Hi all here goes, I have been poorly for around 12 months, starting off with extreme fatigue. I’m a physio and have two jobs, I train at the gym 6 times a week and have two kids and two dogs, so just thought life was catching up on me. I also went vegan around 6 months ago. Any how my symptoms increase dramatically over the past 7 months or so. It start when my husband and I started trying for another baby. Sadly I’ve had 3 miscarriages all at around 7 weeks. I thought this may be why I wasn’t feeling great, but then I found a link with vegans and b12 deficiency. (Long story short I think I’ve been b12 deficient for years now and becoming vegan has just brought it to light. Anyways, my symptoms are as follows, walking up trmouring in the night, after the gym the tremors start too, I am extremlly fatigue, my legs feel really week, I have ringing in my ear, my sight goes funny and I’m very dizzy, brain fog and often have no appetite as everything makes me feel sick. And the worst one is that I get loads of mouth ulcers and my tongue feels numb. 😩. I was inbetween drs and couldn’t get an appointment so after reading speaking with a dr at work I ordered some b12 injections off a guy at the gym. This was AMAZING! I’ve had 3 injections and felt like a new person, all my symptoms disappeared. Sadly tho come 5 days after the injection and my symptoms come back really bad. It’s getting me down. I can’t get hold of any more injections and my Gp said he won’t do anything now as my bloods are showing my b12 is 200 (obviously because I’ve been injecting) he said I will have to go deficient for 24 weeks before he can check my bloods again, without it in my system. I don’t think he realises how I’ll this would make me feel. He also insinuated that this was all in my head! Which was earful, he made me feel like I was going crazy!! I don’t understand it all, but all I know is after the injections I was great. I also got loads of spots on my forehead after the jabs and wondered if anyone else has experienced this?? I just want to feel normal and wondered if any one can advise me on what to do? Or where to buy the injections in the uk?? It’s really upsetting me and I don’t know what to do! Sorry for the essay, I hope someone can help xx
I’m a self diagnosed newby please help - Pernicious Anaemi...
I’m a self diagnosed newby please help
Even if you are definitely diagnosed with PA (which is not easy , as the Intrinsic Factor Antibody test is extremely unreliable ) it would be well nigh impossible to get injections more frequently than 1every 3 months . The medical profession knows next to nothing about any kind of B12 deficiency , and they don’t even want to know , because there is nothing in it for them ( I will say no more on that subject )
My tip to you , after having been very unwell with PA (diagnosed ) is to go for self-injection . You will save time and save your health . This is a very cheap and efficient way of getting your health back . You have lots on your plate with job , child and husband . If you feel you could do self injection come back here and you will get to know how to go about it . (Into your thigh) The cost need not be more than just over £1:00 for an injection if you buy in bulk ( 100 of everything you need,— ampoules , needles , syringes, swabs and sharps box .) B12 ampoules can only be obtained with a prescription in U.K. . So we , on this site , get them from certain online pharmacies in Germany , where that are obtainable OTC . Yes, a vegan diet will have exacerbated your B12 deficiency . B12 deficiency can sometimes be helped with tablets Patches or sprays , if you don’t have an absorbtion problem . No use for me . Injections are the most efficacious and inexpensive method of getting B12 . You also need B9 to work with it ( folic acid or folate in vegs and fruit ) Hydroxocobalamin B12 is used in U.K. . Read all about it on the internet . Watch videos on u tube ( some are really poor ) Best wishes 🍀
Just what I was going to say.... x
Thank you so much, I’m going to look into buying this, as orally isn’t making any difference. Thank you so so much for all your help. I finally feel like I’m not going crazy xx
It is honestly worth thinking about . You can do no harm . You cannot overdose . You may be very nervous at the thought of self-injecting , but you will get over that . Let us know if you decide to go ahead and you will get help here .
Dear wedge wood, well I went for it! My symptoms got worse my lips went numb and my tongue felt swollen, I couldn’t eat as I felt sick all the time and my Gp tried to tell me it was all in my head and offered me anti depressants. I ordered the injections off a German sign recommended on here. I’m on my second week of loading dose and all the numbness and mouth ulcers have disappeared. I’m still having internal tremors at night and still feel sick, but I suppose it takes time. I just wondered if you could advise on exercise? I feel when I train at the gym I increase all the negative symptoms and feel exhausted. Do you know if this will ever change? Exercise is my life and this worries me. Am I doing more damage than good??
