Any suggestions as to whether I need a B multivit with RDI or higher please ( if I get the go ahead for injections!)

[Jo5454]

Hi, have really appreciated all your help this week with my Active B12/MMA results. I'm just waiting to hear back and keeping everything crossed! Have read that a B multivitamin is important, but not sure as to whether I need one that has the RDI or more please? Have had various vitamins in the past, through different nutritionists, but it's a bit if a minefield and wondering if anyone can suggest a good one?

Was so lucky to get a response from Dr Chandys website and was recommended to take folic acid, but forgot to ask about other vitamins.

Guess if B12 is depleted, then potentially other vitamins could be too due to malabsorption? I found my last printout from the nhs dietician and they couldn't find any fault with my diet, even though it was dairy free, and said I was taking in 570% of B12 every day, so I guess I'm either not absorbing things well or that I do need much more B12 in another form than food! Must admit I was taking in bit more protein to try to solve blood sugar problems, but that percentage makes me sound like some carnivorous, egg cracking cave woman! Hard to think I'm stuck at less than 7 scrawny stones...

Anyway, once again would appreciate your thoughts...

Thanks Jo

[Secondchance]

I took folic acid initially then added in B50 complex solgar daily during loading doses. I then reduced this to a couple of days around injection time. All B vitamins work as a complex so adding lots of one can deplete others.

[Jo5454 in reply to Secondchance]

Thanks once again second chance, will look into them

[fbirder]

Some B vitamins are OK in high doses, other aren't. So taking a multi-B supplement of 100% of RDI shouldn't do any harm.

Two that are OK in doses higher than 100% RDI are B12 and folic acid.

[helvella in reply to fbirder]

Trouble is, some 50 and 100 products simply use amounts that are numerically 50 or 100 (e.g. milligrams or micrograms) - not a percentage of any daily requirement.

Catches people out because you don't even question whether such a product would have silly amounts of some of the B vitamins.

Excess B6 is to be avoided. And I have seen someone feel poorly on B7 (biotin) - something often denied to be possible.

[Jo5454 in reply to helvella]

Thanks helvella, remember taking quite a bit of b6 in the past on recommendation from a nutritionists from. Bit worrying!

[Jo5454 in reply to fbirder]

Thanks fbirder, will look for 100 % for the multi B vits.

[NovicePA]

It's all very well your dietician not finding fault with your diet, but would a gastro specialist find fault with your digestive system's ability to absorb all the goodness from the food you eat?

I am also thinking of asking if there is a way for Dr to check what I am actually absorbing. I have heard the Jarrow B-complex is good.I did go on that for a while but after my toenails started falling off I wondered how well my body was absorbing vitamins (I too am on a very healthy diet and always have been).

Now taking Well Women ones from Patrick Holford's range. Toenails are hopefully improving. I take the B12 Boost Spray but I see they do a multi-vitamin version as well so I am thinking of cutting my stomach out of the loop and trying that one too!

[Jo5454 in reply to NovicePA]

I'm not sure how they check for malabsorption. I've had a saliva test in theast which says I have very low SIgA, which has something to do with absorption I think. Have read that low stomach acid can cause absorption probs too. Yes, I've noticed Jarrow popping up a lot.

Those sprays sound a good idea and pleased to hear you are the owner of toenails again!

Do you have low b12?

Thanks for your reply and hope you get on well with those sprays...