Im really nervous. I have been just diagnosed with b12 deficiency. I have been taking the pills for 5 days now. This being I experienced numbness and tingling on the left side of my face. I never felt it before. Is this normal ؟ is it a side effect of the b12
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Reem
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Reemfali
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No, I just had a baby so I think that’s why I am depleted. I hope it gets better, I was worried once the numbness started I was about to go to the hospital. I decided to stay put and wait it out.
It should do? What were your symptoms prior to starting b12? Also the doct normaly do an instrinsic factor blood test to look for pernicious anemia which stops absorption of b12 in the stomach?
Sorry to hear especially with a new baby and all, but symptoms will usually get worse before better after starting treatment, also posting your b12 results and ranges might help others to interpret for you, were you not offered b12 injections?
Hi my b12 is 124 ... and my ferritin is 9... I used to be on anxiety pills for years. I’m worried this is my bodies way of getting me back on them. I’m so worried i will get psychosis or something. I’m really frightened
Yes i had same problem with iron on the digestion, dont google ms, i did that and totally freaked me out, your body is still adjusting from pregnancy and all your symptoms fit with b12 and iron deficient, hang in there as will take time for your levels to come up, but i did have alot of symptons after b12, my body came alive with tingling, numbness, pins and needles, i had injections but all settled down, just took some time.
There are b12 sprays as well as tablets that dissole under tounge and go directly into blood stream rather than having to be absorbed through stomach. B12 is a major component our body requires so is important to get levels up.
Several people have reported an adverse reaction to methylcobalamin. See if you can find cyanocobalamin tablets. And ask your doctor why you're not on injections for such a severe deficiency.
I hope you got some sleep. And that you're feeling better.
I am not a Dr so I cannot say what is wrong with you.
I can tell you that after a failed pregnancy, I had an increase in symptoms I'd had for many years.
My eyesight was failing, I had numbness and pains all over. I was in a bear constant state of panic. I felt sure that psychosis was coming soon when I found myself pacing the floors through the night like a madwoman.
So, all of the symptoms you've mentioned are things I have experienced. It took around 6 weeks of oral therapy before I felt like I was becoming myself again. Nearly 4 years later I am injecting several times a week and perhaps recovered as much as I will.
Don't give up on the B12. My Dr cautioned me right off that I should go easy and take a day off here and there. Apparently she knew that the recovery can be grueling.
It WILL get better. Much, much better. Keep thinking about how good you will feel and push through. ❤
Thank you for your kind words. I pray to god that it goes away. It feels like it’s just getting worse. I’m not sure what to think if what I was feeling was an allergic reaction or something. Thank you for your support. Means so much xx
When my b12 loading doses started I felt really worse to the point I thought it was the wrong treatment. I made big improvements but it took weeks . Check it's the b12 that is tolerated well. Also why tablets?
I have no idea what my levels were. My B12 was not checked. I had blood work done looking at thyroid and a few other things. I was feeling so awful by then...it took months for the dr to get me to go to the lab to get that bloodwork. Once I did, I never followed up. I thought I was dying. Then I'd think I was losing my mind. Then I'd think that I'm just getting old and being a wimp about things.
Well since I didn't go back to my follow up appt I did get a call that I needed to go in asap as there had been some abnormalities in my blood. That call triggered panic in me, of course. I almost did not go in again because the fear and panic....oh my gosh I don't miss feeling like that!
So, I can imagine that they would have checked B12 levels in a normal person 😂. But I was a basket case and not fully cooperative. They told me about the changes in my blood cells and something about the mcv. I was pretty low functioning by then and I don't remember much but I did ask if I had leukemia. They assured me I didn't and then handed me a bottle of vitamins! I'm sure they explained things to me that day but by then I could not even read a sentence and grasp it; I would have to re-read several times to remember and understand what I was reading.
I left the dr office that day without understanding that everything I was feeling was due to the anemia and lack of B12. But I took my vitamin every day like I was told. After about 6 weeks, I noticed I was feeling kind of alright. That's when I really started reading about B12 and realized what has been happening. I had felt so much better after the first few months that I tried to stop the B12. Not a good idea. Then I went and bought a regular bottle at the store...that wasn't cutting it. So I went back and got the same kind the dr had given me. I went to a follow up.appt and told them that I felt great now and I guess I just needed the vitamin. 😂 I did feel much better but I was still far from where I'm at now. I remember that some tests were mentioned but I wasn't interested.
And the years since I've tried different ways of managing while continuing to improve ❤ I go to a different clinic now where more tests have been suggested. But again, the treatment is the same so what's the point? And the B12 levels are sure to be sky high so that won't tell me anything.