Thanks so much for all your help btw, you have been better than my own Gp, and I feel so greatful 🤗🤗
Dear Jsweedish - Glad you got those injections and that you are feeling somewhat better . It sounds as though you have been deficient for some time , so your full recovery will also take some time . You will have to take it easy with excercise, as physical activities will consume large quantities of precious B12 . You must try to be patient . Your fertility will also have been affected by the B12 deficiency , but will return. You are doing no damage . You cannot overdose on water based vitamin B12 . Remember to take folic acid daily , and have a good diet ( I’m sure you have anyhow )
Alright , we don’t know if you have PA , but if you have , your stomach acid will have been affected by that autoimmune disease , resulting in Achlorhydria/ Hypochondria ( no / low stomach acid , which upsets the stomach flora , causing bad bacteria to take over . The same antibodies that destroy the Intrinsic Factor in the parietal cells also destroy the stomach acid . It happened to me - the nausea and also stomach aches . No help from doctors in this , but I found that a probiotic miraculously helped (symprove ) very expensive though . I make my own now ( organic raw sauerkraut ) it’s bubbling away now! I use red cabbage . You can buy probiotic capsules called Bio-kult which are also good .
So be patient .Keep injecting until you feel no improvement , then find the ideal treatment by experiment . Relax and take it easy . Very best wishes .
Thank you, I’ve just put in an order after reading your reply! If it works I will try and make my own also. Again thank you so much for all your help, I’m feeling much more positive about everything. I’ve made the decision to only do relaxing yoga until I’m feeling better, and then to slowly introduce exercise with time. Fingers crossed. Thank you again, you’ve been amazing! I’m so so greatful!! 🤗
A good idea to just do relaxing yoga for the time being . I remember I Martyn Hooper’s first book that he mentions a lady doctor who had PA , who found that she couldn’t conceive until her B12 deficiency had been treated . Then Hey Presto she became pregnant !
Hi Jsweedish
If you are in the U.K. I think your best course of action is to go back to your doctor who should be aware that your being Vegan and also having had multiple miscarriages puts you at rick of developing a Vitamin B12 deficiency and therefore should be entitled to treatment under the N.H.S.
It may be that oral supplements of B12 will suffice. You will also need to ask to have your Folate level checked.
B12 Side effects
A wiser person than I has commented previously:
"The pimples/acne, is likely to be caused by microbes on your skin reacting to the additional B12 by producing substances that your skin is then reacting to. In theory this could be resolved by use of a good skin wash. You might have better luck talking to your pharmacist and seeing what they can recommend prior to your next maintenance shot - though there is always a chance that it was something that won't recur".
I am so sorry to read of your miscarriages.
I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.
I wish you well.
Thank you so much for your advice. I will keep fighting for this xx
If your deficiency is caused by being vegan then you should be able to get enough B12 from oral supplements. Take 1000 mcg once a week to see if that helps.
was the reading of 200 after you had had B12 injections? or did you mean >2000?
if the reading was 200 after you had done the jabs then it seems more likely than not (by an enormous margin) that you have a B12 absorption problem
You may be able to get B12 injections from a slimming/health spa in the UK as it is being used for cosmetic rather than medical reasons. You can't get injectable B12 in the UK for medical reasons without a prescription though you can import it for personal use from on-line pharmacies in the EU - most in the UK import from German on-line pharmacies.
It is unlikely that 7 months of being vegan would have made you B12 deficient as the amounts stored in the liver mean that it generally takes years and even decades for an absorption problem to develop into a full blown deficiency - in fact its more likely to be co-incidence that you got to deficiency 7 months ago when you started to follow a vegan diet.
If the reading was 2000 then there is not absolute guarantee that your serum B12 will have fallen below normal range by the end of 24 weeks. Normal range isn't really useful after loading shots.
Hi, my reading was 200 after I had been injecting. I have now gone a week and a half without injecting (as I couldn’t get hold of them) and have been buying the oral b12 from the chemist taking 10 a day and it’s making no difference at all. I now have horrendous back pain too. I’m so fed up with it now. I’m so so greatful to everyone on this page, it’s made me feel like I’m not going crazy, and not alone either. So thank you so much for all your advice 🤗🤗🤗. X
I’m worried about your suggestion to use Methylcobalamin sublingual tablets to - “Make your own injections at home “ That sounds a very risky thing to do . I’m sure it could be dangerous . NOT ADVISEABLE !
I agree with wedgewood This suggestion is very worrying. I would strongly suggest that people do not try it. Unless you are working in a sterile lab, then your solution will contain bacteria from the air. Yes we do fight bacteria all of the time, but we rarely inject them straight into the body.
The sublingual tablets themselves will contain fillers to bulk them up, which you do not want to be injecting into the body. OK in the digestive system, but in the tissues, there is the risk of causing inflammation to the tissues at the very least.
