Hello,
I started having widespread muscle twitching 3 months ago, and so much fatigue, very bad insomnia and night sweats.
My GP just told me my B12 is a bit low.
Here is my result:
138 pmol/l (Normal range:c160-710)
Would this maybe cause my twitches, insomnia and night sweats? Anybody experiencing these symptoms?
Thanks
Hi missymystique for "a bit low" read deficient.
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
Has your doctor not recommended any treatment or indication why your B12 is so low?
It is also important that your Folate level is monitored.
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 level is below bottom of the range.
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?
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.
your B12 is actually very low - you should look at the full set of symptoms and identify everything that applies even if it has been going on for a while - as B12 deficiency generally takes a long time to manifest (years or even decades).
disturbed sleep is very common as a symptom - twitches isn't so common ... not so sure about the night sweats - think they affect some people.
Have you been offered any treatment at all?
Did your blood count show any signs of macrocytosis. If your doctor is using lack of macrocytosis as an explanation for thinking things aren't really that serious then you need to go back to him and point out that serum B12 isn't a gold standard test, people can be deficient well into the normal range (misses 25% of people who are B12 deficient) and that macrocytosis isn't present in 25% of people presenting with B12 deficiency.
Source of information - BCSH guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of Cobalamin and Folate treatment. - If you are UK based you can access them here
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...
and your GP can access them via the BNF
no treatment has been offered yet, I am waiting for some extra tests they are doing
if the tests include IFA and that comes back negative, unless you are a vegan, don't take that as proof that you don't have PA as the cause of your B12 deficiency - the test is quite specific (very low likelihood of a false positive) but is very lacking in sensitivity (chances of a false negative vary between 40% and 60% depending on the exact assay method.
If it isn't absolutely obvious that your B12 deficiency is due to lack of B12 in your diet that means you have an absorption problem and the treatment will be injections if you have an absorption problem. It's useful to try and find out what the absorption problem is as different causes have different consequences and h pylori infection is treatable but with B12 that low you need injections to get your levels up.
sorry,what do you mean?
gg317, have to agree with missymystique - not sure how you can draw that conclusion from the results above which have nothing to do with adrenals. symptoms quoted are too general to be able to make that assumption from the symptoms either.
missymystique you are describing me..I don't hear to much about the muscle twitches, violent jumps, muscle spasms, muscle ripples, all whilst trying to get off too sleep. I am one of those unfortunates that show high B12 in blood (I have been supplementing) , it is pooling and not getting through to my cells, I am going to be self-injecting (I hope) B12 is in the fridge and I am waiting for needles now. I have very enlarged blood cells, over top of the range. I also might have an iron anemia under all this which is not showing because of my enlarged blood cells. It also affects my oxygen content of a night. Iron anemia can cause those muscle twitches and jumps, restless legs etc. Although in my case its restless legs, shoulder, back muscles, pelvis floor muscles, tummy muscles, forehead muscles, you name it :0( So I would definitely get a full iron panel test done, not just ferritin. Calcium, K2 and extra salt and water helps mine a little. I hope this helps as I do now how badly this affects sleep and well-being. xX
thank you so much for your reply. I am not vegeterian or anything but somehow my B12 is very low. I know that my iron levels are also low actually. I think they will give me injections soon, can’t wait to get rid of the muscle twitches as they scare me lately- I have been reading it could be due to horrible diseases so i hope it is indeed B12 deficiency
gg317 might be right here missymystique and Gambit 62, unbeknown to me my morning cortisol is 137 so I do think they can go hand in hand with the bad muscle twitching and jumping of a night as you are trying to sleep. Low adrenals make it nearly impossible to have relaxed muscles, to sleep the muscles need to relax. Hey gg317 come in an explain more dearest :0)
Awww! missymystique I went through this darling, that awful anxiety that puts you on edge and on guard, like a sentry at the gate, it's because your system(s) are not working right making you hone in on the worse case scenario like your risk assessing every symptom. Trust me that will get better when you get your B12's up...mine has to be a 1000 and the anxiety goes. I did notice using a nasal B12 spray made the anxiety go even quicker I definitely notice an improvement with muscle twitches, spasms by taking 1000mcg calcium and vitamin K2 and 800mcg magnesium, I also use a magnesium oil spray too as it is better absorbed through the skin for me. I take the calcium about an hour or two before bed and I take the magnesium through out the day (as it is an energy mineral and it could make you restless of a night). I am thinking the low iron might be the last bit of the jigsaw puzzle and am waiting to go for a full iron panel test. Then I can use Solgar gentle iron as the NHS stuff does my tummy in.
