Shots 3 times a week ?

Hallo everyone, I am new. I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy because of B12 deficiency-50 pg-ml at the beginning of 2017 with strong pins and needles in foot and great tiredness. The doctors in Eastern Europe don't know much about B12. They gave me cyanocobalamin 1 mg shots 5 days than 4 shots once a week . I began to read in internet and till now I got more than 150 self injections- cyano, hydroxo and methyl - 1 mg-1ml. I take sublingual tablets 1 mg methyl every other day. Now I am much better but there will be a long way. I am now 58 years old. Should I continue self inj. 3 times a week. Be happy !

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Hidden only you can tell how you are feeling and whether your symptoms have improved enough to spread the injections over a longer period of time.

The "cyanocobalamin 1 mg shots 5 days than 4 shots once a week" you started on are called "loading doses" and should continue until there is no further improvement in symptoms and then once every four weeks.

Please try and check your Folate (Vitamin B9) level.

[Hidden in reply to clivealive]

Thank you clivealive. As I understood I have to continue shots 3 times a week, because my symptoms are still slowly improving.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to Hidden]

Correct - until your neurological symptoms remain the same and only you can tell when that is. Then move onto the maintenance shots.

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.

[Hidden in reply to clivealive]

Thanks so much. I am taking every day 400 mcg B9 and when have a shot - 800 mcg.

Be happy and healthy.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

recommendation for loading shots in the UK where there is neurological involvement is 3x weekly until symptoms stop improving

So, if your symptoms are still improving that's when to stop loading shots.

The frequency with which you need maintenance shots will be determined by when your symptoms start to come back.

[Hidden in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you Gambit62. Sorry but I don't understand. I feel slowly better and better. My symptoms are still slowly improving. Must I continue with injections 3 times a week, or I have to reduce. My anti-parietal cell is more than 100 U-ml and anti-intrinsic factor is 4,6 U-ml.

Be happy

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Hidden]

if your symptoms are continuing to improve then continue with the shots

[Hidden in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you again, all the best !