Injection didn't work???

[Clare184]

Probably a daft question but does anyone know if you can have an injection that doesn't work? Normally symptoms creep back for me a week or so before my jab is due and a short while after the jab I feel noticeably better. Had my latest jab on Tuesday and I've felt so tired and drained all week and over the weekend started to notice shooting pains in my hands and feet. Been having injections for almost 2 years now and never had this before!

[pvanderaa]

Do you supplement with folic acid and a daily multivitamin that B12 needs to do its job?

[Sazntef in reply to pvanderaa]

This could explain so much as the doctor never mentioned this to me before and I still constantly exhausted. Thanks for the info xx

[Clare184 in reply to pvanderaa]

I take folic acid daily just a regular dose over the counter one. I have also got a b complex from Holland and Barrett which has way over the recommended daily dose of all.the b vits but stopped taking that when I started regular injections. Think I'll restart it and see if I feel any better

[fbirder in reply to Clare184]

If you must take a multivitamin (and there’s no need for most people) don’t get one that has stupidly high amounts. Too much B6 can cause problems with neuropathy.

NHS recommends 400 mcg of folic acid per day. I’d just get that from the supermarket.

[Clare184 in reply to fbirder]

Thanks f birder I think I stopped taking the one I had and switched to folic acid from wilkos after reading another post of yours which said about too much b6 being bad. Just don't understand why I feel so rubbish this month when the jab normally makes such a difference

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Could this heat have something to do with it ? I have certainly been more tingly that usual when out and about lately, and have assumed that the heat has affected my hands and legs.

Have also just been reading post about storage temperature for B12 ampules being 25 degrees or less- so perhaps it's that (?)

I have occasionally had the feeling that my latest self-administered injection has not done it's job, and never sure if it's me: ineptitude, or me: extra-deficient briefly. The next injection seems to right me, though.

Would try and get your other levels: folate, ferritin checked first as they can cause problems if you have too much. Unlike B12.

My folate and ferritin levels do not stay up and hover at low end of range unless I supplement despite eating well. I have osteoporosis of spine and thyroid is okay, but beginning to struggle. Can be links between thyroid condition (Hashimoto's) and B12 deficiency, so might be worth a check, too- needs full thyroid panel check not just TSH and T4, which is usual NHS testing. Low B12, folate and ferritin has detrimental effect on thyroid over time I've been told.

[Clare184 in reply to Cherylclaire]

Thanks Cherylclaire I might see if I bounce back after the next one and if not ask for more bloods. Started sneezing lots this afternoon so may be a combination of heat, pollen or a cold coming on, think I just panic a bit now if the tiredness hits the thought of going backwards is so scary.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to Clare184]

Yes- and I believe that it is this desperation not to regress that some consultants mistakenly confuse with addiction. It is also almost impossible to get a sceptical GP to understand in those 10 precious minutes quite how scarey and far-reaching this is, particularly at it's worst... which for me came after treatment had started, when trying to cope with 1 injection every 3 months.

Keep a very close eye on what is happening for you. I found that I quickly went into tailspin on 1 every 3 months, that it took longer if I had more, but I could tell when the frequency was wrong because it was an accumulative degeneration- the more frequent the injections, the slower and more subtle the deterioration. When generously given 2 injections a week, it took 6 months to start losing ground in any obvious way. This is why I ended up having to self-inject every other day: it stops me from going backwards. Even now, if I have a "blip", I feel a slight worry, so I do sympathise with you.

Some people just seem to need more than others, and hopefully the new research (see Pernicious Anaemia Society newsletter) will soon be in a position to make that very clear to all the consultants out there who are erroneously advising undertreatment of vitamin-deficient patients -often with serious consequences to their lives, the lives of their families, partners and friends and to their prospects of being able to support themselves by rendering them unemployable. We already know this to be true because we are living it.

Perhaps this sounds harsh to you. There ARE a lot of good people out there in the NHS, but some of them are getting some very bad advice.

Crossing my fingers for a "bounce-back" for you, and that this was just a blip. Good luck.