Odd symptoms breakthrough still but usually mild. I only notice them because I really feel quite good a lot of the time. As long as I inject often and don't do much that stresses physically or mentally. If there is a change from my routine, I try to inject ASAP.
Hi guys so I went to the doctor and I told him that I got numbness on the left side of my face. He said just to ignore it. I also asked him about injections. He said the reason he would not prefer that is because I am extremely sensitive and might not tolerate any side effects as it is a much bigger dose than the pill. He also said that I should not stop for any reason because it would be dangerous. He also agreed that I can take a mild sedative through the course just to tolerate the side effects. X
I hope he's right. I'm just saying that because you're severely deficient and as a loading dose your oral dose seems very low to me. So: it's hard to tell whether you are getting an increase in symptoms because the pills are actually doing something, or because they are not doing enough by far and you're getting more deficient.
The thing is, now that you're supplementing, serum B12 tests (even active ones) won't be able to tell you. MMA or homocysteine testing might give insight. But the only surefire way to tell at this point is by monitoring your symptoms.
These have been among the best things people at this forum told me: keep a diary of symptoms, know that in the first weeks after supplementing symptoms might get worse because you are getting a lot of B12 at once, and that then hang on, because they WILL get better.
If they don't, you know that you really need to ask for injections, like your dad said.
Thank you for your response. I am amazed with how caring everyone is on this thread. Tbh I’m not quite sure I know what loading dose is ?
I once went to the hospital for 17 hours for palpitations I had after taking b3. I think that is why he would prefer not to give me the injection because I am generally sensitive to chemicals. Ofcourse I would love to just have an injection and maybe get all the ill feelings at once as appose to maybe or maybe not everything I take the pill. I am feeling some burning on my skin and little tingles every now and then. I really hope it isn’t an allergy hopefully it isn’t. I guess he would just prefer to give me a smaller dose everyday and build up rather than a large one that might upset my system with unwanted side effects. I pray to god we all get better soon x
Hi Reemfali, well, you see, B12 is naturally available in your own body. It's therefore not likely it will interact with medication (to be safe, I checked for you at drugs.com/interactions-chec... - I used diazepam because that's usually the benzodiazapine type doctors start with).
As some people mention on this forum: it's near impossible that you will have any side effects to Hydroxocobalamin (though you might experience effects to other compounds in a tablet or ampoule). So let me ask you: have you taken benzodiazepine before? If you're not worried about side effects of these pills than really, what's the problem with B12?
Please, if at all, use the benzo's for a really short period of time. And rely on (preferable high dose!) B12 to relieve your anxiety.
Oh, and: get away from the computer Educate yourself for max 1 hour every day. Take it from me, otherwise you'll lose your sanity. Get some sleep, meditate, take a walk with your lovely baby. But you've been online too long now Ok, dear?
Ps. loading doses = a period of time in which you take B12 in high doses to charge your levels. In people with absorption problems (and often also when they don't have absorption issues) they are followed by maintanance doses = making sure the B12 levels don't drop again.
I have actually taken the benzodiazepine before in addition to an anti depressant that god willing I stopped earlier this year .. your right I have been online for too long I apologize lol
So I’m sorry I’m back so soon. I’m alone at home and I suddenly feel really sedated or faint like after taking my pill dose of b12 ? Should I be worried is this a normal feeling ? I’m going to try and eat something maybe it will help
Sorry dear, I wasn't online. I'm thinking if you have such a strong reaction to these tablets, maybe you can try changing brands? The B12 itself is incredibly essential for your body...and something that's naturally there (even our own guts make it, it just doesn't reach your blood then and hence not your cells anymore).
On another note: when I'm feeling anxious I like trying one of these techniques: happify.com/hd/5-ways-to-st.... Hope you'll figure out what's making you feel wobbly soon.
Again, I'm not medically trained, but I can also imagine that you'll kind of feel more relaxed after getting B12 and that's so strange for you that you label it as feeling sedated, while you finally are able to just relax and hence feel sleeply rather than tired and tense (though in tablet form it will likely take a while before you notice it, not just after swallowing - unless they are sublinguals)?
Pls tell after having b12 regularly ur levels must b high.. did u carry a child after that was it safe.. as I have to go through the same since my levels r too high and I have read high levels of b1/ in mother can have an autistic child
No. The fear kept me from another pregnancy. I've read that about autism as well. I had a child in my early 20s and was toxemic. For years, I knew something was wrong for that to happen and I was so scared it would happen again. When I finally did become pregnant, i didnt get far enough along for preeclampsia to set in, but my body did not take well to it. Of course, all the problems were likely B12. I can't really take much more B12 than I already do and I do not feel like my body is up for a pregnancy 😥. And I am sorry to say, I'm probably not up for the challenge of a special needs child, which could result from the B12. I wish there were more answers. I'm fortunate to have a child already. But I'm very sad as I really wanted to have a few more kids. That's pretty much ...what I wanted for my life.
