Frightened of B12 injection side effects

[SKalila]

Hi. I have been recommended by a Functional Medicine doctor to start B12 injections. I am emetophobic (fear of vomiting) and have read up in a few medical websites that a common side effect of B12 injections is nausea and being sick.

I'm just wondering if it is common in your experience? How does the injection tend to make you feel? I understand that it can make some people feel great and some people feel lousy.

Thanks for any advice!

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi SKalila this is the first time I have ever heard of anyone saying that B12 injections have made then sick and I have been having them every month for over 48 years.

You don't say why you have been advised to have the injections, Do you have any of the below list of symptoms?

1.1 General Symptoms

The following general symptoms are common in those with PA:

 The Strange Tiredness

 Fog days, where you have difficulty in thinking clearly

 Weakness

 Fatigue

 Upset stomach

 Abnormally rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) and/or chest pains

 Abnormal yellow colouration of the skin (jaundice)

 Heightened sensitivity to hearing, smell, and taste

 Vision distortion, e.g. seeing stars, or double vision

 Breathlessness

 Headache

 Cankers (ulcers) in the mouth

 Sleep disorders

 Intolerance to loud sounds, flashing lights

 Intolerance to crowded malls (needing personal space)

 Tinnitus – ringing in ears

1.2 Neurological Symptoms

The neurological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may include:

 Numbness and tingling of the arms and more commonly the legs

 Difficulty walking

 Loss of balance

 Hands feel gloved with loss of sensitivity

 Loss of vibration sense, having to look down to see where you are walking

 Unable to close your eyes and stand on one foot

 Night vision

 Memory loss

 Disorientation

 Dementia

 Extreme mood changes

 Short term memory loss

Some experience many of these symptoms and some none of them. It depends on how quickly the PA is treated and on how well managed it is.

1.3 Gastrointestinal Symptoms

The gastrointestinal symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may include:

 A sore tongue

 Appetite loss

 Diarrhoea and/or constipation

 Stomach pain

Your question arrived just as I am going to bed so I will bid you goodnight from the U.K. but by all means come back with more details and there will be someone here who will able to help.

[SKalila in reply to clivealive]

Hi Clivealive, thank you for your reply.

I haven't been diagnosed with PA as yet, but I am vegan and I've been told my B12 levels will be low because of this. I have none of the symptoms you have mentioned. I have recently had my B12 levels tested with my GP, they came back around 220, so I don't think my GP will let me have injections at the surgery. I am concerned about letting a non-medical person inject me and I am nervous of injecting myself as well, though I have no fear of needles.

I am awaiting the B12 test result from my Functional Medicine doctor. I am guessing she will tell me my B12 is drastically low and I must get shots asap. For me, it is proving a little tricky.

Thank you for your support.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to SKalila]

Being Vegan is OK as long as you realise that the only natural way of sourcing Vitamin B12 is from eating animal products - you will need to supplement one way or another for the rest of your life - not necessarily via injections.

Take care now and goodnight from the U.K.

[JanD236 in reply to SKalila]

Although being vegan doesn’t mean you’ll be exempt from having PA it does make it more likely that the reason you’re low on B12 is your diet.

Although you haven’t given the range applying to your B12 result of 220 it would seem likely this is within the normal range. That being the case (and assuming you have no symptoms of deficiency) it would seem sensible to me that you should try a short course of oral B12 to see if this increases your B12 level. If it does, there should be no reason for you to have injections, oral supplements would do, so I would discuss this with your doctor.

[SKalila in reply to JanD236]

Hi Jan, thanks for your reply.

I just looked up my results again:

Serum vitamin B12 level 272 pg/mL [187.0 - 883.0]. It also said "no further action " so I am assuming my GP is OK with that result, even though to me it looks on the low side. I am now taking 250ug of B12. Before the test I didn't take any B12 for two weeks and before that I was only taking 3ug so hopefully this higher dose will suffice!

Before I started seeing the Functional Medicine doctor I had no idea how serious it is to be B12 deficient. I will much more careful from now on.

[Ninagreen in reply to SKalila]

Mine was 250 and my doctor said it was low, but I'm in the US. It was still in the "normal" range, but I had all the symptoms. Anyway. I get weekly B12 injections now and am doing a lot better.

