Vit B12

[foxglove]

does high level B12 cause numbness in fingertip? (just one)

[pvanderaa]

Low B12 or low folate can cause homocysteine to build up which is suspect in eroding the myelin sheath off of the nerves.

The long nerves to the fingers and toes are impacted first because the signal gets attenuated more over the length of thr nerve due to the damage to the myelin sheath.

High B12 is not considered a problem because it is a water soluble vitamin and you pee away any excess.

I self inject and my B12 is >1500 pg/ml. I like it there to halt the damage to the nerves and hopefully repair the myelin sheath where possible.

If the axon (center) of the nerve is damaged, the nerve is gone forever.

[foxglove in reply to pvanderaa]

Thanks for explanation.

[kngswim in reply to pvanderaa]

Thanks for the physiology explanation of the nerve damage! I knew it caused it and I'm experiencing it (currently fighting for more B12), but explanations are always helpful. Love this site!

[fbirder]

No, high B12 cannot cause numbness in your fingertips.

But high B6 can.

Why do you think you may have high B12?

[foxglove in reply to fbirder]

My B12 is 604 which I thought high - don't know b6. How do you know b6 high? Does it need to be tested or are there symptoms besides numbness. I have had the numb finger tip for years but yesterday it got worse and more extensive, however now it seems to be settling to usual. \maybe I injured it somehow!

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to foxglove]

foxglove - do you use any supplements that include B6. It isn't a vitamin that is common tested.

I don't think there have been any reports ever of toxicity experienced from dietary B6 - only from supplementation. If you take any supplements with B6 in try stopping them and see if that makes a difference.

Inclined to think, given how specific the location is, that is probably an accidental injury but if it continues then may be worth seeing doctor to check - then tend to be reasonably good when it comes to bones and soft tissue damage.

[foxglove in reply to Gambit62]

Doctors must be good at something, will check maybe

[foxglove in reply to Gambit62]

P.S. don't take any B supps.

[muddlemand]

If B12 is high, out of range (you need to know the "normal" range used), then definitely get it checked out. There are big scary things which can be the cause - liver and blood disorders. Not necessarily, but they need to be ruled out. Mine is high and I think it's about the cells not utilising it, as the scary stuff has been ruled out in my case.

I do get tingly fingertips and numbness but I have a ton of other things, weird vitamin / mineral / possibly hormone things, plus neurological stuff that I know about - so I can't conclude it's the B12 or any other one thing.

[linkerror in reply to muddlemand]

How do you know for sure that its not being used at cellular level? Also what scary things are ruled out and how?

[foxglove in reply to linkerror]

DONT know, and no scary things - I'm just curious!

[muddlemand in reply to foxglove]

There are scary things - see my reply to linkerror, above.

[muddlemand in reply to muddlemand]

... that is, below. Oops.

[muddlemand in reply to linkerror]

There ARE scary things. Elevated B12 can be a sign of liver or blood disorders, some really nasty stuff. Let me just find the useful website

... hold on...

b12-vitamin.com/blood-levels/ - this is the only place I've found any decent info in *high* B12 (rather than deficiency). This is more than my GP knew. Looks like I need to put it in my profile for easy reference, this is the second time in a few days that I've needed to find it for someone.

Those are ruled out for me, and I don't know for sure that my body isn't utilising the B12, it seems the only other possibility from what I know so far but I am yet to have the right blood tests for that. (MMA and... something... I need to look it up again!) And maybe it isn't the only other possibility, I'm very much a beginner on this, at the fact-finding stage still.

[linkerror in reply to muddlemand]

My B12 was 206 in Jan 2018, then I got 10 injections and on 24th Feb it was 1710. This second test was done after 7 days of stopping the injections.

I continued on 1500 mcg daily tablet of B12 and then after 2 months, on 24th Apr, my B12 was 1820. This says that I can digest and absorb B12 from the oral supplementation.

Now the bigger question is, since my serum B12 is quite high, is there any chance that my body is not able to use the elevated B12 and thus dumping it into blood?

[muddlemand in reply to linkerror]

I'm new to this whole subject - but as far as I understand, since it is the injections that made it high, you probably don't need to take as much. (Assuming that the high readings are out of range? In range needs no correction,)

I don't know the answer to your specific question but if your symptoms are improved, I expect your body is using it. If you still have symptoms of deficiency then maybe you need more "inputting", if say you're only utilising a small proportion of what's being put in. At least that's what I think I have read.

Elevated when B12 has been "artifically added" (meaning injections or supplement), is a different situation from elevated when it does it on its own - which is the case with me. And I haven't learnt enough yet about my situation so I'm not realyl the person to advise on yours. I don't even know if surplus B12 in the body can do any harm - I don't think so, I *think* it just indicates you have more than you need, but don't quote me on that.

Oh, just realised we may have been at cross purposes. I didn't mean scary things that result from high levels, I meant scary things which can lead to high levels. As for not utilising it, as far as I know the only problem with that is that you're deficient in a way that won't show on a blood test. I can't remember reading of any dangers of not utilising B12 and having "extra in your system" if that's what you meant.

My priority is to find out why I'm not utilising it and how to correct this - if I'm right about that being what's going on!

[linkerror in reply to muddlemand]

>> I didn't mean scary things that result from high levels, I meant scary things which can lead to high levels

This is what scared me like hell, lol.

Yeh, mine was raised after the jabs and then through B12 tablets. The jabs itself was result of having low serum B12 to begin with.

I feel much relaxed now. Have started a thread on absorption post reading your thread. Now you know how scared I got

[foxglove in reply to linkerror]

Have never supplemented B12, don't even eat much "iron" meats, therefore just puzzled as to high B12!. Feel ok really so don't suppose it matters....one of life's mysteries!

[muddlemand in reply to foxglove]

Didn't know that high iron can lead to high B12 - tell me more?

But do get the possible causes checked out, just in case it's an early indication of something horrible such as leukaemia. I really hope it isn't but best to know, knowledge is power.

[foxglove in reply to muddlemand]

Didn't know either that high iron could lead to high b12 - anyway don't have high iron, just in normal range!

[blogsy2]

Please could anyone give me any information/source on high iron and the connection with B12 as mentioned here? I'm exploring both of these for my daughter and would be very interested if there's a connection. Btw I know about haemochromatosis. She doesn't fit the genetic profile but has high TS at age 17 and feels unwell. GP just says, "You have really high iron levels!" Anyone know anything about this? I'm just asking here because I know you're amazingly knowledgable here and I've already perused the haemochromatosis websites.

[foxglove in reply to blogsy2]

Me too would like to know more about this!