Help on conditions

[41Mike]

Hi just a quick question, I have been b12 deficient for the last 6 years with my regular injections every 11 to 12 weeks and my bloods been done every 6 months , but I've just started to have pins and needles down both my arms either on separate occasions or even at the same time, trouble is I also have an inactive thyriod (approx 15 years) and well controlled and slight hypertension which is under control as well has anybody got any ideas before I see my GP.

[clivealive Forum Support]

Have you had your Folate checked?

It is 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 in the body.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had P.A. (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 45 years.

I wish you well

[wedgewood]

Sounds to me as if you need more regular injections of B12 .Have you ever been tested for Pernicious Anaemia, i.e. Intrinsic Factor Antibody ?

[drareg]

what b12 are you using i believe and in my opinion methylcobalamin is the best inject twice weekly with one ml you may need to inject more regularly--you may need further investigation into thyroid--is your b12 auto immune? are you low in iron ?did you have folate checked--needed for absorption of b12

[fbirder in reply to drareg]

Methylcobalamin is no better than hydroxocobalamin ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/258...

Indeed, there are several points against it:

It is more expensive, it is less stable, it is more difficult to obtain, it causes a bad reaction in some people.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Mike, by inactive do you mean you have no thyroid function at all or that your thyroid is underactive, It may be worth posting on the TUK forum for their advice

healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk

unfortunately monitoring on the basis of Serum B12 isn't going to tell you if your B12 levels are well controlled. The fact that your symptoms are symmetrical would be consistent with your B12 being undertreated - do you have a diary that shows how your symptoms relate to the timing of your doses.