I mentioned that I intended to have more children to a few Drs. None of them said not to do it. But it was clear that id need to use caution and get to a good, stable point before trying.
I trust physicians...to a point. But I've yet to see one that seems to have much insight at all into B12 deficiency. That scares me as I feel like I would really need a B12 competent provider for a comfortable pregnancy.
Ive read several posts on here coming from pregnant ladies and I haven't yet read any really awful outcomes. B12_deficiency gives me anxiety and paranoia at times so I am overly cautious, perhaps a bit paranoid about pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a risky thing for any woman. Seemingly perfectly healthy women can have tragic outcomes. No one can guarantee a good outcome for anyone. If I was younger and had no kids, it's probably a risk I'd be willing to take.
On the autism correlation, I don't know enough about those studies. Could it be that simply having a B12 absorption issue is the real culprit? And that taking a high dose actually would lessen the chances? 🤔
I only know what I've read online about all of this. I know there are women on here that have had successful, trouble free pregnancies.
Please don't let me scare you away simply because I'm paranoid. If you have good drs that you trust and you are feeling good, do what they recommend.
You are quite significantly deficient in B12 and the tablets are a very low dose rate that is probably not getting through. Obviously you must rule out an allergic type reaction to something (not necessarily the B12) in the tablets, but...
You are much more likely to have the numbness because your B12 is dropping faster than the tablets are getting into you. The anxiety - now and before - is almost certainly because of the B12 deficiency, or other deficiency problems too.
You are not going mad or anything like that, your body is just telling you it is short of vitamins and it needs help to get well again. Although horrible to experience, the anxiety is just as normal a symptom as the numbness and all the other ones. It means you are normal and with enough B12 and supporting supplements it will all go away.
Symptoms are your body's way of telling you that there's a problem. Because B12 is involved in every function in your body, if you don't have enough everything can go wrong so the symptoms list is miles long and includes numbness and every other nerve problem you can think of, as well as anxiety, etc, etc.
You should be getting every other day injections until you feel OK again - this may take a while and then top up injections for life.
If your normal GP won't do this speak to your midwife and baby care team. Your baby should also be tested as s/he might be low too and will need good levels for optimum growth and progress.
There is a high chance that you may have other deficiencies too so it is important that you ask them to check your folate (vitamin B9) and iron at least and ideally potassium and magnesium. It would be a good idea to get your vitamin D checked too.
Think of your anxiety as a physical problem that you have got to feed with the right nutrients to make it go away!
You'll get there!
If you need more help then please ask again and we'll see what we can do!
For more information that will help you, look up replies by Foggyme by double clicking on her name and looking under the heading "replies". I'll add her name below this in a moment.
Congratulations on your baby! If you are this caring you will be a super Mum!
Wanted to ask you if you think it’s normal to get chills in your body as if something is cold and moving inside after taking b12 pill ? It’s freaking me out again
It's taken 4 years of daily SI but in the last few weeks I've finally started to be warm and regulate my temperature.
It's what most people do naturally but I've had deficiency symptoms for so long I can't ever remember anything but having the chills you speak of. To me that's normal and it feels really odd to now be warm!
Because I used to get lots of heart palpitations (also because of the deficiency) I used to get admitted to hospital at times and I used to struggle to escape because I was usually hypothermic and they aren't allowed to discharge patients if they are - even though I felt normal for me!
I sooo hope you can have the injections without any bad reactions as I'm sure they'll help you hugely!
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Keep in touch! x
Just to say that the injections you will get are hydroxocobalamin and it is the most widely accepted form. If you don't get on well with that then you may be able to try cyanocobalamin like clivealive gets.
Thank you angel. Do you recommend that I stop panicking ? I keep telling my husband that we might have to go to hospital because I’m worried I’ll have a severe allergic reaction. What happens with your palpitations ? Is it because of deficiency or because of pill or injection ?
The palpitations (my heart used to stop and start and flutter and crash and bang or just run so shallowly that I couldn't feel my pulse and make me cough, etc etc) were only because of the deficiency - since doing my injections and taking supporting supplements they have mostly stopped and I forget about it altogether.
As for panicking...
Whenever I am faced with a feeling that isn't being helpful or a situation I don't like I always give myself two options... And then I try hard to follow the one which will produce the best outcome.
