Hi- I am a 26 year old female and I recently found out that I have low b12. My labs showed 210 pg/mL and normal range was 232-1245 pg/mL. I did not begin experiencing symptoms of what I hope is only b12 deficiency until I was given Prednisone/antibiotics for a sinus issue (had a horrible horrible horrible reaction to the prednisone). Does anyone know if steroids can deplete your vitamin levels quickly? Anyways, my main symptoms are low mood and just feeling foggy and sometimes trouble remembering things/being confused. I started injections of b12 prescribed by neurologist, it is Cyanacobalamin injections 1000 mcg. He instructed me to do this once a week for 4 weeks and then once a month after that. I have had 2 injections so far and also take supplements OTC daily but I am seeing little relief.. still foggy, feeling down/anxious, trouble remembering some things...However, I had a follow up and my b12 levels have raised to 600 from the 2 injections. I have also been tested for intrinsic factor and ANA, all which were normal. How long will my symptoms take to improve even though my level is raising?
B12 INJECTIONS: Hi- I am a 26 year old... - Pernicious Anaemi...
B12 INJECTIONS
You may feel like you are on a roller coaster ride after each injection. I take my 1000 mcg cyano injections weekly to maintain and supplement daily with methyl sublinguals to help with brain fog.
The sublinguals work fast but don’t last long.
It really all depends on your level of activity and stress. Stress and worry consume lots of B12 so you run out sooner if you have any sort of recycling issue in your hepatic loop where B12 is stored in mammals.
How long after starting the injections did your fogginess and mood (if you had issues with it) improve? Do the sublinguals seem to help with the fog? I’m currently only using b12 gummy vitamins as the pill vitamins usually hurt my stomach. I definitely stress a lot, most of it specifically related to not feeling myself 
At first, after 3 monthly hydroxo injections started, it was like a roller coaster ride. Almost like the B12 was too strong. My mind would get foggy and a severe headache with quite a feeling of aggression or anger. These could last 2-3 days but would taper off and I’d be fine for a month. At about two months, the tiredness, balance issues and fog would start to return.
At the time, I wasn’t aware of the need to supplement with folic acid. I was also still eating gluten but not dairy any more.
The PAS members and logbook helped me sort out the dietary issues.
Eventually I was able to convince my GP that I needed monthly injections.
Hi kjl3 I'm guessing you are not in the U.K.
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.
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.
I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (one of many causes of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.
I wish you well.
I am not in the U.K. Thanks for the information ! My GP checked my folic acid/folate levels and they showed to be normal. Do you think I should be taking a folic acid and iron supplement also or do you think a multivitamin will work?
It depends whether your Folate was tested before or after you started injecting the B12.
1 – Folic Acid 400μg
tablet per day or increasing your leafy green vegetables/fruit intake at meal times may be sufficient plus many cereals are now fortified.
My levels were tested after starting injections. I will try to supplement through food first and have my GP test my levels at a follow up. I was just doing some research and many people said to make sure folate/folic acid is taking with my injections because they go hand in hand. I will try with food first 
Please note: injections dump a load of B12 into your blood so after an injection your levels will be off the measurable scale. So, what has happened is that your levels had dropped from astronomic to 600 in the time between the B12 shot and the blood being taken for the test.
Many people need levels that are off the top of the measurable range after loading shots so it may be that you actually need B12 shots more frequently than you are getting.
suggest that you keep a diary of symptoms
some people do need much higher levels of B12 after loading shots but many others don't so you may be okay but if your levels fell to 600 within a week then chances are that you would be deficient again by the end of a month so probably worth talking to doctor about continuing with weekly, or moving to 2 weekly rather than going directly to monthly.
It can take a long time before some people really start to notice the benefit. Anaemia takes a couple of months at least to clear. I didn't really notice anything until over 6 months after starting treatment.
Hi there are different types of b12 so the one you are on may not be as good as others? My experience was : I first started on 1 a week for 6 weeks then once a month. If people around me are I'll then I will have an extra injection. Hope this helps?
Thanks, I am doing IM injections once a week for 4 weeks then once a month after that. How soon after starting your injections did you start feeling better?
Hi I would say injection 5. I started to sleep through the night and not cat nap during the day. On injection 6 my tummy was much better no diarrhea and I could stat to tolerate milk in my tea, cheese and cream - in small portions. I had recently been diagnosed lactose intolerant but now I can manage in small portions. Providing I have at least one injection a month.
Great, thank you! I hope the same holds true for me.. I have had 3 injections so far..I definitely see the fatigue improving but still feel slightly foggy and have trouble remembering stuff sometimes. Did you have these symptoms ?
Yes I think as I had no sleep pattern I had brain fog. The b12 sorts out your sleep pattern.
My sleeping seems to be okay, just feeling so out of it throughout the day. Ready to be back to myself. I’m going to look into maybe taking folic acid and iron.
I have IM injections straight into the muscle - there are other types of injections.
vitaminb12online.com. I use this website - got the link from this forum. I was border line vitb12 deficiency and iorn so doctors not interested in treating me. Initially I got injections privately but at 29 pounds each time I was running out of funds so I used the above link and it actually turns out cheaper than prescription when you buy in bulk. I buy the whole kit. Just had to get over the part of injecting myself in the thigh!
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