Diarrhea caused by B12 supplement

[mouldy63]

When I got diarrhea after taking B vit complex tablets (B12 dose of 1mg per day), I hoped that it was due to the tablets irritating my rather sensitive bowel, so I switched to B12 patches. I wear a patch for 24 hrs 2 times per week, and the same thing happens, so it must be the B12 in my bloodstream causing it. Has anyone else had this experience, and how long before things settled down again?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I have vague memories of someone reporting that they were suffering from diarrhoea as a result of supplementing B12 several months - possibly over a year ago.

B12 is used by a lot of systems - and sometimes things that look as if they should be down to affects on one system can actually involve another system - eg effect on autonomic functions through effect on nerve conductivity and recycling neurotransmitters.

Have you checked the ingredients other than B12 in the complex and the skin patches just in case there is something else that is causing problems.

B12 deficiency can cause irregular bowel movements - diarrhoea interspersed with constipation and the exact mechanism and systems aren't really understood.

How long exactly has the problem been going on.

Personally I find that the form of B12 has the biggest impact on incontinence related issues - adenosyl sublinguals seem to do the trick for me ... but there is no guarantee it would work for someone else.