Help

Can I get some thoughts please, I’m battling with my GP at the moment, she is refusing to give me b12 injections.

In 2016 my b12 was 114, 2017 was 122, still no injections given, I then started using a sublingual b12 giving me around 3000 mg a day.

My last b12 test I had managed I raise up to 686, but I still don’t feel well. I went back to my GP a couple of weeks ago to ask her to try me on injection, she said because I’ve managed to raise it myself I don’t have an absorbing issue.

She told me my symptoms could mental health issues, I told her the are not mental health issues!

She has referred my to a rheumatologist for the pain which I feel is a waste of time.

So I decided to prove a Point and come of the b12 spray and prove that, that’s the only reason I’m up at 686 but 3 weeks in and I’m feeling awful, not sure if this is due to no b22 for 3 weeks or am I coming down with something.

Would I feel so rotten without b12 for 3 weeks ?

[wedgewood]

Just because B12 appears in your blood serum , doesn’t mean it’s getting to your cells . Your symptoms should be treated not your test results . You obviously have an absorbtion problem , so you need to try injections . If you cannot get them from your doctor , you need to either pay through the nose at one of those private clinics or self inject. If you decide you must self inject , come back here and we will tell you how . It’s cheap and easy . There is no danger from overdose , no matter what your doctor says . My doctor told me that too much B12 ( how much is too much ?) is toxic . THIS IS NOT TRUE . You cannot overdose . Any surplus is excreted in the urine .I have PA. , and have injected weekly for 2 1/2 years to keep well .

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Hidden I'm surprised your doctor hasn't tried to find out why your B12 levels were so low in 2016/17.

Anyone at any age, can become B12 deficient. However, certain people are at an elevated risk. They include the following:

Vegetarians, vegans and people eating macrobiotic diets.

People aged sixty and over

People who’ve undergone any gastric and/or intestinal surgery, including bariatric surgery for weight loss purposes (Gastric bypass).

People who regularly use proton-pump- inhibitors. H2 blockers, antacids, Metformin, and related diabetes drugs, or other medications, or infections such as h-pylori that can interfere with B12 absorption.

People who undergo surgeries or dental procedures involving nitrous oxide, or who use the drug recreationally.

People with a history of eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia).

People with a history of alcoholism.

People with a family history of pernicious anaemia.

People diagnosed with anaemia (including iron deficiency anaemia, sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia).

People with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), or any other disease that cause malabsorption of nutrients.

People with autoimmune disorders (especially thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease) Type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, lupus, Addison’s disease, ulcerative colitis, infertility, acquired agammaglobulinemia, or a family history of these disorders.

Women with a history of infertility or multiple miscarriages.

Can you "see yourself" in any of the above people?

You could always ask for an MMA test.

Methylmalonic acid is a chemical used up in one of the cellular reactions mediated by B12. If there's not enough B12 in the cell then MMA levels will rise. If they're not high then it means your cellular levels of B12 are OK. High levels of plasma MMA (>0.75umol/L0 almost invariably indicate cobamalin deficiency.

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

Do you know what your Folate level is?

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.

Replacing B12 will lead to a huge increase in haemopoiesis (the production of blood cells and platelets) and can lead to rapid depletion of folate and iron stores; this can then limit the expected recovery of Hb. Both iron and folate may be needed.

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

.

[Hidden in reply to clivealive]

Thank you so much for your in-depth reply, I have so many of those symptoms. They did test my parietal cell antibody back is n 2016, this came back negative. I do have Hashimotos, have had it for 20+ years so she is fully aware of this. We also have a family history of PA.

I have just paid for an intrinsic factor test, hopefully I’ll have that result back next week, at least I can rule out PA if it comes back negative.

The last time I had my folate checked was June 2016 it was at 12.3 (3.3-19.9).

[clivealive Forum Support]

Sadly the IFA test is unreliable in that it gives false negatives in people with PA half the time. So a negative result doesn't mean that you don't have PA. However, a positive result is a sure-fire, 95% certain indicator of PA.