Am I going crazy?!

[Shipra33]

Can anyone tell me if a feeling of being stuck in a dream could be a symptom of Vit b12 deficiency? Apparently from over two months now, I've been feeling this way. Like I'm kinda slow. My brain isn't in sync with the surroundings or people around me. Like I'm stuck in a dream. More like I just do things subconsciously but conciously my brain ain't completely here. It's not alert and sharp how normally it used to be. I feel very spaced out. And it drastically increases during my periods.

I never felt this way before. Until I got a test done where my b12 was 300ng/ml. Normal being 200-900.

And even at that time I felt normal except some tingling.

It was after two months of the test when I started feeling really weak and confused and disoriented with lots of random tingling in my feet. Which later turned painful. I got my first injection yesterday. Usually people say it's an instant energy shot. I feel nothing like that. Infact I'm worse now.

So is this fuzzy brainy thing also part of b12 which perhaps dropped even more after the test I had months ago? Or I am going crazyy?

Help would be appreciated.

P.s I'm a vegeterian. And for some reason I had gone vegan after my b12 came out in 300. So I had stopped all diary products at once and that's when this brain fog kicked in.

So I turned back to being a vegetarian and started all my diary. Atlesst something would help.

[Nackapan]

Can you absorb tablets then?

It is a symptom of b12 deficiency. I often feel very detached from the world. The only thing I can compare it to is when you've seen someone through to their death. After being in a bubble and thdn stepping out. Nothing feels quite real. Like it's all going on around you. Some would calĺs this depression its not. I think its s kind of fatigue/exhaustion

Sensiet overlaod . Body just not working properly.

Hopefully as dietary your levels will be uk soon. You will have to be on supplements for life if vegan or even vegetarian when older.

[Shipra33 in reply to Nackapan]

I don't think I can absorb tablets well. Bcaz I was put on 750mcg oral tablets and honestly I hardly saw any difference for over a month. That is when I told my doctor it's not working and he put me up on injections. Got the first one yesterday. Let's see how long does this take to clear up. And I really don't believe its depression. I'm usually a very happy person. And have no depressive thoughts. Except these few months since I got this thing.

Did you feel better with this foggy thing after the treatment?

[Nackapan in reply to Shipra33]

At times yes.

Snakes and ladders.

I'm sure you will be okay if not too ma ny symptoms before treatment.

I'm a happy person too. Just saying it can be interpreted as depression .Alsk by doctors Its more like being shut down as body repairing . Keeping quiet tk keep going for a little longer.

Anxiety i did get when b12 low. That went quickly. Just happens occassionally now. That totally new to me too.

I've dealt with alot if stress for a long time. Have coped though when well . Time out ect.

This is different a physical reaction to body not functioning properly. Hope this makes sense wishing you well

[Shipra33 in reply to Nackapan]

I have anxiety too. Keeps coming and going. Honestly all the other symptoms are managebale for me till some extent except this dreamy brain thing going on. Bcaz earlier I read a few things on the internet about feeling detached and all and trust me that was scary. I kinda felt better knowing it's my low b12 perhaps.

But anyway.

Hope you feel well too, soon. and thank you for your input. It helped. it really did!

[Gambit62 Administrator]

what you are describing sounds like it could be one of the neuro-psychiatric symptoms of B12 deficiency.

Being vegan means that you wouldn't be taking in any dietary B12 unless you supplemented (eg using a supermarket supplement containing about 10mcg of B12) or used fortified foods (totalling about the same amount). It also sounds as if, even as a vegetarian, you may not have been getting enough B12 from your diet so you are now getting to the point where you have used up your B12 reserves - so a supplement would be a good idea anyway.

The recommendation for correcting a dietary deficiency is 50mcg B12 tablets taken 2x a day.

[Shipra33 in reply to Gambit62]

Yeah maybe the reserves are just out completely.

But, the weird part is I got tested for b12 in November first week and my levels were 350ng/ml.

