Help with Blood test result please

[carer999]

I am going to the GP as I have not been feeling well since the new year.

The blood tests results are all marked as "No action required" but I don't feel OK. I seem to be almost permanently tired and now have pins and needles in my feet and occassional cramps in my hands when writing.

I am taking alternating levothyroxine 75 mcg and 62.5 mcg. Imodium 5mg , 3 monthly B12 injection, Vitamin D 3000iu with vitamin K2, a general multi vit and mineral and a B complex.

I am going to ask the GP for more frequent B12 injections as I had arranged for a friend to inject me about every 3 weeks but they don't want to do it any longer. So I am faced with the scary thought of self injecting or convincing the GP but I am not holding out much hope. The pins and needles returned when the more frequent B12 injections ceased. A coincidence?

My test results show I have a raise folate level. How long should I stop taking any B vitamins for the levels to drop?

Also any comments about my test results would be appreciated as whilst the results are OK I don't feel OK

Serum total 25-hydroxy vitamin D level 100 nmol/L [40.0 - 250.0]

Plasma TSH level 0.82 mu/L [0.3 - 5.6]

Renal profile

Plasma sodium level 138 mmol/L [133.0 - 146.0]

Plasma potassium level 5.0 mmol/L [3.5 - 5.3]

Plasma creatinine level 79 umol/L [39.0 - 91.0]

Plasma urea level 4.3 mmol/L [2.5 - 7.8]

B12 & FOLATE

Serum vitamin B12 level > 1500 pg/mL [180.0 - 914.0] -Above high reference limit

Plasma folate level > 24 ng/mL [4.0 - 20.0] - Above high reference limit

FULL BLOOD COUNT

Haemoglobin concentration 131 g/L [120.0 - 150.0]

Total white blood count 6.3 10*9/L [4.0 - 10.0]

Platelet count - observation 270 10*9/L [150.0 - 450.0]

Haematocrit 0.392 l/l [0.36 - 0.46]

Mean cell volume 91.2 fL [83.0 - 101.0]

Mean cell haemoglobin level 30.5 pg [27.0 - 32.0]

Mean cell haemoglobin concentration 334 g/L [315.0 - 345.0]

Red blood cell distribution width 11.7 % [11.6 - 14.0]

Red blood cell count 4.30 10*12/L [3.8 - 4.8]

Neutrophil count 3.2 10*9/L [2.0 - 7.0]

Lymphocyte count 2.4 10*9/L [1.1 - 3.5]

Monocyte count - observation 0.4 10*9/L [0.2 - 1.0]

Eosinophil count - observation 0.2 10*9/L [0.0 - 0.5]

Basophil count 0.1 10*9/L [0.0 - 0.1]

Percentage neutrophil count 51 %

Percentage lymphocyte count 38 %

Percentage monocyte count 7 %

Percentage eosinophil count 3 %

Percentage basophil count 1 %

BONE & LIVER PROFILE

Plasma calcium level 2.35 mmol/L [2.12 - 2.55]

Plasma adjusted calcium concentration 2.39 mmol/L [2.12 - 2.55]

Plasma alkaline phosphatase level 59 iu/L [32.0 - 91.0]

Plasma total protein level 68 g/L [60.0 - 80.0]

Plasma albumin level 38 g/L [35.0 - 50.0]

Plasma globulin level 30 g/L [23.0 - 35.0]

Plasma total bilirubin level 7 umol/L [7.0 - 35.0]

Plasma alanine aminotransferase level 12 iu/L [14.0 - 54.0] Below low reference limit

FASTING LIPIDS

Serum cholesterol level 6.33 mmol/L

Plasma triglyceride level 2.89 mmol/L

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi Carer999. Sorry to hear that you're not feeling so good and that your no longer have someone who will help with injections.

About blood results - nothing obvious going on there (with the exception of folate, which we'll come to below:

Plasma total bilirubin level 7 umol/L [7.0 - 35.0] is low in the range but this is not usually a problem.

Plasma alanine aminotransferase level 12 iu/L [14.0 - 54.0] Is below the reference range but again, low levels not usually a problem.

Serum B12 is high because you're injecting with B12, so that's to be expected. Hope your GP doesn’t mistakenly try to reduce your injections (post again for more advice if that happens).

About the high folate - you're taking a multi-vitamin and mineral (which contains all the B vitamins) AND Bcomplex, so your 'double-dosing' on B vitamins - perhaps one reason for your folate being high.

Chances are that you're also over-supplementing with vitamin B6 (because of the double dose). Vitamin B6 is neuro toxic in large doses - and even 100% of the RDA may be too much for some people. So...you could be having neurolgical symptoms as a result of too much B6. And constant over-supplement with folic acid can also cause unpleasant side effects (internet search for the symptoms of both and see if they apply to you 😉).

Suggest that you don't take both Bcomplex and multi-vitamins at the same time. And perhaps stop both until folate (and possibly B6) levels drop. Think I'd plan to stop and then re-introduce one or the other after a couple of months (unless you get worse before that). I just take a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet (has all the B's, including 400mcg folic acid).

Imodium 5mg a day (every day?) sounds a lot on a permanent basis. Worth discussing with your GP - may be more appropriate and effective medications that can be take on a long-term basis. Also - GP may like to investigate why you need it - if they haven't already done so 😉.

Also - just wondering about thyroid / thyroid meds - is all at optimum there (thyroid UK forum can advise about that).

And yes, the return of pins and needles may be due to reduced frequency of B12 injections - but difficult to say for sure due to over-supplementation with B6 and B9 and possible thyroid connection. Best way to tell is to increase frequency of B12 injections and see if that helps.

Good luck with your GP.

👍