daily as these 2 work in conjunction with each other. Neither can work without the other

[Mark123 in reply to shevie]

Hi Shevie

Yes he does have regular B12 injections. I give them to him as needed (which is normally every 2 weeks or so). But thank you for that information. We will give it a try!

[Gambit62 Administrator]

For long before I found out i have a B12 absorption problem I've been taking Iron and Kelp (iodine) ... the Iron certainly helped sort out a lot of my period pain ... not a problem your husband will have.

Since finding out I have a B12 absorption problem I supplement folic acid and B6. I seem to have some problems with processing B12 aside from absorption and suspect that I actually need more folate (B9) as a result. The body can (and for me it would seem does) convert B6 to B9 if B9 is low which seems to leave me low in B6 with the result that I get really bad migraines - again that's hormonally related so not a problem your husband should be experiencing

Not sure about 5mg of folate a day - I take about 1.2mg - though the recommended upper daily limit in UK is 800mcg (0.8mg) of folic acid as there are some potential side effects at doses higher than this. However, if you are taking a methylated form those side effects (which particularly affect people who have problems with seizures) but some people do experience some unpleasant effects when taking methylated forms.

Worth going back and looking at exactly what the folate results were - ideally it should be in the upper half of the normal range to ensure that B12 is being absorbed and used properly ... always worth knowing the exact results

[Mark123 in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you Gambit62

Thanks for the info! What you are saying seems to relate back to what I read in a previous comment about taking a good B complex vitamin to assist. We will give this a try also!

[Strawberry_Dream]

Hi Mark,

I attended the b12 conference in May and was lucky enough to meet Sally Pacholok.

I told her that although I feel so much better since starting the b12 injections, I have the occasional flare up of neurological symptoms.

She told me that anyone on b12 injections should be taking a b complex multivitamin tablet. Apparently all of these vitamins work together and you need to keep your other b vitamin levels up for the b12 to work efficiently.

I bought b complex tablets and have been taking them daily for the past 7 weeks. Its early days, but I do feel an overall benefit. Hope this helps!

[Mark123 in reply to Strawberry_Dream]

Hi there,

Yes this is very helpful thank you. It really confirms what other members have been saying also. I have started giving my husband a B complex vitamin as well as folic acid and a probiotic once a day. He seems to be feeling a bit better but it's probably a bit early to really tell? He also has flair ups with his neurological symptoms, mainly in his feet. But this has subsided lately so hopefully we are on the right track for little while!

Thanks for the info!

[Marz in reply to Mark123]

Thorne Research do a GOOD B Complex which contains Methylfolate instead of Folic Acid. The first is natural the second synthetic. Maybe do some research on them and decide for yourself.

[Mark123 in reply to Marz]

Thank you Marz! I will.

Much appreciated.