I thought its completely normal so I didn't do anything about it.

Until January when I started feeling terrible. I got the painful tingling, weakness, extreme brain fog, the dreamy state, just felt so sick. I still didn't do anything about it until I felt dizzy. That was it. I had developed vertigo. 15th Jan is when I saw a doctor.

So do you think my levels must have dropped even lower in those two months?

I mean, does b12 deplet so fast?

P.s I was on a vegan diet for those months.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Shipra33]

the difference between the two results is less than 20% so its within the accuracy of the test so not possible to draw any conclusions from the drop. Another similar drop in 2 months time would imply a downward trend in serum B12 levels and point to an absorption problem.

[Cup-cake7]

Although not a doc i believe the name is depersonalisation and is very common with vitamin deficiency ihadmuch of it when low in D b12 and folate

Just to say please dont worry or think you are crazy its a trick of mind, can you get vits and minerals all tested

I find dr sarah myhill site great for concerns maybe look at her nutri ional deficiency page

[Shipra33 in reply to Cup-cake7]

Okay will do that.

Also, you got better with this brainy thing after you got the treatment? How long did it take?

[Cup-cake7 in reply to Shipra33]

Hi do you mean Sapier

I am sorry to say for me i then hit a wall

Love theory andknow works for others

[Jo5454]

I've also been reading about vitamin deficiencies (and dr Sarah Myhills site) and Niacin seems to be mentioned a lot in relation to improving anxiety, obsessive thoughts, detached feelings, etc and it seems many are seeing real improvements. There seems to be debates on whether it needs to be the type that makes you flush or not, think I'll give that a try next.

Worth a Google!

[Cup-cake7 in reply to Jo5454]

👍🏼😊

[Coastwalker]

Brain fog maybe ?

I had the brain fog, it seemed like a constant headache where I couldn’t concentrate on much for long on anything.

I was low in range for B12.

[Shipra33 in reply to Coastwalker]

I guess so. Bcaz I googled stuff and all of this indicated to brain fog.

Plus all of it only started after the deficiency so am guessing it should be that. What was your level exactly?

Mine was 300ng/ml when I got tested. But since it fell under the normal range I didn't do anything about it.

Until two months later when this fog thing kicked in.

[Coastwalker]

I was actually supplementing B12 and using B12 patches when tested, (should have tested first, but did not know that back then) but was still low in range at 379 (range 180-900) I still get pins and needles, but not so often and not so bad, the brain fog came back for a few days a short while ago so I took lots of vitamins and minerals and it went away again thankfully.

I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Both Hypothyroidism and B12 Deficiency have many cross over symptoms.

Taking vitamins at night lying down can help you absorb more nutrients

( you get more of an uptake of vitamins,) without them going straight in and out of your body, especially if our bodies are stressed.

Have you also been blood tested for -

vitamin D

Folate

Iron

Ferritin (stored iron)

These often go hand in hand when B12 is low or deficient.

There can be a domino effect.

Also pop on over to ‘Thyroid UK’ here on Health Unlocked and post your question again.

Many members here are on both these community sites.

[Shipra33]

I got tested for Vit D too. It was 21 I think. So I got a shot of it too. That was a bad decision. Always go for oral supplementing with Vit D. Bcaz that mega dose gave me side effects that I still encounter. (I got it 4 months back)

So i guess that mega dose would have sufficed the vit D.

Iron was 86. Range was 50-170. So thag seemed fine. Ferretin was on the lower side but still in range.

Folate I have no clue though I supplemented myself with 5mg per day for a month.

So it's basically the b12 I guess.

Got my First injection two days ago.

See no improvement whatsoever.

My symptoms wouldn't have gotten so worse if there was a doctor who could tell me that 300 level is Not good. But they all said it's normal bcaz of the silly range of 200-900.

They only listened to me two months later after I started feeling awful.

I so regret not knowing that 300 is also pretty low.

In fact anything below 550-600 is just not good enough.