Anxiety and B12 shots

[Heidiv]

Hi, I've been having bad anxiety for quite a while and it seems to worsen after I self inject. At first I thought it was because I was only starting to inject (1/week) and I had all these terrible symptoms + side effects initially after starting the shots. Now I've been injecting once a week for about 4 months, and whilst I've had great improvement in some symptoms (e.g. difficulty walking), I seem to have a lot of anxiety which in turn upsets my stomach (I have severe IBS). Are there others experiencing these symptoms? I know I should be injecting every other day as I have a lot of neurological symptoms, but due to the fact that I currently live in Singapore and not taking enough ampoules with me from Europe, I can only inject once a week for now. Maybe these symptoms are a sign that I should inject more...? Thank you all for the great advice!

[fbirder]

Are you injecting hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin? The latter can cause the effects you describe in some people.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

do you know what type of B12 you are using - when people report problems with anxiety it is usually related to using methyl B12 ...

If not methyl then you may be right that you need B12 more frequently. My anxiety got a lot worse when I started B12 treatment, but calmed down and disappeared when I got levels right for me.

[Heidiv in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you so much for your quick reply! Yes, I am using Methylcobalamin. I didn't realise it could give you anxiety. So maybe I should look into the others again then...pff. I had some nasty side effects from Cyano which didn't go away with changing to Hydroxo, only after months on Methyl. Or maybe it could just be that the side effects would have just disappeared after a couple of months.

Strangely enough, I didn't notice more anxiety in the first 2 months of using Methyl. But is it common? In that case I should really switch because I already have mental health issues and I cannot afford to add heightened anxiety to the mix. But I'm stuck at least with the Methyl now until beginning of January. If I stop it, all my physical symptoms come back and I lose my mobility. So it looks like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Reemfali in reply to Heidiv]

I had horrendous anxiety with methylcobalamin. And it started a few days after I stopped

[Heidiv in reply to Reemfali]

Hi, did you have the anxiety after you injected? And did it get better after you stopped? I hope you're doing better!

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Heidiv]

if you didn't notice it for 2 months then probably isn't the methyl - or not on its own.

May be worth getting folate levels checked to ensure that it isn't ... or look at if there is something else going on.

[Heidiv in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you as always! Yeah I've started paying attention to potassium as this is probably something else I'm deficient in, as I'm living in a tropical climate (and sweating all the time - sorry if TMI- and most water doesn't contain potassium anymore). Thankfully I have now found salt that also contains potassium and sprinkle it over my meals.

[TFH1]

Just some general advice on what helped me with anxiety and IBS symptoms (which could be connected to lack of stomach acid and PA). I've suffered with poor digestion and diarrhoea for as long as I can remember and then anxiety started about 8 years ago. Last year a friend gave me some milk kefir grains, which you put into milk (I use Grace coconut milk which I buy from Amazon). In turns the milk into a slightly yogurty probiotic drink absolutely packed full of beneficial gut bacteria. My IBS type symptoms literally cleared up overnight and my anxiety has gone. This couldn't just be the kefir right? Well I went overseas on holiday for a week and didn't bring my grains, they have to be transported in a jar of milk and I only had hand luggage. Both the IBS and the anxiety came back with a vengeance. Suffice to say, I always travel with them now. In terms of gut health - I used to be functioing well about 5-10% of the time and now I would say about 85% of the time. If you're interested in this and want to know more, do get in touch - I can't believe how such a relatively simple thing has helped so much. Lots of vids on YouTube and lots of supportive Facebook fermenting and kefir pages where people swap spare grains for free. The link between gut health and mental health is real!

[Heidiv in reply to TFH1]

But very interesting that your anxiety has gone with your IBS! I've had IBS for 28 years now and have been suffering with mental health issues for about the same time.

[Heidiv]

"The link between gut health and mental health is real". I couldn't agree more! Usually anything fermented upsets my stomach apart from pickled gurkins so I have been wary of kefir. But I never tried, so might be worth the while! Thank you for reaching out to me. My email adress is [e-mail]

[TFH1]

Good luck with it - just be aware that the shop bought kefir doesn't seem to work - something to do with it being pasteurised I think. I find the Facebook group 'uk fermenting friends' really helpful, in terms of getting hold of grains and offering advice to new starters. I really hope you get some relief - both IBS and anxiety can really drain the joy out of life.

[Heidiv in reply to TFH1]

Yes, they do (+ b12 deficiency which causes joint/muscle/mobility. So I'm always unwell one way or another. Amazing that your symptoms cleared up overnight. Can the kefir grains be sent by international mail? I could have them sent to Belgium if this doesn't affect their efficiency. Thank you

[TFH1 in reply to Heidiv]

I am sure that you would also be able to get them locally in Belgium, but yes if needs be they could be posted. Have a look at kefir or fermenting Facebook groups and join them. People give them away free there, or you can buy them on Amazon, for example amazon.co.uk/Live-Kefir-Gra...

[Krisrn05]

Hi! I was having extreme anxiety, diarrhea and flushing. I did some research and I was giving my injections subcutaneous, I went to im and have not had anymore problems.