I've been prescribed the tablets from my doctor as they are not doing the injections at the minute. However I'm a bit nervous to take them as they are 50mg and normally I only take 1000ug each day...it seems a bit of a jump and I dont want to get ill taking them.
Does anyone else use them? Thanks for your help x
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Muddy1980
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I was forced onto 50mcg tabs about three years ago and because they did nothing for me, I can not absorb which is why I need injection. I became pretty ill before I got back onto injections.
You need not ever worry about overdosing on Vitamin B12 — you cannot . That’s 100% certain . If you have Pernicious Anaemia, it’s more than doubtful that tablets will help . P.A. Patients need injections for life , because they cannot absorb that vitamin in their stomach . It’s possible for some to absorb a minuscule amount through the ileum . When I was unable to obtain enough injections , I devoured b12 sublingual lozenges in huge quantities to no avail , whilst covering my body in b12 patches , and spraying B12 up my nose . I know we are all different , so perhaps you can obtain some benefit . it’s worth a try ,
Some people get injections from private GPs and some find that high strength oral b12 eg tablets, sub lingual lozenges, sprays, drops help a bit. I think most people on here find that injections are more effective than other methods. Some on forum source their own supplies and self inject.
"I've been prescribed the tablets from my doctor as they are not doing the injections at the minute. However I'm a bit nervous to take them as they are 50mg"
I'm assuming they are cyanocobalamin tablets and are probably 50mcg rather than 50mg.
In UK, B12 injections from NHS have 1mg of B12 in them and are usually hydroxycobalamin although a few people have cyanocobalamin injections.
In UK, the 50mcg tablets are normally only prescribed for dietary B12 deficiency. For B12 deficiency due to gut absorption problems eg PA (Pernicious Anaemia) , Coeliac disease etc then injections are recommended.
Support group meetings are cancelled during pandemic.
Concerns about treatment
If you are concerned about being moved onto oral tablets, have you considered expressing your concerns in a polite letter to GP along with any useful evidence eg references to UK B12 documents/articles?
I also suggested on another thread that people who have had B12 injections changed to oral B12 tablets or have had B12 treatment stopped totally might consider keeping a daily symptoms diary and then keep GP informed by letter if and when symptoms start returning.
I feel it's helpful to have any concerns in writing so there is a paper trail in case there is a need to make a complaint in the future.
In normal times, local MPs may be interested to hear from anyone whose B12 injections have been stopped.
I wrote a detailed reply on another forum thread with links to symptoms lists, causes of b12 deficiency, B12 books, B12 websites, UK B12 documents and other B12 info which you might find helpful.
Muddy1980 - first thing to do is establish what the strength of your tablets is - as fbirder says they are unlikely to be 50mg (milligram) and more likely to be 50mcg (microgram). Then scientific symbol for micro is the greek letter mu - the nearest english letter in look to this is u so that tends to be used as an alternative.
If they are 50mcg then they will be useless - continue taking your 1000mcg if they work for you - if they only just work for you in extending the period until symptoms return then try taking them more frequently.
You could try speaking to your GP and explain that you have a B12 absorption problem and 50mcg tablets are going to be useless. This post reported a pleasantly positive response
Hi everyone, thanks so much for getting back to me. Yes they are 50mcg I read the box wrong...so I will just stick to what I am on. I can go back onto the injections once the surgery opens again, it was just to cover me during this covid period. I do have all the equipment to self inject as well so I wont be going short. I just didn't want to be taking too much because when I get back to the docs, they will test my blood and I don't want to be through the roof because they will stop the injections.
it would be contrary to current best practice to base treatment on serum B12 levels post loading injections - if you need them you need them for life. Come back to the forum if you experience problems when you get back to injections
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