I am possible undiganosed celiac (spelling) I have off the scale IgA's, so I am not absorbing my micro nutrients at all!!! so I am better with transdermal at the moment. The consultant slapped my fingernails at the hospital appointment and said to me "look you are not absorbing your micro nutrients" I have paper thin see through nails, that are wavy on the edges and horizontal ridges :0( and I eat a very clean organic diet :0(
indeed the anxiety is horrible
I got my calcium and magnesium tested, they were both fine but magnesium was on the low border of the normal range, I wonder if it is causing the twitches and insomnia
Gosh you are right missymistique that is probably what is causing the twitches. I am assuming that they just did normal calcium and magnesium blood tests not the red cell type...the body keeps the blood normal by robbing it from elsewhere. So to show a low border magnesium would normally mean you are desperately low at cell level, and that is so not good. I would, if me, up magnesium to 800mcgs a day and get your self some better you magnesium oil spray - 20 sprays a day on your skin and rubbed in. I normally do legs, shoulders, back of neck. You can get magnesium injections but only a very understanding NHS doctor would probably do them...
wow that is such good info, thank you! my gp says magnesium is ok if it is on the border. I have to find out if it is ok to use this much magnesium during breastfeeding, I just started using 300mg a day
I agree, I was exactly like this until I had my loading doses and after a few weeks it just went away! In fact the palpitations were the first thing to go, within a week they were gone 
Awww! that is good news Alesia :0) xX
My understanding is that magnesium doesn't interfere with sleep since it helps the muscles relax and is often used to relieve insomnia. Per my doctor's advice, I take my calcium twice a day since the body can only absorb 500-600 mg at a time.
You are right dearest and I am right, it is one of the paradoxes. Magnesium does relax muscles but it is also an energy making mineral. Some people (me included) cannot not take it right before bed as it keeps me awake. Some people who have very tense cannot switch of muscles before bed improve with magnesium before bed. Calcium is the true relaxer before bed and improves insomnia. I have to take it 2 hours before as I take levothyroxine before bed, calcium reduces my muscle twitches and jumps quite a bit. I do take my calcium 600mgs twice a day too Trish... Xx
Interesting. I had not heard that before. Thanks for the info. Glad I chimed in. Obviously I'm of the tense muscle variety. Maybe I'll start taking my second calcium pill even closer to bedtime and see if that helps.
Awww!! I reckon calcium before bed will help a lot Trish....take it about an hour before bed, I also make sure I take K2 with calcium, it's the transporter for calcium so it does not end up in our arteries :0/ Let me know how you get on :0)
Yes your result is very low, I hope your GP is planning to start treatment soon.
I had all those symptoms before I began treatment, the muscle twitches were particularly bad.
did you have widespread twitches?
I did, in my left arm, my eyelids, my legs & my face, I found drinking lots of coconut water stopped this due to high potassium content, low potassium can also cause twitching x
well my magnesium and potassium levels look okish but I read above normal tests dont show them
Yes I did, first of all it was eyelids and facial muscles. Gradually it seemed to be all over, legs, arms, hands, shoulders, feet.
So what did you do for the muscle twitches? Are they reducing or increasing over time?
mine completely disappeared after I started using b12 and magnesium tablets. It took about 20 days maybe to see the effect
Do you still have those twitches? What treatment are you taking for reducing your twitches?
Using magnesium oil to massage into leg muscles has helped, or having a bath with Epsom Salts added to the water. These help the body to absorb magnesium. The twitching muscles only seem to bother me now if I am overtired.
I am, however, getting my B12 injections every six weeks now, and that has also helped a lot.
Best wishes
MariLiz
Thank you so much Mariliz for such a suggestion. I shall definitely give this a try. For how long did you have muscle twitching in your process of recovery?
Using magnesium oil to massage into leg muscles has helped, or having a bath with Epsom Salts added to the water. These help the body to absorb magnesium. The twitching muscles only seem to bother me now if I am overtired.
I am, however, getting my B12 injections every six weeks now, and that has also helped a lot.
Best wishes
MariLiz
OK so everyone here seems to know all about vitamins and minerals. I do not. I am having twitching that started in my eye then moved to all over. Question is...my b12 was 250. I know that this is technically in normal range. BUT could it still cause symptoms? Should I get this number up??? My doc thought nothing of this number at all
Hi everyone I’ve have been having these symptoms also. For 6 plus months I’ve been have heart palpitations, night sweats and anxiety especially at night waking me up. My doctor thought it was anxiety and gave to relaxation techniques then ordered echo and labs which came back normal.
Then 3 months ago I started having eye and facial twitching that migrated to my calves then to the rest of body within a week which prompted more labs which found out my B12 was at 97.
I was immediately started on a series in 12 shots which seemed to help a lot and the twitching became very little but as I was weaned to a not so intense replacement therapy the symptoms seems to come back.
Currently I’m having injections once a week and my levels are normal but recently in the last 2 weeks my twitching has become very bad again and the facial twitch has returned which had been gone for almost 3 months since the first round of 12 injections.
I’ve had an echo, brain and cervical CT, and brain MRI all normal with the only explanation being B12
I was wondering if maybe this could be a sign of my nervous healing? Or am I dead wrong. Did anyone else ever experience this? Looking forward to your replies thank you
Hello! Did you find out anything else on your condition? I am desperately searching for answers. I started having a minor Twitches in my eyes here in there. Then three weeks ago I started having Twitches in my thumb which is now all over my body even when I'm resting. I had a blood test done in November which said that my MCH count was high which led to possibilities of low B12 and I'm a vegetarian. I go to the doctor on Thursday but I'm still very scared on why my body keeps all of a sudden twitching all over.
