Hi there! Have any on here upon receiving the b12 IM shots also been told to take a B complex supplement along with the shot?

[Toots15]

B vitamins working together

[fbirder]

No.

If you are eating a sensible diet (plenty of veg and fruit, lots of nuts, grains, seeds and pulses; meat and/or fish (especially oily fish) several times a week; top up to the required number of calories with carbohydrates) then you should be consuming all the vitamins you need.

Supplementing one B vitamin doesn't mean you need to take more of the others. Just like daily topping up of your car's coolant reservoir doesn't significantly affect your car's oil requirements.

Some people may have been told that they should take a multi-B pill. But almost certainly not by a real doctor.

Some people might need to take extra folic acid, especially women of childbearing potential. Your folate levels should have been checked at the same time as your B12. If they were low your doctor will advise you to take folic acid from the supermarket. If they were very low then the doctor might well have prescribed high-dose folic acid for a short while.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Toots15, who told you to take the supplement - if it was your doctor then I would follow their advice. If your B12 deficiency is due to an absorption problem it can affect other vitamins and minerals - most common are folate and iron.

If the advice was from someone who isn't medically qualified then I would take it with a pinch of salt and avoid supplements with huge doses of vitamins and minerals as these can actually cause problems.

[Nackapan]

The only real way to tell is to go by your blood test. Doctors are notortiously ignorant on nutrition . I've been told by one to take various vitamins and by another to take nothing at all despite my ferriton low even on supplements . So if you do need anything get a supermarket one as they are not mega doses

Of you need higher like I didnt for vit D it is then prescribed

That was from blood test.

As I was low on folate I took 400mcg a day as told by gp. Now above the normal range!!

I eat a very good diet . No alcohol since being ill no coffee thar can affect absorbtion

Still I'm trying to get on track. Si hope you find the right balance for you.

[deniseinmilden]

The processes of DNA synthesis, nerve function and energy release that need B12 also use lots of other vitamins and minerals to work properly and if you get short of anything, nothing works properly. B12 and folate (B9) especially work together.

For that reason a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement can be better than just a B-complex as it will have all the B vitamins AND other vitamins and minerals - in a balanced formula - that you may need. You are unlikely to need both and must be careful to not have too much of some B vitamins, particularly B6.

Simple supermarket A-Z multivitamin and mineral supplements and similar folic acid tablets are generally as good as, if not better than, any branded ones.

Folate (B9), potassium, magnesium and iron plus sometimes vitamin D are the most often reported other deficiencies associated with B12 deficiency and treatment so you may need to top up with these too - ideally from your diet but you may need to supplement to feel at your best.

[Toots15]

Thank you for the info. I started the magnesium several months after the B12 and was pleasantly surprised when the leg and foot edema subsided. My Dr. Had me on lasix but after research found that causes excess urination , in turn causing excess release of B vitamins. A tricky balancing act for sure. I take the Folate-B12-B6 combo, but in order to get any daily long lasting effect it's a higher dose. I believe I've found the sweet spot with my current dosage.