If you are willing to take the not unsubstantial risk of doing this, then that is your choice, but please do not suggest that others try it.
It is also not advisable to use vet grade products for human use. They are not licensed for human use, and could contain ingredients that are totally unsuitable and could therefore cause problems.
Creating injectable solutions of Methylcobalamin from tablets is extremely dangerous. The source is not sterile and will likely contain fillers not meant to be introduced into muscle tissue or the bloodstream. You could even risk blood poisoning or serious tissue or blood vessel damage.
Methylcobalamin injections should only be made up from sterile & sealed injection-graded sources with sterile water for injections. Alternatively just obtain the ampoules of Methylcobalamin solution for injection and skip making up completely. You pay a greater price for a reason; safety of the product for injection costs money.
The Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline, which seems to have pretty level-headed advice, says:
Injection of crushed or dissolved tablets carries its own set of risks. Tablets must be crushed to a very fine powder before they can be mixed with water and injected. Even though the drug held within the tablet may partially dissolve, the tablet itself will not liquefy completely. If tablets are used continually in this way, particles will eventually build up in the bloodstream leading to blocked veins, kidney problems and other complications, such as thrombosis.
dan247.org.uk/Drugs_Injecti...
And that is on top of bacterial issues.
In my view, irresponsible and potentially dangerous "advice".
Jsweedish and other respondents - I have deleted a reply in this string which gives dangerous (make own B12 injections at home bu crushing B12 tablets) and other inaccurate advice.
Some responses to the now non-existent reply may therefore look a little out-of-sync.
Thanks to all who submitted reports about this.
👍
Are your oral tablets sublingual or simply swallowed? B12 will not be absorbed efficiently
With regards to your GP, can you get a letter from your doctor at work who you first discussed this problem with? I would also suggest printing off the diagnostic details from the pernicious anaemia society page, maybe even changing GP if he’s so ignorant to your problem. I’m also a physio and have been diagnosed by a doctor at work for a thyroid issue (years ago, thankfully a temporary problem) and my then GP wasn’t forgiving and almost accused me of lying
pernicious-anaemia-society....
Our GP is also rather limited in thinking outside the box and so my husband and I self inject b12. We buy it from here:
There is also a German company that some people on here buy from but I have found this the cheaper
Hi jsweedish just read all your symptoms and you’ve just described ME. I was diagnosed with MS 4 years ago, after many many years of mild then major symptoms. Iv seen al types of Drs consultants, was even a staff nurse myself, until I had to take I’ll health retirement due the the MS. I found this site a few months back and they are my life savers. So I ordered my B12 injections, take folic acid, iron tabs, eat a banana very day, changed my crappy diet to a healthier option, and only now am I starting to come out of a black hole. Only side effects I have from the B12 are the spots in my scalp. Compared to the MS drugs I was on this is a doddle. Am currently winging it on my own, no Gp input, no bloods, no MS drugs, just information from this site on what to take and where to get the B12. I can honestly say I’ve had more support and info from these guys in minutes of finding this site, than Iv had from the NHS DRs, scans, bloods, tests, numerous MRIs ect ect. What an eye opener This site is. So good luck with your quest and I hope you get some resolve very soon.
Hi thanks for your message. It’s amazing that you have improved and you’ve given me so much hope, so thank you so much for sharing this with me xx
I decided to go and purchase the injections from a site recommended on here, and I’m at the end of my first week. I was feeling miles better after the first two injections but I’ve had a set back. One of my friends came over from aus and I had 2 glasses of wine with her (I never drink, first time in about 2 years) anyway the next day I woke up and was tremouring and all my face and right eye was numb, my tongue was numb, my finger tips were numb, I felt sick, I had ringing in my ear, brain fog and dizziness. I took an extra dose as I was scared, and it settle slightly by the end of the day, but again I’ve woken this morning with the same symptoms. I feel like a lost cause 😔. I’m going to continue and hope this improves, but have your symptoms ever got worse like this?? Sorry for the essay xx
Yes that’s par for the course . You will
need to build up your strength before you start taking alcohol again . It will deplete your B12, Exercise will do the same . Just relax and stay calm . You will get back your health . Keep up the injections ( it sounds very much as though you have PA ) There’s nothing to worry about .
You can live to be 100 if you just get your B12!
It’s very difficult to get a diagnosis as the test is notoriously unreliable . Doctors and consultants are horribly ignorant about PA/ B12 deficiency , which makes life difficult for us . Surgeries are rewarded financially for diagnosing certain ailments . Of course PA in not one of them .
I suffer from B12 deficiency but like everyone else cant get injections every month can someone please let me know how i can source these also needles and is it easy to do???
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