I’m sorry to hear about that rosered. I still haven’t had any definite answers. It’s now been 5 months and multiple CTs, MRIs, EMGs and too many labs draws to count and the only thing found has been low B12 and folate. I was told to go to 1 injection a week but when my twitching became very bad again I went back to 3 injections weekly which helps a lot but it’s still fairly constant. I also notice my twitching is worse when I’m anxious or vice versa I get an anxious feeling when I haven’t had my injection in a couple days.
I have a feeling I will have to go through all of that 😓 I hope you get some relief from it all very soon.
I also have muscle twitching all over my body. My b12 was less than 111. It’s been 4 and a half months now. They have improved after b12 injections but they are still here. All over my body. Worse when I am under a lot of stress,when I walk a lot or do exercise.
I’ve been getting that as well! What dosage are you trying? I’ve been once weekly for the past 10 weeks, but I’m thinking to bump it up to twice a week.
Yes, insomnia and muscles twitching are the major symptoms of vitamin b12 deficiency. Have you been offered any treatment by a doctor or not?
Identify how much levels of vitamin b12 are present in your body then take the right pills or oral injections. You will find hundreds of medicines, injections and supplements are available in the market, but to cure this important vitamin of your body you need to start dosage of right kind of supplement. I was also suffering from low levels of b12 in my body and daily when I wake up I feel tiredness and weakness in my legs. I recommend you to take Super MIC B12 shots it is b12 Lipo injections which contain all natural ingredients and doesn't have any side effect. It might be available on 'Groupon'. Make sure you won't feel other vitamin b12 symptoms like
Weakness, Tiredness
Shortness of breath
Pale Skin
Nerve problems
Constipation, Diarrhea
Vision loss
These b12 MIC oral injections can also cure your other symptoms. To read super mic b12 reviews visit a website buymicb12.com
Get back soon!
Hi all i’m the original poster. In my case the twitches and other symptoms turned out to be magnesium deficiency due to pregnancy. After I started taking supplements they disappeared
So pleased to come across this thread. I have been feeling stiff as a board especially at bed time and beyond death first thing in the morning. In the last week I've had facial twitches and gone through the panics that googling brings. Met a friend in the week and reminded me I had been low in B12 and folic before. Stopped taking B12 ages ago. I reintroduced it 2 days ago along with the cocktail I was already on of Magnesium, Omega oils and Glucosamine . Huge difference this morning and all day, so much easier to move and woke up this morning having slept most of the night and actualy wanting to stay in bed. For ages I have been getting up very early as too stiff and uncomfortable to stay in bed as muscles too tense.
I will hunt down some folic acid and throw that into the mix. I will also try the calcium before bed time.
Hello,
4 months ago I started having twiches all over my body and face. I Had pins and needles in my palma and feet. I was losing balance while I was standing. Twitches lasted 3-5 sec and after that was just pain. Twitches were constant and scary. I checked my B12,IT was less than 111. I wasnt diagnosed with anemia. Signs were just neurological. I started with b12 injections. Now after 4 months pins and needls almost dissapear but twiches remain specially on my feet and my arm thumbs. Sometimes when I sneeze,my intercostal muscle twitches. My vitamin d and folic acid were also low.
I have muscle twitching, heavy legs and bad fatigue
I've had muscle twitches (fasciculations) for 2.5 years mostly in my calves and assumed it was Lyme disease. I had tested positive for Lyme disease 2 years ago, so I have been doing herbs. But my twitching didn't stop and the last couple of months it had gotten worse which sent me back to researching about things that could additionally be going on. The twitching had migrated up into my back and the breaking point was when I starting getting twitches behind my left eye and my calf twitching was affecting my ability to balance on one leg (proprioception).
I was glad to find this forum two weeks ago and after reading everyone's stories and advice I started taking sublingual B12 lozenges (Seeking Health Hydroxo B12 2000mcg) and B12 drops under my tongue (Go Nutrients B12 60ml) to dose 1000-2000mcg three times a day. The difference has been fantastic. My twitching doesn't wake me up at night anymore and I don't find myself feeling 'buzzy and twitchy' in the mornings upon waking.
In addition to the B12 supplements, I've been having 2-4oz of organic beef liver every couple of days since it is the best source of natural B12. I hope my improvement continues through the next few months, but I'm reassured by all your postings that it isn't a quick fix and there might be some downs as well as ups.
Thanks for all the story sharing and advice!
Hello can i ask you question about muscle twitching please am freaking out
Hiya, I have the same symptoms, muscle cramps in both legs, muscle rippling which is so annoying as ur waiting for one of the muscles to cramp up, nausea diaorreah, weight loss, I was diagnosed the other day with B12 and folate deficiency and as also having too many white blood cells,
I have to have 2 more blood tests to see if things are getting back to normal, if not I will be referred to a blood specialist as the doctor has said we can’t rule out Leukemia until all the tests are done, it’s a very worrying time at the moment, but until I get to the bottom of this I’m not going to panic too much just take each day as it comes
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