I am in need of some advice. A little background about me. I have had every symptom of a B12 deficiency for 10+ years. Only 5 days after my first B12 shot did I realize that the anxiety that I had had for the last 10 years was gone. I live in the States and here we have something called a MIC B12 injection. Without knowing I had a B12 deficiency I signed up to get 6 B12 injections (on LivingSocial). I didn't know there were different types of B12 injections. Since I felt better and since B12 is water soluble I got 6 injections in 7 weeks. An hour before my 6th injection my anxiety came back. It has not left and it's been going on a month. Doing my own research I found that you can in fact overwhelm your system with B12 especially if you have PA or some other issue that prevents your body from processing it. I am waiting for lab tests and today I sent off a genetic testing kit. I do not know if I have PA or something else and I'm wondering if anyone on this website has ever overwhelmed their system with B12 and what they did to even it out? I have felt like I've had the flu for the past month and my muscles keep twitching, and tingling, and falling asleep. I'm working with a functional nutritionist but I'm not seeing results fast enough. Has anyone else been through this? Last week I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy but again I don't know what caused it (probably a B12 deficiency). I went to the ER a couple of weeks ago and all of my tests came back in the normal range except for potassium (3.5) and CREAT CLEARANCE EST CALC (low at 83.8). I should also tell you that in the states they don't do vitamin tests in the ER so I don't know what my B12 levels are or what my vitamin D levels are and won't for a couple of weeks. I am looking for someone who has overwhelmed their system with B12 and what they found was helpful? I have been peeing like crazy for a month but it's still lingering.
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cshelly747
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I am in the states also. I've never heard of an MIC B12 injection. Can you give anymore details on what type of B12 that injection contained and whether any other vitamins were also included?
I wonder if you are experiencing hypokalemia (low potassium) due to the B12 injections. A large amount of B12 can lower your potassium levels. It is a known side effect. (see the warnings section here drugs.com/pro/b-12-complian... )
Cyanocobalamin is the most commonly injected form in the US, but methylcobalamin may have been the version you received. Either way, it is likely that the excess B12 pushed another vitamin out of balance and gave you the symptoms you're currently experiencing.
Okay don't judge me because again I knew I wanted to get a B12 shot and I didn't know there was more than one type. A MIC B12 shot is used for weight loss. MIC stands for Methionine, Inositol, and Choline. I wasn't using it for weight loss just for the B12.
It is also my guess that it pushed another vitamin out of whack but I'm having a hard time isolating which vitamin. I've been eating 3 bananas a day, taking magnesium, and eating/juicing foods rich in folic acid. I read in another question on here that sometimes once you start B12 treatment that symptoms (especially of peripheral neuropathy) can get worse before they get better as the nerves start to wake up. So I'm basically stuck between wondering if I overwhelmed my system with B12 or if maybe my system is "waking up." Either way I feel horrible and have for a month.
I don't have any reason to judge. When I first started self-injecting I was buying B12 from a place called "TrimNutrition" but it was the same situation where I wasn't interested in the mythical weight loss properties, just the vitamin.
I would say that you do have a third option between cutting back and increasing, which is to stay at the same rate and see if things either get better or worse. You might also try to find injections that don't have all the 'extras' that the MIC injection had. Sometimes naturopaths offer a simple B12 injection that doesn't include anything else.
Unfortunately I think that no matter how much I want to find the cure or reason I'm going to just have to wait for the test results. It's difficult not to worry or want to make things better when your legs keep falling asleep and you're dizzy. Makes it hard to forget when you're reminded every time you move. Thank you for your help and good luck with your ailments.
I do not. My GP wouldn't help so I'm waiting for those results and my genetic tests to be run through an independent laboratory. I do know that my most recent homocysteine test came back in the lower normal range though. I think it's was 65. That was after 6 B12 injections.
Hi cshelly747. Can't add anything more to what I said about B12 deficiency in my replies to your previous post but here's just a few quick comments based on new information gleaned from your replie there, and above.
So...and don't have much time so excuse if I sound a bit disjointed or abrupt...
Not convinced about the B12 'overload' suggested by your functional nutritionalist (sorry - no time to discuss further)
Looked up (briefly) the additional compounds in your B12 jabs...here's what I found:
Methionine - only to be taken under medical supervision and never above recommended dose. Side effects - changes to blood ph, increases homocysteine...and others. People with MTHFR should not take this.
Inositol - side effects - nausea, tiredness, dizziness, headaches...and others
Choline - gastrointestinal distress, diahoreea, vomiting, fishy body odour...and others.
