B12 shots made my condition worst. Is that normal?

[mk801]

I am a 30 year male. I have been sufferings from dizziness, fatigue and blurred vision for 3 years. Recently my doctor tested me for b12.

B12-LC 176pg/ml(232pg/ml - 1245pg/ml)

Folic acid 15.2(std rng>3.0)

I was administered 5 B12 injections last week.

Before the injections, I was able to do my work somehow. It was difficult but I could do my work. Now I feel totally out of energy. I feel very weak and dizzy.I am sleeping most of the time. Is it supposed to happen after b12 injections? My neurologist suggested that 5 doses might have been too much for my body to process.Does anyone else felt these issues after B12?

[clivealive Forum Support]

HI mk801

It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 you are having starts repairing the damage done to your nervous system and your brain starts getting multiple messages from part of the body it had "forgotten about" or lost contact with.

I sometimes liken it to a badly tuned radio on which you have turned the volume up high trying to catch the programme you want when all of a sudden the signal comes in loud and clear and the blast nearly deafens you.

A lot will depend on the severity and longevity of your B12 deficiency as to how long before there is no further improvement or recovery.

Some symptoms will "disappear" quite quickly whereas others may take months or even years. There is no set timescale as we are all different.

Fortunately you cannot "overdose" on B12 as any excess is excreted via your urine and according to the U.K. N.I.C.E. guidelines if you are still suffering from neurological symptoms the injections should continue on alternate days "until there is no further improvement".

Click on the link, then on "Scenario: Management" and scroll down to "Treatment for B12 deficiency"

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

Initially, replacing B12 will lead to a huge increase in the production of blood cells and platelets (which occurs in the bone marrow) and can lead to rapid depletion of folate and iron stores; this can then limit the expected recovery of Haemoglobin.

Both iron and folate may be needed so please have these levels checked by your doctor.

Is your doctor trying to establish what caused your B12 deficiency?

Is he arranging for any more tests for Intrinsic Factor Antibodies?

Anyone at any age, can become B12 deficient. However, certain people are at an elevated risk. They include the following:

Vegetarians, vegans and people eating macrobiotic diets.

People aged sixty and over

People who’ve undergone any gastric and/or intestinal surgery, including bariatric surgery for weight loss purposes (Gastric bypass).

People who regularly use proton-pump- inhibitors. H2 blockers, antacids, Metformin, and related diabetes drugs, or other medications, or infections such as h-pylori that can interfere with B12 absorption.

People who undergo surgeries or dental procedures involving nitrous oxide, or who use the drug recreationally.

People with a history of eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia).

People with a history of alcoholism.

People with a family history of pernicious anaemia.

People diagnosed with anaemia (including iron deficiency anaemia, sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia).

People with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), Pancreatic insufficiency, or any other disease that cause malabsorption of nutrients.

People with autoimmune disorders (especially thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease) Type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, lupus, Addison’s disease, ulcerative colitis, infertility, acquired agammaglobulinemia, or a family history of these disorders.

Can you see yourself in any of the above people?

I know it's a lot to read through and take on board but you do need to find out the cause otherwise when the treatment stops you risk going back into deficiency.

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.

[natcap1]

Hi, if it helps my experience of B12 loading doses hasn’t just been feeling ‘boosted’ like my gastro consultant and some others say. There is a good deal of posts on here that demonstrate how some people can feel a bit worse or no improvement initially. Also some reports of it taking 4 -6 months to feel back to normal or somewhere near. I think it’s very difficult to tell whether you need more B12 when you feel worse initially too.

I felt better after 6 loading doses but had another 3 as I seemed to have some neurological symptoms. I haven’t felt better after the last 3. But I have had a good deal of other stresses (e.g. moving house), so I think this doesn’t help.

My strategy is to take some time off work where possible and rest. I think we tend to underestimate the healing process required after deficiency, and the body needs time. I hope in a few months and another injection I might get near to normal again. I hope this happens for you as well. Hang in there!

[jarlethblue]

to me it sounds like you need for potassium has increased as your body starts uptaking the B12 ...this happened to me and it was horrific....I ended up in the emergency department with heart palpitations, dizziness, weakness, anxiety and whole body weakness. Keep your potassium levels up by drinking coconut water, eating bananas, raisins, prunes, oranges/orange juice, advocadas, sweet potatoes, potatoes.....you can also buy 99mg tables in holland and barrett and other health food shops. Your body needs 4.700gms of potassium a day but my needs greatly exceeded that. I have ordered coconut water powder online as it high on potassium to see how it tastes as the coconut water was costing me a fortune as I was drinking 3 litres a day! And some experts advise that you can take Niacin B3.....50mgs or 100mgs every hour until symptoms subside. (the non flush kind) . The very best of love and luck.J