Dreadful headache nausea and fatigue after b12 1st loading dose

[Maryh1974]

Is this normal? I was also really itchy tingling heavy right arm and on off breath,ems feel terrible

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Maryh1974

B12 Side effects

The pimples/acne, is likely to be caused by microbes on your skin reacting to the additional B12 by producing substances that your skin is then reacting to. In theory this could be resolved by use of a good skin wash. You might have better luck talking to your pharmacist and seeing what they can recommend prior to your next maintenance shot - though there is always a chance that it was something that won't recur.

It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 you are just having injected starts repairing the damage done to your nervous system and your brain starts getting multiple messages from part of the body it had "forgotten about" or lost contact with.

I sometimes liken it to a badly tuned radio on which you have turned the volume up high trying to catch the programme you want when all of a sudden the signal comes in loud and clear and the blast nearly deafens you.

A lot will depend on the severity and longevity of your B12 deficiency as to how long before there is no further improvement or recovery. Some symptoms will "disappear" quite quickly whereas others may take months or even years. There is no set timescale as we are all different.

If you can get to see a doctor please also ask him/her to check your Folate level as this and B12 help your iron to make red blood cells and to function properly.

Do you have any idea why you became B12 deficient in the first place?

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.

[Maryh1974 in reply to clivealive]

Hello Clivealive

Many many thanks for the reply, yes that makes sense it did calm down but had a headache all night and took a piriton for itching that helped, I called my GP who said if that happens again we’ll switch you to oral but I’m worried it will take longer to get me better? I have really been struggling for about 4 months with

Extreme fatigue and low mood, struggled to work (as I’m self employed that’s had a huge financial impact) I had a sore tongue in November for 3 days and so it must have been active then as I read that a sign, I just didn’t have time to See GP - it takes huge effort just to get an appointment and once it stopped being sore I thought oh I’m ok. I have a rare spinal cord injury Cauda Equina Symdrome and Gp kept saying fatigue, severe nerve pains in legs and balance problems (I fell over 3 times in 3 months) was down to that and just did a blood test last Wednesday - called me Friday to say I need B12 injections starting Monday my level was 123? My mum had this so I thought inherited? My GP said probably my diet but I eat all the things it says has B12? My mum sadly passed away age 53 from lymphoma so not here to ask about things - thanks for the response Clivealive hope your doing Well today

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to Maryh1974]

I think I'd put up with the itching than "lose" the injections.

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 in the body and your B12 levels are "bumping along the bottom of the range.

People with a family history of Pernicious Anaemia may be at a greater risk of developing a B12 deficiency.