Oral v injection b12

[sbadd]

Can someone tell me if 1000mcg injection is same as 1000mcg tablet form??

[wedgewood]

Certainly not if you have any sort of absorbtion problem, such as Pernicious Anaemia. . P.A.patients will not benefit from the tablet form , due to lack of Intrinsic Factor and low stomach acid .Also , even if you don’t have PA , it will not be certain how much of the tablet form you can absorb , It will depend on the efficiency of your absorbtion process I.e. how much stomach acid you have . As we age ,the amount of stomach acid we produce declines., so absorbtion of minerals and vitamins becomes less efficient . PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors ) have a lot to answer for , as they totally deplete stomach acid .

Vitamin B12 is the most difficult vitamin to absorb .

An injection of vitamin B12 by-passes the stomach , so is 100% efficient .

[sbadd in reply to wedgewood]

Ok thankyou im just trying to work out whether i need more b12, i dont have PA but would rather slowly increase my levels as injections gave me bad side effects i had the initial 6 loading but are still experiencing some of the side effects? I have underactive thyroid aswell and a recent ana test was positive so my doct now doing further testing looking into muscle related diseases, but my heavy legs and arms came after injections, and still remain, so unsure whether to take more or just wait for results?

[fbirder in reply to sbadd]

If you do have PA then it is quite possible that none of an oral dose will be absorbed. That's why people with PA, and other absorption problems, have to have injections. You say that you don't have PA. But it's not possible to tell that you don't. You may have had a negative result for the IF antibody test - but so do half of all people with PA.

It's not uncommon for symptoms to get worse before they get better when treatment starts.

[sbadd in reply to fbirder]

Thanks ive just taken half of a 1000mcg tablet this morning and already feel little better could be coincidence but hey ill try again tomorrow

[wedgewood in reply to sbadd]

How do you know that you don’t have P.A.? If you had the Intrinsic Factor Antibody test , and came up negative , it does not mean you don’t have PA . It is a notoriously unreliable test .Your doctor should know this . Symptoms are everything when it comes to diagnosing P.A.

You already have an autoimmune condition( underactive thyroid ) and autoimmune conditions seldom come alone . Very many people on this forum have both conditions.

The side effects of having B12 injections after having been deficient for some time ,are often that one feels worse before one starts to improve , as the nerves affected by the deficiency start to ”wake up “

Look . I’m just putting in my “ penneth” . Having been on this forum for over 3 years , I have gleaned a lot from patients with B12 deficiency . And I feel that your deficiency must have been quite severe as you got 6 loading doses . Many people do feel worse before they start to recover.And we are all different . The deficiency can cause problems with innumerable nerves. Do what ever your doctor suggests , but bear in mind that the medical profession in general is very ignorant about PA . I know that because I have been on the receiving end of that ignorance . I had to take matters into my own hands ,and treat myself . All is well now . Best wishes .

[sbadd in reply to wedgewood]

Thankyou my 14 year old daughter has been diagnosed PA, reason i joined site only to find out months later i to was low on b12, when i look back my tiredness had been going for awhile but i just put down to being a mum and working , so grateful to my daughters doct who tested both of us for b12 as to be honest i dont think in my 43 years ive ever been tested for b12, doct need to be more aware, thankyou again all this feedback helps

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Injections by-pass absorption in the stomach.

high dose oral can work for some people with absorption problems as small amounts (averaging 1%) are absorbed outside the ileum. The mechanism that absorbs most B12 from diet does seem to have a maximum capacity to absorb B12 - limited to something of the order of 5-10mcg per meal, so even for someone who doesn't have an absorption problem most of a very high dose tablet is just going to pass straight through the body.

Tablets are likely to be quite slow in raising serum B12 levels in someone who was severely deficient so - hence use of injections in these cases. However, for some people, tablets can be useful in maintaining B12 levels after the injections.

[sbadd in reply to Gambit62]

Yeah just thinking back i started tablets before injections due to Christmas break and being away and i do recall side effects after on few days of tablets so i was obviously absorbing them, maybe a spray might help, thankyou for your advice this site is great for all of us, just wish doctors were more informed!