Amoxicillin and B12

[sandramcgregor]

I just finished s course of these antibiotics 3 days before my 3 monthly b12 shot. I have felt horrid since with all my symptoms coming back. Next shot not due till September! Any connection?

[wedgewood]

I'm really not sure that there is a connection , though it is a possibility . What is certain is that antibiotics do upset the bacterial flora in the tummy . Then bad bacteria thrive and take over .Added to this is the fact that P A patients have low or no stomach acid. (Gastroenterologist told me)This situation leads to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals . I suggest that you try taking a good probiotic such as Symprove or biokult capsules. Also drink some diluted organic cider vinegar with mother . Best of all eat a portion of organic raw sauerkraut (health food shop or make your own ) daily.

It will do no harm to try the above, and it might well do the trick . Also perhaps try some sub-lingual B12 Methylcobalamin spray . (Holland and Barrett) Or think about self injections of B12. ( come back to this site if you want to do this We will give you all the information that you need )

Best wishes to you @sandramcgregor

[Secondchance in reply to wedgewood]

Interestingly a nurse from India working in uk now told me she was surprised patients are not given B complex with antibiotics as this is prescribed in India as it is recognised that antibiotics mess up the gut bacteria. I presume this is particularly a problem there because of diet.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

this may be of interest

umm.edu/health/medical/altm...

amoxicillin is on the list of antibiotics that interfere with B12

also this

factmed.com/study-AMOXICILL...

I know that antibiotics totally wipe me out but not sure I have had any since I started getting the levels of B12 I need.

I think that for some drug reactions it isn't just about stopping the B12 being absorbed into the blood - for some it may be about the whole cycle for metabolising B12. I find that artificial progesterone totally wipes out my B12 - and think a few of the drugs mentioned under birth control fall into this category.

[wedgewood in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks gambit 62. You have come up trumps again . That is such useful information for everybody especially PA patients . Such useful information !

[deniseinmilden in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you Gambit - very interesting...

This year of B12 jabs is probably the first in my life when I haven't had antibiotics... no UTIs, no teeth issues, no chest infections, no sinusitis!

My B12d has only become totally impossible since taking the Progesterone Only Pill and I had least symptoms in the 10ish years when I wasn't taking any contraceptive drugs. Saying that, my hormones without regulation made my life hell and in more recent years on the combined pill I had migraines for 3 weeks in 4 and couldn't live like that either!! I've been tempted to try going pill free again but can't cope with the weeks of constant migraine long enough to find out if my hormones will settle down on their own without the Progesterone.

Rocks, hard places, etc!!

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to deniseinmilden]

Interesting.

I have hormonally related migraines as well - though mine are kicked off by the changes in hormone levels so get them at ovulation and menstruation. Tried the combined pill but off course it was a nightmare - though main thing was the effect on periods. Last year I had a low level bleed that just didn't want to stop and was given progesterone only pill to stop it - given 10 days worth - took one days worth because it totally knocked out my B12 - was like I'd never had any B12 in my life ... as well as the expected migraine.

I had a really heavy bleed about a month ago - that just would not stop - and the only thing I could think of was the progesterone only pill but this time I only took a half a dose - knocked out my B12 a bit - so I was taking extra - but just that small amount was enough to stop the bleed ... though I am still living with the consequences hormonally speaking but then life is always a balance.

Might be worth looking at whether using a lower dose of the pill works - think when it comes to migraines most of the medications are totally over the top. I use rizatriptan for the migraines itself but generally take between 1/8th to 1/4 of wafer which would be the normal dose people would expect to take ...

[deniseinmilden in reply to Gambit62]

It definitely sounds like it could be worth looking into!

Thank you very much for that insight!

[fbirder in reply to Gambit62]

It may be worth pointing out that, according to the second link, only 0.25% of people reported B12 issues as a side-effect of amoxycillin.

That's 25 out of every 10,000.

[sandramcgregor in reply to fbirder]

Yes but the list of other symptoms that were frequently reported as side effects of amoxicillin are many of those reported from those experiencing low b12.

[fbirder in reply to sandramcgregor]

Yup, they are. Which means that it's possible that people reporting B12 deficiencies are doing so because they were tested for that - because of the side-effects that were caused by the amoxycillin.

It is possible that amoxicillin doesn't cause B12 deficiency, but it causes side-effects that mimic B12 deficiency. People then get tested for B12 because of those side-effects and a pre-existing deficiency is picked up.

I'm not saying that's what does happen. I'm just saying it fits the known facts.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to fbirder]

emphasis has to be on 'reported'.

I know that antibiotics would knock me out for years and - aside from the expected result of an episode of thrush - would also lead to anxiety and low mood but was always told by GP that 'it was quite common' so never actually reported it and doubt my GP did report it. I think it is much more significant that it has been formally reported and that recognised on more than one occasion that amoxycillin can impact on B12.

[o19f17f15 in reply to Gambit62]

Im lucky to be on monthly jabs but...when I had a nasty UTI recently I was prescribed Trimethoprim -the correct treatment for this. and I have taken it before but can't remember how I felt then. However the UTI cleared up as anticipated but I was left with the worst fatigue that I have ever experienced which over two weeks. GP did not link this with PA when I visited and I had had my jab not long after the infection. She is very good but she even suggested depression and that I appeared more anxious than normal. I began to believe this was perhaps possible as it is tempting to blame everything on PA. I have printed the list of drugs which I will share with others in my support group.

Im so pleased I took the time to scroll through the site today- Im afraid I don't always.

Thanks to those who supplied the info

[wedgewood]

Well sandramcregor , isn't that a useful piece of information from gambit62 ? It's useful. That really answers your query , doesn't it ? . It is useful to all of us with PA . I have printed out the information to put in my PA file!

[sandramcgregor]

Yes I have printed it out too. I have learned more from you guys in 1 day than weeks of trawling the Internet myself!!!!

[ndodge in reply to sandramcgregor]

I just want to verify what Gambit wrote about amoxicillin interfering with B12.

I took a 15 day run of amoxicillan very recently and was wiped out! I self inject and had to increase injections from 3 times a week to 5x a week the whole time I was taking them. I was astonished at how affected my B12 levels were from the antibiotic. And I was taking 2 probiotic pills a day, also. I usually just take one.

Perhaps you could show your GP the very useful info that Gambit posted links to? Maybe you could get an injection early?

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

[sandramcgregor in reply to ndodge]

Managed to get hold of Dr. Chandy from B12d website and he suggested 2 x 3000 B12 lozonges. Do you guys think that would be high enough dose to get my fatigue gone after the Amoxicillin as I can't wait till my September B12 shot!

[ndodge in reply to sandramcgregor]

Hi sandramcgregor,

I think you can take as many as you need to feel better. You can't overdose on B12. Between shots, I take about 5 or more 5000 mcg. sublinguals.

So, if the 2x3000 lozenges aren't as effective as you need, up the dose!

I'm not a medical professional and am not giving advice, only relating how much I need between injections.

[Harvena]

Thank you sandramcgregor and all those who replied, so much useful information here. I have always avoided anti-biotics unless I became very poorly, but I have recently been diagnosed with Common Variable Immuno deficiency (CVID), basically I have no antibodies to anything and consultant is strongly recommending that I always have Amoxicillin at hand and don't leave it to taking it as a last resort, as I could become very ill if I contract any nasty bugs. When I was becoming worried about a chesty cough while away from home for 3 weeks recently I took them and had a very wearisome period afterwards. In future I will remember to do extra SI and up the pro-biotics.