Hi,
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
They are 50 mcg, (or 50 ug). So they are 5% of what you normally have.
Muddy1980 wrote "they are 50mg". Are they not a larger dose?
I was also given 5omcg by my Gp to take 2 a day to try and get my injections further apart. I think its what Gps are told?
They didnr help me at all. I dud as I was told hooung actually it would lengthen the gap!
No, they will not be 50 mg. Nobody makes such a high dose. And the NHS is only licensed to use 50 mcg tablets.
I was given 50 mcg by my Gp to take 2 a day I think it's on their scewed b12 advice fir prescribing.
Ug I think is the same as mcg
Yes, you are right. This document, I hope, makes clear the units involved:
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 ,
Hi,
Injections stopped due to pandemic
Have a look at these two links which both have ideas on what to do if jabs cancelled because they are seen as non essential during pandemic.
From PAS website
pernicious-anaemia-society....
There are lots of comments under the posts as well.
From B12 Deficiency Info website
b12deficiency.info/blog/202...
Blog post below asks for people to leave comments if their injections have been stopped due to impact of pandemic.
b12deficiency.info/blog/202...
Most recent blog post about stopped injections
b12deficiency.info/blog/202...
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.
Have you considered joining PAS?
PAS (Pernicious Anaemia Society)
Based in Wales, UK.
pernicious-anaemia-society....
There is a telephone helpline for PAS members to ring.
PAS support groups in UK
pernicious-anaemia-society....
"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.
UK links about cyanocobalamin treatment
bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/cyanoc...
bnfc.nice.org.uk/drug/cyano...
medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...
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.
Unhappy with Treatment (UK info)?
Letters to GPs about B12 deficiency
b12deficiency.info/b12-writ...
CAB NHS Complaints
citizensadvice.org.uk/healt...
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.
healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...
I am not medically trained.
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
healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...
I think Sleepy bunny has probably provided links but these are the most relevant PAS articles on the current situation
pernicious-anaemia-society....
pernicious-anaemia-society....
The RCP advice is to treat patients to self inject if possible.
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.
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