Has this anything to do with b12?

[BirgitteG]

Can anyone tell me if any of these has anything to do with b12?

Help much appreciated 😊😊😊 Thanks!

[fbirder]

They all look smack in the middle of the normal range.

B12 or folate deficiencies can cause macrocytic (large-cell) anaemia, which would be reflected in a high value for the Mean Cell Volume.

[BirgitteG in reply to fbirder]

Thank you for helping - that was what I thought - it tells me that I didn't have anemia! But why did I get symptoms of hypokalemia when I started taking methylcobalamin lozenges for my neurological symptoms (i e balance problems) and problems with memory and concentration, and fatigue?

Can it have something to do with the big amounts of vitamin Bs I had been taking - including folic acid? (I didn't realise at that time that I couldn't absorb the B12)

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to BirgitteG]

Hi BirgitteG. Supplementing with large doses of B12 can cause low potassium levels (hypokalemia), so the answer to your questions is yes, possibly (there can, of course, be other reasons).

Most people who supplement with high doses of B12 also eat foods that boost potassium levels (I.e. bananas, low-salt etc. - you can find diet advice on the Internet).

It is not safe to supplement with potassium tablets unless under direct medical supervision as too much (or too little) potassium can be dangerous.

If you are supplementing via GP instruction, then your GP should routinely check your potassium levels as part of the B12 treatment protocol. However, if you self-supplement and think you have a problem with potassium levels, then you should ask your GP to check them for you.

In fact, even if you don't supplement...still ask your GP to check if you think there is a problem.

Hope this helps 😀.

Take care and please post again if you need anymore help X

[BirgitteG in reply to Foggyme]

Thanks for taking your time to answer and for your concern 😊

I've read all that I could find about potassium, and I'm quite confident that I'll be able to feel if I'm too low (get musclecramps) - and I stick to the limits of what is safe to supplement 😊

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to BirgitteG]

Hi BirgitteG. Just to say please take care with the potassium...the signs of having to much are the same as the signs of having too little...so muscle cramps may mean that you have too much, not too little 😀.

Muscle cramps can also be cause by too much or too little folate, magnesium...and probably other things too. Another reason to take care with the potassium.

The only way to be absolutely sure (and safe) is to have your levels tested.

If you have any type of anaemia (and there are quite a few), then this would show in your blood results and, as fbirder points out above, these look to be okay. So your GP might well be right!

You may possibly have low levels of serum ferritin or serum iron (pre-cursor to 'full-blown' iron deficiency anaemia) and this would make you feel quite ill. However, as with all things, too much iron can be dangerous and it is not wise to supplement unless you know you need more iron. And the only way to know is to have your GP do a full iron panel. Would your GP do an iron panel for you? Just to be sure?

I really do understand how difficult it is to get the balance right with supplements and so just wish to advise caution 😀.

Good luck

[BirgitteG in reply to Foggyme]

Thanks again for your concern 😊

My ferritin/iron levels are fine, and I supplement with magnesium (have been doing that for decades). The hypokalemia symptoms came after I took 3.000 mcg methylcobalamin for two or three days, and they disappeared again when I took 2 g a day for a few days of potassium and had bananas and avocados (and had a break with b12 and after that went down to 1.000 mcg a day for the next 4 weeks) - so I'm rather sure it was what I needed.

The only reason I have been able to find that you can become hypokalemic after supplementing with b12 is the formation of blood cells. As I have been taking large amounts of vitamin B complex (in a vain attempt to get better, before I realised that I probably don't absorb b12 because of low stomach acid) I must have had an excess of folic acid, which can mask b12 anemia......

I'll talk to my (new) GP about it next time - and ask her for a blood test to check the potassium ....

"... a 2007 study demonstrated cognitive impairment in patients with high folate status in the presence of low B12. These patients were anemic without macrocytosis"

(I certainly had cognitive impairment!)

from

medscape.com/viewarticle/72...

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to BirgitteG]

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