B 12

[Kennyatw]

I'm 66 and have peripheral neuropathy in my feet and rheumatoid arthritis. I just had a blood test today and my B12 came back at 1400. I am also taking B12 supplements. Should I stop taking the supplements and talk to my doctor or what? Everything else came out pretty much right

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Kennyatw

If the B12 supplements you are taking are "helping" your "peripheral neuropathy" personally I would continue.

Has your doctor not commented on the B12 test result?

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

[Kennyatw in reply to clivealive]

I don't know if the supplements are working but he wants me to take them, that's before the results were back so I'm not sure if he's seen them yet

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to Kennyatw]

Your B12 levels are high because you are taking the supplements but the test only measures what is swirling around your bloodstream - not what is getting into the cells.

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

Do you feel any improvement in your neurological symptoms? If not you may benefit from a course of B12 injections and that would be something to discuss with your doctor.

Was your Folate level tested?

Fortunately you cannot "overdose" on B12 as any excess is excreted via your urine.

Please remember I am not medically trained.

Best regards

[Kennyatw in reply to clivealive]

Yes my folate level was tested and is normal

[Kennyatw in reply to clivealive]

The supplements are not doing anything for me

[Marz in reply to Kennyatw]

Which supplements are you taking ?

[Kennyatw in reply to Marz]

Too many, b12, d3, folic acid, cq10, fish oil, k, magnesium and a few others

[Marz in reply to Kennyatw]

Sorry I should have said which type of B12 are you taking ?

[Kennyatw in reply to Marz]

B12 pills

[Marz in reply to Kennyatw]

As you said your B12 is not working I was wndering which they were - Cyanocobalamin or Methylcobalamin ? Have you tried the lozenge you keep under your tongue until dissolved ? Jarrow Methylcobalamin Lozenges from Amazon may help. If you have absorption issues then dissolving under the tongue could be better.

Your B12 result is high as you are supplementing. With PN I think you would be better with injections.

[Kennyatw in reply to Marz]

I didn't say my b12 pills weren't working, I said the other supplements weren't working and they were a waste of money

[Marz in reply to Kennyatw]

Oh - misunderstood !

[oryoki]

Might be worth a read. “More and more researches showed that MeCbl has beneficial effects on clinical and experimental peripheral neuropathy.”. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Kennyatw]

I'm gonna be 72 next Thursday