Vit B12 Injections

[floraldaisy]

Hello I am a newbie here.

My vitB12 is 1100 but I have peripheral neuropathy and iron def anaemia with a low ferritin. Would I benefit from Vit B12 injections and if so which kind . Many thanks for your opinions and advice. .

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi floraldaisy are you already supplementing with B12 by other means and do you know what your Folate level is?

Please tell us a little more about yourself.

[floraldaisy in reply to clivealive]

GP refuses to test my blood. A and E tests show Hb is 120 , ferritin low but do not know the value.

Vit D islowbutGP says it is not necessary to monitor the levels because I am on supplements.

I have been taking solgar Vit B12 s/l for a few days but got diarrhoea.

I also suffer from sub clinical hyperthyroidism, pn, nodules on the goitre - non cancerous, GP hopeless.

I feel like giving up due to his rotten attitude.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to floraldaisy]

Oh dear floraldaisy sadly as I'm not medically qualified I'm not really going to be much help.

The B12 supplement will certainly have "skewed" the test result which in any case does not indicate how much is getting through at the cell level.

A Vitamin D deficiency can manifest similar symptoms to those of a B12 deficiency as too can an iron deficiency.

I do know that people with autoimmune disorders especially thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease are at an elevated risk of developing a B12 Deficiency.

Did the A & E tests include Folate as this is essential to process the B12 and is folic acid included in the supplements you are taking.

Was it your doctor or A & E that told you that your B12 level was 1100?

Can you not see another doctor at your surgery?

My heart goes out to you that you are feeling so let down by your doctor and hope that someone on here will be able to give you some good advice.

[floraldaisy in reply to clivealive]

Hi cliivealive

The A and E said the hb was 120. The folate was not done.

GP says Vit B12 is 1100 and therefore does not need treatin.

Old records which have been lost by NHS stated that the ferritin level is low but no print outs available anymore.

The PN could have been caused by statins, antibiotics, phenytoin or PPIs according to the private endo who I do not see anymore.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

do you have the units and range for the result above and was this result when you were supplementing B12?

If it was without supplementation then it is probably extremely unlikely that you have a B12 deficiency - but difficult to say without the range and units and whether this is actually an above range result. If it was above range without supplementation then there are a few other things to look into to rule out a functional B12 deficiency caused by high levels in serum ... which ironically is likely to respond to treatment with injections - but it would be more effective to treat whatever is causing the elevated levels if you don't have strong indications of an absorption problem.

[floraldaisy in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks. I was taking vitB12 at the time of the Bl2 test. GP said that it did not matter!!!

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to floraldaisy]

what dose were you taking? presume it was 1000mcg +.

Unfortunately doses this large can cause problems if you don't actually have an absorption problem as the levels in your blood can rise to the point where they kick off a reaction that stops the B12 getting through to the cells where it is needed ... and part of this is that the B12 may also be kept in your blood for longer periods of time that it would otherwise have been, leaving your cells deficient for a very long

You do have other multiple problems going on and the iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency could both be causing the symptoms you have - as could a thyroid problem. Has your GP done anything about investigating what has caused the iron anaemia - eg an absorption problem in the gut?

Ferritin is a protein that binds to iron and so can be used as an indicator of an iron based anaemia - low ferritin on it's own isn't, as far as I am aware, an issue.

[floraldaisy]

I was taking 1,000mcg Solar brand. I have thyroid nodules. I understand a low ferritin can cause pn.

My HB is now 120. The GP is disinterested. I take phenytoin which causes anaemia.I am also on warfarin.

[floraldaisy]

Hi Gambitz

Sorry message sent before editing. Thanks you for your reply it is much appreciated.

I have a Vit D deficiency , please can you tell me if this is causing the PN.

I intend to have a full screening privately . Shall I stop the B12 s/l tablets beforehand?

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to floraldaisy]

sorry but I'm not sure on the PN

You would need to stop supplementing with B12 for several months for B12 test to be useful as a base line - though it might be that testing for MMA and homocysteine come back high indicating that enough is getting through at the cell level - but it doesn't always work out that way, they aren't part of the normal screening and they can be elevated by other factors.

Sorry - no certainties.

[floraldaisy]

Thanks again Gambitz.

It looks as though I need the vitB12 injections to deal with the PN if nothing else then.

[Shirleysy11]

Hi I'm recently new as well. I was diagnosed last August my b12 was 134 I have neurological symptoms. Can I ask who diagnosed your peripheral neuropathy.

[floraldaisy]

Hi It was an endocrinologist plus several drs en route. have been taking sub lingual B12 since on friends recommendations so results were inaccurate at 1100 when a new GP finally got round to doing them. I have a low ferritin for years, untreated plus low HB at 110, now 120.

Sorry but unable to,locate the values at the mo. A friend said in the US the ref ranges are much higher.