Are frequently blue lips a B12 def symptom?

[tiredBFmum]

My lips have often gone blue when cold but they have recently gone blue when warm and after exercise or when sat in the office but not cold.

GP is arranging a 24hr ECG to see if anything is happening heart wise. my blood pressure and random ECG were fine.

Anyone experienced this please?

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi tiredBFmum. Blue lips with the symptomatic pattern you describe is not usually associated with vitamin B deficiency. (Anaemia can sometimes cause blue lips but this is usually ever-present but then abates once the cause of the anaemia has been addressed).

Here's more about blue lips:

your.md/condition/cyanosis/...

Your GP is right to want to investigate this further, especially as you have been having symtpoms for sometime and your doctors does not think you have B12 deficiency.

Good luck 👍

[Kettybetty]

Hello tiredFBmum. I had blue lips when cold but also when I exerted myself. I was also very breathless when walking. It turned out to be an iron deficiency. Since taking iron supplements, not only have the blue lips symptoms disappeared but also my B12 symptoms too. I obviously needed more iron to enable the B12 injections to work for me. My ECG and blood pressure were good too. I have had iron blood tests done over the years because my old (now retired) GP was convinced I was anaemic but the results always were OK. But I think his hunch was right and I can't tell you after 6 weeks of iron supplements how good I feel now. I'm back to walking the dogs for an hour in a morning without having to stop every 10 yards to get my breath back!

[tiredBFmum in reply to Kettybetty]

Kettybetty thanks that's interesting. My ferritin is weirdly higher than its ever been at over 100 so I daren't take iron supplements. It used to be 13 but since stopping gluten its increased without supplements. I'm wondering if I have low blood pressure but ECG is tomorrow so hopefully will know more soon.