Eg
I can get upset... Or I can just shrug my shoulders, let it go
I can feel jealous... Or walk away and find something else
I can get angry... Or use that fire inside to do something positive for myself
So it's up to you... If panicking is going to be useful then panic away but if you think it would be better to use that energy to keep as calm as possible and use that motivation to do some research and find a way to get solutions for yourself then if you can I'd choose the second option...
Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough. You really do motivate me. I will save what you wrote to remind myself to give myself options and make a choice. Thank you. Hug xx
Reemfali , please take a higher dose. I took two Methylcobalamin 1000 a day and it was not near enough. The combination of injections and oral tablets now is making me better. Beware that it's normal to feel a bit worse before you feel better, as clivealive always explains. But you WILL feel better!
I’m so afraid to take the injections of fear of allergic reaction I’ve had a reaction to b3 in the past in pill form but it was bad. And I’m worried s our injections
I’m taking my first self injection on Saturday Reemfali. I’m doing it at my daughters house in the very unlikely case of a reaction. I didn’t react to the doctors ones, but am taking the precaution anyway. People are advised to do their first one with someone present, but if you were in a doctors surgery there would be no risk. I’d go for injections if I was you
It's up to you to weigh the fear of an allergic reaction and the risks of prolonged B12 deficiency. Inform yourself well and find someone you trust to help you decide. Wishing you well!
All I am saying is: please educate yourself about the dangers of a B12 deficiency (e.g. on this forum, the PAS website, stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... Pacholok's book 'Could it be B12?'), before you dismiss any treatment due to a possibility of a reaction.
I am not medically trained, hence I don't know what the risks of allergic reactions are for you personally. And maybe the low dose oral supplements will do the trick, if you take them really long term. As I said in my other post: try to keep a diary!
If you do opt for injections of Hydroxocobalamin (the safest form of B12), the first one should always be administered by a trained professional to monitor your reactions on the spot.
If anything, please read this: stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten.... And whatever you choose, know that we simply want you to get better!
Hi Denise thank you for all your time and effort ! I am suffering from dizziness every time I take the b12 pill. Do you think this will subside. It’s been 8 days already ? Thank you
Well, its 3 days further on and you're still here to tell the tale so that's positive!
I'm not sure why you're getting dizzy.
I know that folate (B9) deficiency can cause dizziness and folate is used with B12 so it might be that you are getting a reaction because you are low in folate too. Have you had your folate levels checked - if not then ask the Dr to test for this too. However make sure you get plenty of B12 (lots more than you are currently getting with your tablets) if you need to take folic acid too as the folic acid (for folate [B9 deficiency]) can mask the effects of the B12 and it's essential you get enough B12.
It might be because you really need jabs instead of tablets. Dizziness is a sign of B12 deficiency.
Anxiety alone can cause dizziness too so it might be that you are just so scared of a potential reaction that your body is anticipating this and giving you a reaction just because you are expecting it to. If someone gave you a slice of cake and then told you after you'd eaten it that they had put deadly poison in it, even if it was fine you'd probably still feel dreadful and never want to eat cake again! That's how hypnosis works.
If you can take sedatives which have a range of chemical compounds in them OK then it is unlikely that simple things like the vitamins will cause you problems directly. It is possible that you had a reaction when you took B3 on it's own because you need the B12 and B9 and all the others to go with it to keep everything balanced.
So I think it’s a reaction to the b12, soon after I take it and for a few hours in the day my extremities are freezing and I feel faint like dizzy. The only way to help it is if I eat I feel. It still lingers bit with food better.
I checked my folic acid and thankfully it’s normal
I took b3 like 15 years ago a nutritionist recommended I take it and so i did. I winded up in the hospital for like 17 hours because I had flushes and adrenaline rushes. It was scarey and although the flushes calmed down a day after I still had the adrenaline come and go for a few days. Apparently niacin can do this
Yes, it can - that's a fairly normal reaction and I question why the nutritionist told you to take it, rather than just increase your meat, especially beef consumption.
Most things are best as food and failing that, if supplements are needed, then they are better taken with food - after all there's a lot more to eating than just swallowing food! Definitely go with taking them with food and try to increase your folate from food - lots of leafy green vegetables and things like that. Keep going - it sounds like you're making progress! 😎
I’m not sure why she prescribed it. She did some kind of hair test and then she gave me a bunch of vitamins. She worked at a gym. I don’t think she was that qualified to be honest
I think I know what the feeling I have is now. I think it’s related to low blood pressure. I think b12 has an effect on blood pressure and since mine is already low im thinking it might be making it worse
When taken at appropriate doses, vitamin B-12 supplements are generally considered safe. While the recommended daily amount of vitamin B-12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms, you can safely take higher doses. Your body absorbs only as much as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine.
