I have lots of the symptoms, if not all. My Doctor wont' treat me yet.. is it worth doing it privately? or self injecting? I just don't want to feel tired anymore. Big history of Thyroid problems in my family too, although they say my level is normal.
Help!
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Twilighthours72
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Hi Twilighthours72 if you feel that your neurological symptoms are B12 related despite your level being "Normal" (I hate that word) you could mention to your doctor that The British Society for Haematology guidelines say on the Diagnosis of B12 and Folate Deficiency "In the presence of discordance between the test result and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment".
Symptoms of B12 deficiency tend to develop slowly and may not be recognised immediately. As the condition worsens, common symptoms include:
Weakness and fatigue
Light-headedness and dizziness
Palpitations and rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
A sore tongue that has a red, beefy appearance
Nausea or poor appetite
Weight loss
Diarrhoea
Yellowish tinge to the skin and eyes
If low levels of B12 remain for a long time, the condition also can lead to irreversible damage to nerve cells, which can cause the following symptoms:
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Difficulty walking
Muscle weakness
Irritability
Memory loss
Dementia
Depression
Psychosis
I am not a medically trained person but I've had P.A. (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 45 years.
Have you heard of the Thyroid UK forum on Health Unlocked? If you post your results for the thyroid tests you have had, plus the ranges (the numbers in brackets) on that forum, you will get some good information about whether the results are truly 'normal'. Doctors use the term 'normal' when they don't want to treat you properly, despite symptoms. You are likely only to have had the TSH test for your thyroid function, but that will give some indication of what is going on.
If you feel "brave enough" (and this is only assuming it is B12 related and not some other cause) make a list of your symptoms and present this to your doctor and ask him to treat you according to your symptoms and (perhaps) even start you on loading doses "until there is no further improvement" according to the N.I.C.E guidelines below. Click on the link, then on "Scenario: Management" and scroll down to "Treatment for B12 deficiency"
If possible take someone with you who can validate your neurological symptoms as the doctor is less likely to pooh pooh you in front of a witness.
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.
Thank you very much for the further information on this. Would you know the best place to source my own B12, to self inject? and also which folate to take? at the moment i just take Spatone. Victoria
No, I'm sorry I cannot help as (fortunately) I get all my prescriptions for injections from my surgery.
I suggest that you ask the question in a new post as there are many others on here who do source from abroad and it is likely to be "picked up" rather than at the end of a long thread like this.
If you're in UK, I'd suggest reading all of these.
BSH guidelines and BMJ article recommend that in UK, people who are symptomatic for b12 deficiency should be treated even if B12 level is within normal range.
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