Here's some links to more information about all three (also look at the contraindications - see if a any of these apply to you):
Has your functional nutritionalist taken these into account? Not saying that these are the problem, but they could be. If it was me, I wouldn't inject anymore of the MIC B12.
If you want to continue to inject B12, best use Cyanocobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin or methyl cobalamin.
A few more thoughts:
IBS can cause B12 deficiency. Homocysteine and MMA tests may return normal results because you had already injected B12 (lowers levels quickly). So not easy to say if you originally had a B12 deficiency.
Confirmed peripheral neuropathy - can be caused by B12 deficiency...but also by lots of other thing to. In the UK it would be usual to see a neurologist under these circumstances to try and identify the cause - not clear if,you've done that.
Autoimmunity in the family (lupus/MS) - more likely (but not certain) to develop one if it runs in the family so...
First - have you have the anti-IF antibodies test for pernicious anaemia (an autoimmune condiction that causes B12 deficiency)? Need to leave 10 days between last injection and test (more about this in previous replies).
Second: autoimmune diseases tend to turn up in clusters - possible to have more than one. Some of your symptoms could also be due to underlying autoimmune condition (lupus, Sjogren's RA etc.). Good idea to get a full antibody screen - if raised, will not diagnose a condition but will indicate further investigations required (in UK, these would be undertaken by a rheumatologist). Note: some autoimmune conditions can cause peripheral neuropathy.
A digression: I had undiagnosed B12 deficiency for years, eventually started treatment, got worse, got better...then got worse again (B12 deficiency symptoms returned - or so I thought - also like you, weeing all day every day - still 😣). Many investigations and 'ologies' later, turns out I also have an underlying autoimmune condition (UCTD, possible lupus, possible Sjogren's).
Already discussed folate, ferritin etc. etc. in previous reply so won't repeat here 😀.
If you were B12 deficient and then had B12 injections, not unusual for things to feel worse before they get better - nobody knows why - thought to do with 'things' waking up and the body sort of retuning itself (sorry, not a good explanation but late and a bit weary).
Again, B12 overwhelming the system - don't think so. Other possibilities:
Side effects/impact of supplementation or over-supplementation with Methionine, choline and inositol.
Symptoms of undiagnosed underlying autoimmune condition/neurological disorder.
Continued symptoms of B12 deficiency (in the UK the treatment for B12 deficiency with neurological,symptoms is B12 injections every other day until no further improvement - understand it might be a bit different in the USA).
Don't know if any of this is relevant to your case - but worth considering - always best not to put all the eggs in the B12 basket - as I found out 🙃.
Sorry...have to go now...all sounds quite tricky and I'm sorry that you feel so unwell. Hope you find some answers soon.
Thank you for this information and for the information on my other post. I'm hoping the blood/urine tests and the genetics test will give me some answers.
Like other things I've experienced in my medical journey my EMG results fell through the cracks so the visit to the neurologist was just coincidence and only because I questioned why my doctors wanted to do carpal tunnel surgery when ALL of my nerves responded slowly. This was also when the B12 was working or should I say making me feel great. I think I'm being impatient and need to wait for my results
From the research I've done in combination with old test results I think I either have a MTHFR mutation, PA, or atrophic gastritis. But again until I have the results who knows? I'm okay being like this for the next couple of weeks when I get my tests back as long as I'm not doing more harm than good. I'd rather keep my ability to walk and not have to cut off a limb because it lost blood supply to it. And remember I've had anxiety for 10+ years so I'm prone to worrying about things that will probably never happen
No judgement here either as i am in the US and am getting my b12 injections from a weight loss clinic also. I am getting straight b12 injections, not the weight loss ones because in my area, the weight loss (mic) injections have less b12. I was told only 300 mcg of b12 plus all the other stuff totals the 1,000 mcg shot for weight loss (mic). The straight b12 is 1,000 mcg of b12.
Concerning your issue of anxiety and twitching coming back, i experienced some of that myself, i felt lethargic/ tired/ toes and calves cramping. Fixed it by drinking the fruit punch flavor of Vitamin Water which is carried at my local walmart for 93 cents per bottle. It has 880 mg of potassium per bottle. My research into most multivitamins shows they only have 25 to 50 mg of potassium. Im not sure why this is, as even though im getting nutrients from fresh fruits and vegtables, when i looked up the amounts i was getting from them they did not total more than 700 to1000 mg daily, not enough when the recommended daily allowance is 4700 mg.