High doses of vitamin B-12, such as those used to treat a deficiency, might cause:
It did seem wrong to give you niacin (B3) on its own - and I don't think you are particularly abnormal: it's not surprising you got that reaction from too much - especially as you were probably at least borderline low B12 at the time and therefore didn't have the resilience of someone with good levels.
I now have a better understanding of your wariness though!
Most of us who are B12d suffer from low blood pressure. After a couple of years of daily injections my BP has improved so I now don't keel over when I stand up quickly and that sort of thing.
B12 doesn't exactly lower potassium per se but as potassium is used up to repair the damage that was caused by the deficiency, this can be the overall effect initially.
You may need more potassium going forward if you get interruptions in your healing due to other supporting supplements becoming limiting if they are used up in the healing process.
Many people on regular jabs find it beneficial to take a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate, potassium, magnesium and iron, maybe vitamin D, ideally from their diets.
I hope this helps but if you'd like more information or support you know where we are.
For more information it might be worth going to my profile by double clicking on my name and looking under the heading "replies". Not only will you be able to see my responses but also the views from other great contributors.
Hi I don’t think I can do this anymore. I feel like I’m going to faint every time I take a pill. My hands are freezing and my feet too I feel like my head has no blood reaching it. Help
I’m not sure what is happening to me. I stopped the b12 pills (will take something else). Five days later I wake up with a severe felling of disorientation, like my mind and body are not connected, with weird feelings. Worried I’m going crazy.. I don’t know if this is anxiety or my body has trouble ridding itself of the b12 and vitamins maybe due to an absorption issue. I took a sedative to help me relax because I am not feeling normal.. something isn’t right. For the first time I actually handed my baby to a friend of mine because I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to function normally today
All of your symptoms atracks very familiar. Anxiety is a symptom of low b12. Yours is very low. If you have had anxiety in the past its just reared it's ugly head because of your defiency. Your body is going through alot. Hormones to settles , lack of sleep. Depression is common after givinh birth as is being tearful. Ask why you are not on injections. Or are they trialling tablets to see if levels increase first?
I still have a numb face on and off and mothers and head
Also vibrations uo my nose. All improved with b12 injections.
Try and get all the help you can so you can rest eat and enjoy your baby.
I hope and pray that it gets better. I am going to see the dr. Again today to tell him about the numbness and tingling in face last night. Plus the anxiety.
I took tablets for 2 months after diagnoses of B12 deficiency and felt no change, but during loading shots had increased palpitations and tingling and numbness to my mouth and face (like after a dentist injection). It went within a couple of days, then I felt a whole lot better. Now after a month of being back on the tablets I feel ill again, so starting to self inject as doctor wont provide more injections for another month. Hope this helps.
No, they were symptom of B12d and disappeared after loading injections. I told the doctor and she said it was placebo effect. She won’t listen, so I’m going to do this on my own. I’m not a medic but your doc should be giving you injections, then you will see what the difference is. Don’t worry, just keep on asking. You will get better
Yes, I live alone so they were scary, but I listened to the nice people here and on the phone to the Pernicious Anaemia Society and everything was fine. I’m looking forward to taking control
I got scared too about my eyesight. I asked Optician for a refereal to a consultant Optometrist as Gp Wouldn't. My optic nerve and health of eyes fine. It's the nerve messages . Get checked put at Optician first
I too had vision problems blurred vision, dry eyes, I was terrified as I’d had a retinal tear a couple of years ago. The blurred vision improved after the injections, so not permanent. It’s back now though, hence starting to self inject.
It was only after a failed pregnancy many years ago , that the doctors actually investigated my many symptoms of tingling , numbness, weakness and fatigue (suffered for several years ) and found that I have Pernicious Anaemia. Eventually I was prescribed daily B12 shots and over the next year these were reduced to biweekly, weekly then monthly ...unfortunately , the nerve damage had already been done and although the injections help , the numbness remains ( I now have left sided neuropathy affecting the whole side of my body ) .Several years ago , my dr retired and the new doctor was not familiar with PA , so cut back my treatment, causing many symptoms to return .. but after seeing a new consultant
I now have 4 weekly shots and supplement this with daily doses of a B12 spray ..
I hope you feel better soon , it does take time to replenish your store of B12 , but you do feel better when get the help .
Ps ..I found that vit B tablets didn’t help me as I have absorption problems with PA
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