Hi, I have had 15 b12 injections over the last 3 weeks from my gp. I requested them because of a medichecks blood test in June as follows
Vitamin b12 256. Range140-724.
I have Hashimotos & lots of neurological symptoms of b12 deficiency.
My latest blood test last week was for active b12 as follows
256. Range 25.10-165.
Some symptoms are better but the ones I was most concerned about have not improved. Namely numbness & pins & needles in legs & heels. Nerve pain in spine & stiff neck. Also rosacea.
Any ideas? Should I stop the injections even tho symptoms are still there even tho advice is keep having them until no improvement??
I have no idea what to do next as I thought i’d feel great by now. ☹️
Sorry, the vitamin b12 result in June was 193 (140-724) not 256.
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Shezaad
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No I haven’t. Was trying to help myself as anything thru nhs takes months. I will ask for a reference. Thanks for advice. Yes I get the point about no ‘further’ improvement. Misunderstood that! Was expecting a miracle! I hope it’s not permanent as i’ve Asked 3 different doctors over the last 10 Year’s for advice only to be dismissed. I also put symptoms down to gluten as they worsened after eating but am now 100 per cent gluten free and no better. 😔
different types of damage caused by B12 deficiency take different periods of time to resolve - some - like being able to reset neurotransmitters - can resolve very quickly - anaemia takes a few months and others - such as repairing damaged myelin (the protective cover around nerve cells) will take longer.
So do I continue with the injections or take tablets sublingually?
If I continue with injections I will self inject. (It’s way to stressful going to docs 3times a week) I read that methylcobalamin is better than what’s prescribed in this country! (Hydroxocobalamin)will the injections have to be every other day still?
How people respond to different types of B12 varies - there is no general evidence to demonstrate that methyl is better - just a lot of hype because it is one of the forms that is used at the cell level - however it is only one and it is possible to have problems converting methyl to the other form used in cells - adenosyl - but no reported cases of people who can't convert hydroxo to both forms.
I would suggest that you finish the loading doses before moving to sublinguals - which can be effective at maintaining levels - but don't work for everyone.
It may be that methyl works better for you but it is more difficult to obtain in injectable form and it isn't as stable in that form - though there are lots of tablets available.
Try Garden of Life Methyl B12 mouth spray. I get mine from Harvest Health Store. Usually on sale for around $12 otherwise it's $15. My B12 level was 105 I had the terrible numbing pins and needles feet legs everything within five days that disappeared I only do one spray a day and my levels up to 750. I've never had any injections I'm lacking the enzyme to absorb pills in my body so pills don't work everything I get has to be liquid. If this can work for someone like me that has so much problems with pills I think it could work for a lot of other people. It's worth a try. Hope that helps
I hope it works for you as well as it worked for me. It goes straight into your bloodstream and bypasses the stomach which they had to do for me and thus no side effects but I couldn't believe how quickly it worked. And this is coming from someone who can't take anything and I was in bad shape with my B12 at 105 and my vitamin D was extremely low. I also found a vitamin D spray for the mouth from Garden of Life also
It is also important that your Folate level is monitored as this is essential to process the B12.
There is a complex interaction between folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron. A deficiency of one may be "masked" by excess of another so the three must always be in balance.
Symptoms of a folate deficiency can include:
symptoms related to anaemia
reduced sense of taste
diarrhoea
numbness and tingling in the feet and hands
muscle weakness
depression
Folic acid works closely with vitamin B12 in making red blood cells and helps iron function properly.
I'm not a medically trained person but I've had P.A. for over 45 years and I wish you well.
It looks to me (and I'm not a medically trained person) as if your 400μg of Folic Acid is maintaining your levels nicely so maybe it's the B12 deficiency still causing your remaining symptoms.
I take the same amount every day too and I've been having B12 injections for P.A. for 46 years - now every three weeks.
No I have my injections of cyanocobamalin (which is what I've been "on" since 1972) at my surgery. Originally it was prescribed for every four weeks but because of a return of neurological symptoms in the run up to the next one some years ago I managed to "negotiate" them down to three weeks after a bit of a struggle with my "one size fits all" doctor.
I didn't "get on" with hydroxo when it was introduced in the 1980s so have continued.
With P.A. there is no point in testing serum B12 but my last Folate test came back "mid range" and I've been supplementing with folic acid for more years than I can remember.
You cannot overdose on B12 as any excess is excreted via your urine.
As Gambit62 says it may be you have to accept "that some nerve damage may be permanent and (it's) also possible that there could be other causes"
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