When increasing b12 we need extra potassium. I know that too much potassium is bad but the simple way to see if potassium is your issue, is to drink 2 or 3 bottles of this stuff for a couple of days and see if you feel better. I drink 2 a day and it worked for me. But i also take pumpkin seed oil pills which have potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, ect in them so i was getting close to 2700 mg per day between pumpkin seed oil pills and food and the vitamin water drinks got me up to about 4400 mg per day.
Thank you. I was drinking a ton of water too which can flush out potassium so I've been eating 3 bananas a day and taking an electrolyte power to help. This has only been since Saturday and every day is a little better.
Just curious if your vitamin water and pumpkin oil made you feel instantly better or if it took a couple of days? I've noticed that in a way I feel better at night (my anxiety lessens but the muscle twitching and falling asleep increase). I don't know if it is because I have taken all of my required supplements and eaten all 3 bananas or if it's just coincidence. I'd like to know if your fix happened instantly? The anxiety seems to hit me in the mornings around 8am MST before I have anything to eat or drink.
Hello everyone, I wanted to update everyone on my status in case anyone reads this in the future looking for information for their own story. I will be posting this under my other message as well.
I've been to see my functional nutritionist twice. ***If you are interested in seeing the woman I see please message me directly. She can conduct appointments via webcam.*** She gave me a blood/urine test that was very comprehensive and run through a company called Genova Diagnostics (NutrEval). This test took about three weeks to come back but it was very thorough. Through it, I found out that I am deficient in ALL B vitamins (except of course B12 because I was getting injections, but it was still low), vitamin D, CoQ10, Magnesium, Maganese, Potassium, Folate, zinc, and a-Lioic Acid. And when I say deficient I mean deficient. The B vitamins were so low that they worsened my peripheral neuropathy to the point that I wasn't sure when I went to bed at night that I wouldn't be paralyzed in the morning. In case you're wondering I'm not an alcoholic--I drink a beer maybe twice a year.
While I was waiting for these test results I started to get sicker and weaker. Coincidentally I had an appointment with a neurologist to read an EMG I had done on my arms where all of my nerve responses came back slow. Within 5 minutes the neurologist diagnosed me with peripheral neuropathy and scheduled me for a EMG on my legs. I get those results today but my neurologist did say that it looked like I have a combination of neuropathy; neuropthay caused by a MVA and autoimmune neuropathy. We will begin testing for those. Getting diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and getting the NutrEval back convinced my GP that there was actually something wrong with me. He actually put B-12 deficiency as one of the reasons for further testing. We are still at the beginning stages of testing but so far I know I don't have diabetes. All of those tests came back normal but my C-Peptide came back high so I think the next step will be testing for Cushing Syndrome. During all of this my kidneys began to hurt and my creatnine clearance came back low (83.8). My bilirubin came back low as well (.02).
My muscles got really weak and it was while I was talking to my pharamcist that she asked if I ate carbs (I don't--I'm usually on a high protein low carb diet). She recommended eating carbs to see if that helped with the muscles spasms, twitching, falling asleep, numbness... I ate carbs and within a day I went from wondering if I would be paralyzed in the morning to being able to drive a car like a normal person.
So what does this mean for someone else who's going through this? I don't know. This is my experience and this is what I have learned about my body, and again this is MY body.
1. When I'm excessively thirsty it means I'm low in potassium. But I have to remember that potassium and salt work together so the best way to get these is through an electrolyte solution--not from just eating a couple of bananas.
2. When my muscles start spasming it means that I'm not absorbing electrolytes. This means that I have to add a substantial carb to every meal. For me this is not the carb found in fruits.
3. When I start having negative thoughts it means my B12 is low. And if I get an injection then I need to monitor my potassium, salt, magnesium, folate, and vitamin D intake because these numbers will drop.
So what's next for me? I'm having tests done as mentioned above. I'm also having genetic tests run. Once I find out what's causing my B12 deficiency I will let everyone know. One of you suggested that I might have more than one thing going on. I agree. We'll see.
AFAIK there is no blood test for alpha-lipoic acid and no 'normal' range for it, even if there was. It sounds to me as if you've been 'diagnosed' as deficient in every trendy chemical known to pseudoscience. You are a victim of 'big vitima', a conspiracy between the manufacturers of nutritional supplements and med-school dropouts.
I went through this, I had 10 or so B12 shots and was doing the best I ever had with much less anxiety too. Pretty quickly it changed over night and I felt the anxiety back . Slowly, over 3 to 4 weeks it got out of my system enough for me to feel like myself again. Hope this helps🌺
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