Self injecting need help x

[Leigh6873]

Hi iv wrote before about all my problems for years with pa as I had my bowel took out age 3 .I have only dissolved by chance wat pa is and all my systems are linked to this,even tho my doctor insists its all anxiety.iv had b12 jabs since I was 8 and know ,ther all connected I just thought all my wierd tics and fatique r just a few ,my memory is going worse all the time .I have chose to self inject ,and ordered b12 in Pak ov three but I was gona try to have one every month to see the change,but am unsure iv I should do this or do I give myself these loading doses first then once a month .As I only ordered 3 will I need get more and how long do I have loading jabs before goin back to monthly ,iv always had them every 3 month which is doin nothing to help .advice appreciated .PS try find out iv nervous sheaf was damaged as a child ,as I was so bad ,very similar movements to Parkinson's at its worse back then x

[Marz]

There are so many very helpful people on this forum who will be along soon with good advice.  People who have more experience than me.  Many people here self inject and do so as regularly as they need.  Some daily - some weekly.  Others top up with a spray that goes under the tongue and there are also lozenges that dissolve under the tongue that are also helpful.  Available on Amazon and other sources.

I would suggest that your 3 monthly protocol is not enough for you and it does state in the Guidelines that it should be more often when neurological symptoms are involved - which sounds like you.  Your GP should know these Guidelines - but they are sadly rarely read ......

Am so glad you have found this forum.  Some damage may have been done - but more regular injections will help you to improve so much.  I had major gut surgery which left me without the part of the bowel where B12 is absorbed - over 40 years ago - I have spinal issues and now have weekly injections.

Hope you soon feel stronger ....

[deniseinmilden]

It's difficult to know what to suggest as we are all different.  

Probably it would be good to try doing your jabs every 3 or 4 days until you feel better.   This probably will mean that you will have to buy more.  If you get on OK with self injecting then bigger packs of ampoules and injection kit are available and not much more expensive than small packs.  For me it works out at just over £1 per shot. 

You will know when you feel better and when you feel like you need more.

You will also need a multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate, potassium and magnesium. 

Look up my profile and see my post "My Experiences"  for more information. 

Well done so far and good luck with feeling better! 

If you have any other questions, please ask!  

[Gambit62 Administrator]

you can't overdose on B12

a) suggest that you try the loading regime of every other day until symptoms stop improving - so would be good to keep a diary - and also to make sure you are keeping your folate levels high as your body won't be able to process the b12 without folate (so follow Denisinmilden's recommendation

b) given the time that this has been going on there is a strong possibility that some nerve damage may be permanent so you may not get to completely better but you should certainly notice some improvements

c) maintenance of monthly may be too long for you - suggest that you treat yourself on the basis of the symptoms - so top up when you feel the symptoms returning.

at least 2 factors seem to affect how frequently people need maintenance shots

i) how good your kidney are at removing B12 from your blood

ii) whether or not there is another autoimmune response going on to high levels in your blood - some people react by producing a protein that binds with the B12 preventing it from passing to the cells where it is needed - keeping levels so high that the body can't bind all of the B12 seems to be the most effective way of treating this (which fits with my experiences.

[Leigh6873]

Iv never took vitimins really I had quiet life for a bit years ago ,I thought I read u can't take folic acid iv ur pa and can't absorb through food ,does this mean I don't absorb tablets for b12 as well thanks all I don't know wat else ther is as iv never questioned my jabs or my b12 till a couple ov months ago .