Tired after injection

[Themaid]

I was just diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia in March of this year. I am on a once a week b12 injection. But I am usually so tired the day after each shot that I spend almost the entire day just dragging along with deep fatigue and brain fog. Is this normal? Why is this happening?

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Themaid

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.

If you can get to see a doctor please also ask him/her to check your Folate level as this and B12 help your iron to make red blood cells and to function properly.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (just one of many causes of B12 deficiency) for more than 47 years.

I wish you well.

[Themaid in reply to clivealive]

Thank you so much, clivealive!! I consider you much more of an expert on this subject than my hematogist. I will definitely ask her to check my folate levels at my next visit. P.A. is a rather lonely disease. I really and truly appreciate your feedback.

[Leothelion]

Hi Themaid I was exactly the same as you, but had them every 10 days this started to improve after about 9 months for me, I still have injections every 14 days, I tried going longer but can’t manage past that, I take folate regularly and have a good clean diet, and feeling much better than I have for years, I still get odd days of fatigue but I also have a under active thyroid too.

[Themaid in reply to Leothelion]

Hey Leothelion! Thank you so much for your reply. It’s good to know that perhaps this will level out a bit. It is No Fun when symptoms get worse before they get better. But stories like yours give me hope. I have cleaned up my diet significantly, stopped drinking alcohol (except on special occasions), am seeing a Naturopathic Doctor for a little extra nutritional help and generally slowed down my life. So Here’s to all of us B12 injectors! 3 cheers!!!