Vitamin B12 slightly low so is Folic Acid

[sandra6937]

Hi all,recently had blood tests done at neurologist and results came back that my B12 was 177 and Folic Acid 3.6.Got my first injection on Wednesday and started taking folic Acid tablets 5mg one a day.At first nurse said i would have to get injection every other day till it got build up in my system,then it has been changed to once a month.Havent felt great from my injection been sweating with sore throat ,cant stop sneezing and aches and paines.Could this be a side effect of injection?

[Deuto]

Hi Sandra

Welcome as I see you have just joined.

Perhaps you could provide a little more information to help the wonderful people here to help you.

First, perhaps you could say which country you are in as that affects the treatment regime usually used - for example, the change from an injection every other day to one a month seems unusual - and also affects other factors to consider such as those below.

Do you know the reference ranges for your B12 and folate results? These are usually expressed in brackets - eg (170 - 700) after the result of each test. These 'normal' ranges differ from lab to lab and from country to country.

Do you know what type of B12 was in your injection?

Different types are used in different countries, for example in the UK (and NZ where I am from) hydroxocobalmin is usually used, whereas in other countries (eg the US) methylcobolamin is the main type. Another type is cyanocobalamin. Each of these can have different side effects.

I hope you are feeling a little better soon.

[Galixie in reply to Deuto]

I don't believe that methycobalamin is the go to injection type in any country currently. In the americas (north and south), it is cyanocobalamin that is the standard treatment. Hydroxocobalamin seems to be the standard treatment for much of the rest of the world.

[Deuto in reply to Galixie]

Thanks Galixie - I could not remember and thought after I sent the comment, it might be the other way around.

Cyano was the original type here in NZ, but was essentilly replaced by hydroxo although some people seem to still be able to get cyano. Cyano is actually the type used for animals here - sheep, cattle etc which we have a lot of!

[Deuto]

So do I but can rarely afford it these days like lots of other Kiwis!

We pay basically the same as people overseas for our products such as lamb, butter and cheese homegrown here. In fact some of it is cheaper overseas. Go figure!

[SarahFerguson]

Hi Sandra, what country are you in? If you can post your. Lois results it helps to get a better picture. If you have neurological symptoms you need loading doses then maint doses every 8 weeks however the 8 wk regime is not usually enough for most of us, and we end up si (self injecting) your aches and pains could also be down to vit d as many of us with absorption problems have other conditions. I have just found out myself after having diagnosis of PA 4 yrs ago, I also have vit d def. im sure Foggyme /Gambit62 will give you all the guidelines/links to info you need. Good luck on your journey.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

B12 is used by a lot of systems in the body - one is the immune system and from the symptoms you describe it sounds as if it is probably working and fighting an infection in a way it hasn't been able to for a while.

Ironically people can feel worse before they feel better - it is like some systems get kicked into a temporary overdrive after not functioning properly for a while - immune system and nervous system (so aches and pains tend to get more noticeable and a bit worse). It does die down as systems recover and re-balance.

the normal regime in the UK (without neurological symptoms) is 3xweekly for 2 weeks followed by 3 monthly. If you had neurological symptoms it would be 3x weekly until symptoms stop improving (review at 3 weeks) and then on to 2 monthly maintenance. Not clear from your post exactly what regime is being described and if you are having loading dose followed by maintenance or if they were going to give you loading but then changed their minds and going straight to maintenance.

[sandra6937]

Thanks all for replying ,I live in Northern Ireland,have been having problems for few years now with pins and needles terrible burning in my body.Have had two MRI scan wish showed white spots in brain,have to have another one but current waiting list for one is 6 months.Had blood tests recently and found out B12 is low so is folic acid,had another blood test last Wednesday to check to see if i have any stomach problems so waiting on those results.Havent felt well for past few days now and dont know why they changed their mind about just giving me B12 injection every other day to once a month,as I have a lot of nerve pain as well.

[sandra6937]

Forgot to mention my B12 injection was hydroxocobalamin 1mg and I take one 5mg of Folic Acid every day.