OTHER SUPPLEMENTS WITH VITAMIN B?

[kjl3]

I am currently on weekly b12 injections (pushing for 2x weekly) but I am curious as to what other supplements I should be taking while receiving these injections. My doctor said that my folate levels were “fine” after 2 weeks of injections and that my b12 was raised (waiting to pick up my results so I can have exact numbers). Although, obviously b12 would be raised with injections. I’m not feeling any better, still super foggy and ‘out of it’. I am taking the attached additional supplements... they are just gummies because sometimes my stomach is sensitive to the pill vitamins. It is a b12, multivitamin and super b complex. I want to try to sublingual b12. Are these okay? Suggestions?

[Hidden]

You should get a multivitamin that has all 25 vitamins and minerals. Ensure has all 25. Just count them to be sure. Don't leave anything out. Even the trace minerals like Selenium can cause heart problems when you don't take it. Sublingual B12 is fine but if you are already taking the shot, there is no need.

[Edited by Admin]

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to Hidden]

A word of caution about the selinium...heart problems are not caused by 'not taking' selenium. Only those with a proven deficiency are at potential (but not certain) risk. In addition, selinium should NOT be taken by anyone at risk of or with a history of skin cancer (melanoma).

Please see Gambit62's reply below...not everyone needs to take supplements...and certainly not something of everything for the majority of people.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

the best way of getting nutrients is from your food. The human body has spent millennia adapting to absorb nutrients from foods and in some cases this includes some mechanisms to stop you overabsorbing ... supplements have been around for a much shorter time and can by-pass these mechanisms leading to overdoses.

If you have a B12 absorption problem that can affect absorption of other minerals and vitamins, particularly iron and folate.

If you had macrocytic anaemia when you were diagnosed then you may temporarily have a higher need for some other vitamins and minerals that are used in making new blood cells.

Basically if you aren't deficient there isn't really any need to supplement.

If you do want to supplement then a multivitamin (avoiding high dose supplements) is unlikely to do any harm.

Please speak to GP or your pharmacist.

Many vitamin companies push supplements quoting studies that say particular vitamins are needed for x y and z - and claiming that their supplements will help with x y and z but they are usually very selective in the studies they chose to disclose.

[kjl3 in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks, was not found to have any type of absorption problem or anaemia. I was just researching and saw that I wanted to make sure I was taking some of folic acid/folate with the b12 injections and figured i could get it from

a multivitamin.

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

Although getting vitamins and minerals from ones diet is the best source this is not always possible. Many people on this site come from the thyroid website or have thyroid problems and IODINE is essential for a healthy thyroid and it is very difficult to see how anyone can get enough of this vitamin from diet alone. Egg yolks, for example, contain around 8% of ones daily requirement but this depends on what food source is fed to the chickens - this is also true of other sources of iodine like milk. Most Europeans are deficient in iodine so supplementation is necessary for a healthy thyroid and especially so if one is a vegetarian like myself .

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Alfabeta]

Alfabeta whilst enough iodine in your diet is essential for healthy thyroid function too much can cause problems. Iodine supplementation is only necessary if you have a dietary deficiency.

Higher rates of hashimotos (an autoimmune thyroid problem) are associated with high iodine intake and studies have also shown that adding iodine to salt in areas that have low iodine intake has resulted in much higher levels of hashimotos (eg Tanzania).

To add to the problem it is very difficult to regulate the amount of iodine in supplements - particularly sea kelp and so is quite easy to take too much without actually being aware that you are doing this.

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

I am aware of the dangers of excess iodine but looking at the food sources for iodine and the percentage within, it is very hard to see how one can enough from ones diet.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Alfabeta]

Alfabeta,

Yes,it is going to be quite difficult to know how much iodine is in anything - problem is that the amount of iodine in anything generally depends on how much iodine there is in the soil - tends not to be much in inland areas - though should be more in coastal areas. That means that you could read the iodine content of a food in one area and it would be totally different from that from another region.

Dairy tends to be a good source because the feed used for cattle tends to be fortified with iodine.

Do you know that you are iodine deficient?

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

I haven’t been tested for iodine deficiency but I read Dr Fosters article yesterday in the Times and he advised iodine supplementation for vegans and I am a vegetarian leaning towards vegan in my diet. I was fully vegan until I became b12 deficient and now eat cheese but I do not have milk only soya which doesn’t appear to be enriched with iodine.

I have just been reading about iodine on the BDA site and they state, as you have done, that iodine from kelp and seaweed based supplements should not be used as the concentration varies.

The iodine I bought and used today is kelp based so I guess I’d better assign them to the bin.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Alfabeta]

unfortunately the genetics of how people respond to iodine isn't understood - latent genes and no clear ideas which ones are involved or which ones are triggered by high iodine. You may not have the genes so it may not be a problem for you ... If possible I'd suggest speaking to GP about being tested if you are concerned.

If you have PA there is a 40% chance that you will develop hashimotos anyway

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you for your advice. I threw the kelp based iodine away. Interestingly, it stated that the tablets were for weight management!

[HashiKai in reply to Alfabeta]

Would reducing iodine help a Hashi patient?

[Foggyme Administrator]

Kjl3. If I understand rightly, you’re taking both supplement above (yellow and orange label)? If so, then you’re double dosing on vitamin B6 (200% RDA)...too much vitamin B6....or taking B6 if you don't need it...which can cause neuro-toxicity, neurological symptoms and, potentially, neurological damage.

You're also taking 1100mcg of Biotin (330% of the RDA - adequate intake for adult females is 30mcg dailyso, way above the RDA...and not needed unless you have a proven deficiency.

Also taking double the 400mcg recommended maintenance dose of folic acid...and some people don't need folic acid so if you’re one of those (and it sounds as if,your levels are okay), over time this could results in oversupplementing...which can cause problems.

The thing about supplements is that over-supplementing with some things can be damaging and dangerous (I.e. B6) so best to check that you’re not inadvertently over-supplementing.

And it's not always easy because supplements are an individual thing...there are not hard and fast rules about what you 'should' take...and not everybody needs them...so...

If you do want to take a multivitamin and mineral tablet suggest you find one that contains no more than 100% RDA for each item it contains.

Some people take sublinguals in addition to their injections....especially if they can’t get frequent enough Injections from their doctors. They work for some, but not for others. The only way to know if these will work for you is to try they...they'll do you nor harm. However, the ones shown in the top image seem to contain a lot of ’other substances'...'fillers', in other words...including nuts from coconut or palm oil (who knows 🤔)...which would be a problem if you have an allergy. Think I'd look for another brand that doesn't contain any fillers 😉.

If your symtpoms return before your next injection is due, abate once you havethat jab, then return again before the next one, this is a sure indicator that you need more frequent injections. If this pattern happens with you, certainly worth asking your doctor to increase the frequency of your injections...

It does take some time for symptoms to abate and the body to start to repair following B12 deficiency, so take heart...it does happen...even if not as quickly as we all would like 😉.

Good luck

[kjl3 in reply to Foggyme]

Thank you! I am taking all 3 things pictured above in conjunction with the b12 injections (once a week). One is a multivitamin, one is a super b complex and one is an oral b12. So pretty much I should stop taking the b complex and just do my injections and a multivitamin? I definitely think i need more frequent injections but my GP is all “your levels are rising so you don’t need them”... but i’m not feeling better so i will try to sublingual drops and see if it helps between injections until i can try to talk them in to more frequent injections.