B12 help

[andip]

Hi all hoping someone can help.

I wont bore you with my history/story and symptoms but iv recently been told by my gp my symptoms may indicate low b12.

My results came back as low in b12 and iron.obviously i now take iron supplements but my gp has said he wont treat me until a retest in 2 months.

Im quite new to all this as never thought this could be the cause but having done some research im thinking i should be treated.

My b12 is 185

Symptoms

Nerve pain/burning feet(insomnia caused by this)

I have been diagnosed with depression due to memory/cognitive issues. Also chronic fatigue syndrome.

I have walked out of my doctors office today in sheer frustration and tears after he yet again gave me amitrytoline/anti depressents and told me to distract myself from the pain and my b12 levels wasnt causing it.

Im thinking of self injecting but dont know where to start. Tia

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi andip it is possible that if you have thyroid problems they may increase the risk of your developing a Vitamin B12 deficiency.

I believe the symptoms of both can be similar.

You don't say how low your B12 level is however The British Society for Haematology guidelines say on the Diagnosis of B12 and Folate Deficiency "In the presence of discordance between the test result and strong clinical features of deficiency, treatment should not be delayed to avoid neurological impairment".

google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j...

This is saying that your doctor should treat your symptoms not just look at the computer screen.

Make a list of your symptoms and present this to your doctor and ask him to treat you according to your symptoms and (perhaps) even start you on loading doses "until there is no further improvement" according to the N.I.C.E guidelines below. Click on the link, then on "Scenario: Management" and scroll down to "Treatment for B12 deficiency"

google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j...

If possible take someone with you who can validate your neurological symptoms as the doctor is less likely to pooh pooh you in front of a witness.

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.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.

[andip in reply to clivealive]

Hi thanks for this it is helpful.

I dont have a thyroid problem i put my b12 results in my original post it was 185 . Iv been suffering from these symptoms for a while and it all pointed to thyroid but "apparently my thyroid is ok " my gp was on the defensive as soon as i walked in. I wouldnt mind but i never considered my symptoms were b12 related until my gp mentioned it 6 weeks ago and only when i received my results i started to research it and it all looked too familiar.

I have lots of results but dont feel knowledgeable enough about this to interpret them well. Whenever they have tested for thyroid it has just been tsh and not tested my t3 t4. Can i upload on here maybe someone else can look at my results and shed a little more light on them ?

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to andip]

I suggest you post your test results together with the ranges <From --To> and measures (e.g. ng/L etc) in a new post as that will attract the more knowledgeable on here to respond.

[Marz in reply to andip]

What does OK mean in relation to your Thyroid ? Do you have a copy of your result with ranges ? If only the TSH was tested then that is NOT good enough and is ONLY part of the story. You also need the FT4 and FT3 tested along with Thyroid anti-bodies tested to rule out Hashimotos - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg.

Are you able to have private testing done in the home through Thyroid UK - ? 1,000's on Thyroid UK do in order to have the full story and to maintain wellness. See link below - and Medichecks have Special Offers on Thursdays - so worth signing up for their Newsletter ...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Happy to help with your results if you can type them up - or start a new post/thread so more members can see them Post a screen shot maybe ? ...

[andip in reply to Marz]

Hi marz thanks for the reply.

Iv always thought my symptoms were thyroid related/under however they wont test t3/t4. My last results show tsh and some extra notes from the lab ref t4 being "ok" i will upload my latest results for the more knowledgable on a new thread. Would be great to have some advice .thanks x

[Marz in reply to andip]

OK - happy to help 😊

[andip in reply to Marz]

Marz and clivealive thanks for your help i have posted my results now hopefully they make more sense to other 😊