First of all I’m 22 year old male. I’ve been mildly suffering from some symptoms like lack of concentration, memory issues, digestion issues like constipation and weird sounds from my guts, premature greying of hair. So last month I’ve tested my vitamin b12 level and it came to be severely deficient (less than 50 pg/mL) so I got injections of cynacobalamin 1000 mcg twice a week and now the pharmacist told me to begin incting just once a week. My question is, is this enough to repair the defeciency and the associated symptoms I am having? And how long would it take before I notice any improvement?
Thanks a lot.
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XDreamerx
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Hi XDreamerx it would seem that you are not in the U.K - is that correct?
If the only B12 available to you is cyanocobamalin the loading doses should be at least every other day until there is no further improvement and then the maintenance doses would be every four weeks.
It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 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 are so deficient?
I am not a medically trained person but I've had P.A. (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 45 years.
No I’m not in the UK but I’m considering purchasing Methylcobalamin fast disolving tablets online. Do you think, sir, that this severe deficiency is due to malabsorption? As I am myself not a vegan or a vegetarian, I just don’t like red meat.
If you do have an absorption problem then the tablets may not be effective - certainly not as effective as the cyanocobamalin injections.
As to meat eating - can you cope with white meats like chicken, pork or turkey? Then there's fish, seafood and dairy produce like milk and cheese all of which are a natural source of B12,
Have you managed to find out what your Folate level is?
suggest you make a list of all symptoms and monitor how these change over time - this will give an idea of what frequency of injections you need.
Impossible to say what is the right frequency for any one individual, but the majority of people don't need injections more frequently than weekly - most will be okay with monthly - just that this doesn't suit everyone.
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