Elevated B12?

[SB13]

Hi, can anyone please help me?

I am 21 and recently found out that I have high B12 (approx. 2000) after taking a full blood count at the start of the year. However, my GP noticed that everything else was normal including my folate levels which is odd considering most people have problems with B12/folate deficiency and my liver function tests, blood smear etc were all normal. At first I assumed that it may be because I was taking my daily vitamin supplements so I stopped them for a few months and took a few more blood test, each showing consistently elevated B12 results regardless.

This is the first time I took a full blood count so I have no idea whether I had an impaired metabolism and always had elevated B12 or if this just started recently. I'm not on any medications besides my antihistamine and sometimes PPi's for my GERD. Despite this, I feel fine and don't see any big difference in my body that I am aware of. What kind of symptoms would I be expected to see anyways with this condition? Can anyone please give me any advice on what I should do?

[fbirder]

We’re your supplements 100% of RDA, or something higher? If the latter then that could explain the high levels.

For normal healthy people the body is pretty good at keeping hold of B12 by recycling it through enterohepatic circulation. So it can take a long time for levels to drop.

High level of B12 can be caused by liver or kidney problems. I assume your doc has checked those.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

recommendation is to leave it 6 months before testing levels if you have been supplementing with high dose B12 so a few weeks isn't sufficient.

If you aren't symptomatic then I wouldn't worry about it - B12 isn't toxic.

In some people elevated levels of B12 can trigger a reaction that makes the process that allows B12 to get from your blood to your cells much less efficent, leading to a functional deficiency - high serum B12 with the symptoms of B12 deficiency. It seems that this reaction is quite common but it isn't the way the majority of people react. It sounds as if you are in the majority who don't react in this way.