B12 oral spray

[foxglove]

My husband takes Better You B12 spray. Is it all right to take all the time or is it best to "take a break" occasionally?. Any advice gratefully received.

[fbirder]

It's extraordinarily difficult to have 'too much' B12. Anything over a certain amount in the blood just gets eliminated in the urine - so the body has a set maximum amount it can hold. B12 is given as a treatment for cyanide poisoning. The dose they give is 5,000 times the amount in 4 sprays of the 'Better You' spray - and it's straight into the veins. Then they give the same a couple of hours later.

The only damage will be to his wallet.

Incidentally, the fact that excess B12 gets peed down the loo means he may be flushing a lot of cash down there with it.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to fbirder]

fbirder At approx £12.00 to buy the "B12 Boost" works out at 0.075p per spray or 30p a day maximum x 4 giving a forty day supply.

4 sprays delivers 1200μg methylcobalamin plus chromium and green tree extract although I have absolutely no idea how much is absorbed.

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi foxglove I'm not a medically qualified person but as I understand it we cannot "overdose" on B12 (any excess is excreted in the urine) so your husband should be able to continue using the spray for as long as he feels a benefit. If he does stop using it and his symptoms return then he can start again.

It is important that his Folate level is healthy as this gets "used up" processing the B12.

I'd be interested to know why your husband is supplementing.

[foxglove in reply to clivealive]

Husband supplementing because he has Alzheimer's and B12 levels on the low side and spray helps - I think but maybe I'm clutching at straws!

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to foxglove]

Then I would say keep on with the spray for as long and often as your husband feels the benefit and in addition supplement with 1 – Folic Acid 400μg a day which you can buy from your pharmacy.

As I said, I'm not medically trained but have been having B12 injected into me every month for 45 years and I'm still "clivealive" at 75

[foxglove in reply to clivealive]

Thanks for advice, will investigate the folic acid. Glad you're still "clivealve"....and kicking?????. At 75 you're a spring chicken (I'm 77 and have had lupus (discoid with some kidney and arthritis linked) since I was 13, was treated aggressively with anti- malarial drugs for many years but has been in remission for a long time - have taken any meds for 28 years as I remember, just have to be careful of the sun, in spite of which my VIT D level always good (annoys doc. ) am still alive AND kicking ...not that it does much good

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to foxglove]

Have you had your levels checked as lupus is identified as a cause of B12 Deficiency?

I was but a callow youth of 17 in 1959 when I had two thirds of my stomach removed due to a perforated peptic ulcer which of course led to a downward spiral of my B12 levels until I was diagnosed with P.A.

I hope your husband continues to benefit from the B12 & Folic acid and I wish you well too.

[foxglove in reply to clivealive]

Glad to have your good wishes . I also wish you well. I have had B12/Folate checked privately. doc. didn't see any reason to have it done. It was a few years back but good result. Oddly enough doc. did give me a test for plasma viscosity which is more accurate that the ESR test which is the one usually done for lupus and ESR is cheaper!. Result for PV test good and doc. said no trace of lupus as far as he knew (at least he was honest) So I just keep going in my way being careful of sun and trying to calm if I get stressed. ha- ha

A neighbour of ours when we lived in Glasgow also had most of stomach removed -in his 20's, lived until he was almost 90, did of something unrelated. So good outlook.

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi Foxglove. It would be interesting to hear what your husband's symptoms are and to understand why he needs to use the B12 spray.

As other have said, this will not hurt him. But if he has a continued problem and has the symptoms of B12 deficiency, then this would best be explored by hIs GP.

It's also worth mentioning that if he is supplementing with B12 spray, then he may struggle to get a diagnosis of B12 deficiency (his B12 levels will be pushed up because of the supplementation).

If he has neurological symptoms, then this should certainly be dealt with by his GP.

It might be useful to read through the PAS pinned posts (including the symptoms checklist). If you read the information, you'll soon get an idea whether or not your husband simply needs a boost or whether he would be better to see his GP for testing and more intensive and ongoing treatment with B12 injections. Also worth checking out the Pernicious Anaemia Society's website.

If there is any history of autoimmune disease in his family, then it is likely that he may have pernicious anaemia and should be checked for this.

Lots of people here to help if you need any further advice.

Good luck with whatever you (and he) decide to do 😀