[bubbatetley in reply to clivealive]

Hi Clivealive, I hope you are having a good day. I hope I'm not disturbing you, but I have read the above and relate to most of the symptoms. I have been very sick now for nearly a year with lots of pins and needles in most of my body, especially in the head . it feels like bugs crawling inside my head. Keep going to the GP and his answer was Anxiety and gave me antidepressants which I didnt want. Then out of the blue my legs gave way and am now having trouble walking/ balancing and have falls. I now have loss of Peripheral vision. I also have Hypothyroidism which I am being medicated for. I demanded a letter to see a Neurologist and had an MRI, which has revealed some white matter on the brain and am now being tested for suspected MS, how wrong was my GP!!!!! I am also Vitamin B12 deficient and have started 6 loading doses, I have 2 more to be given then they retest my bloods.. I have not noticed any improvement in any of the pins and needles and was told because my B12 is very low it will take a while to start to feel any benefits. { Is this correct }

Thank you for reading my long story [ Thats only half of it } I also have an eating disorder of Anorexia.

Take care and keep well

Kind regards

Bubba🐬

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to bubbatetley]

Aww" bubbatetley I'm so sorry to read your sad story. At least you are now having the loading doses so hopefully you will soon have some signs of improvement. However it is not uncommon for some symptoms of B12 deficiency to appear to get worse before they get better. It was thirteen years between gastric surgery at the age of 17 before I got the diagnosis of P.A. (just one cause of B12 deficiency) and I remember that by then I was a walking "Zombie". and it did take many months before I felt real benefits from the injections. You need to have healthy good levels of iron and folate in your blood. Ask your doctor to test for them as B12 you're having works with them to make red blood cells.

Tell your doctor that there is no point in re-testing your B12 levels one injections have been given because they are going to be high.

Your anorexia is obviously going to be a contributary factor to your B12 deficiency and other health issues. When you do ear are you able to eat any animal products, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese etc. They are natural sources of B12. I cannot offer you any advice on anorexia as I am not a medically trained person and can only "speak" from my own experiences.

I wish you well

[SouthSounder]

I find the injections very tolerable. I do IM into the thigh with a 25 gauge needle. If you use alcohol, be sure to let it evaporate before injecting, or it may sting. Without that I find the injections virtually pain free. Surprised me at 1st. Pressing on the site immediately after feels completely normal, no "soreness", etc., no lump, or redness. I've never had any kind of reaction, no nausea or anything like that.

[Nackapan]

If you need them the benefits outweigh any side effects.

I've never vomited

I've felt nauseous with my symptoms but nor from injection

The effects I've had are:

Suddenly dripping off to sleek which I hate

Headaches

Tinnitus

Blurry vision

Sometimes an old symptom returns

Not always and not all at one time and more atthe start

[Ritchie1268]

I've never had any side effects & I've been self injecting every other day for 20 months now, as the 3 monthly one from my GP isn't enough for me.

Also, despite the many myths out there about how it gives fitness fanatics more energy, how it helps you lose weight, how it is toxic blah blah blah.

For me it does exactly what it's supposed to do, keeps the many physical & mental symptoms of PA at bay.

I have a fear of needles, but the alternative isn't very pleasant.

I hope you can overcome your emetophobia & start to feel better soon 👍

[TFH1]

I also have a fear of vomiting as have found it recent years that once I begin, I can't stop until given an anti-emetic injection from hospital to force it to stop. I have never been sick or felt nauseous as a result of my monthly b12 jab.

[Harvena]

I have been SI for about 5 years now, firstly subcut and then IM and have never felt nauseous or been sick. Good luck.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

I can't remember ever hearing that the injections have made anyone here either nauseous or actually sick. The symptoms could ( the dizziness or vertigo, loss of balance) but not the solution to my knowledge.

[Nackapan]

Ha yes a good typo !! Laughing good for us.

[Ctadds1]

I’ve only had 5 injections so far but no side effects other than a little tired. If your 220 and no symptoms maybe try a supplement before shots.

[Lily73]

I’m also emetetophobic. I’ve been having injections every 8 weeks since 2011 and never once had nausea as a side effect. (And if there is a potential to have nausea as a side effect, I will get it!) If you’re vegan though, you could just take supplements (which I have also never had a problem with).

[KittyKitten]

Hi! I just wanted to say that I experienced really bad nausea (among other symptoms) when I first started b12 injections. I'm not sure what my b12 was as the doctor did not test prior to starting them. I managed nausea with a lot of liquid nutrition and small meals and I never vomited. I felt like I wasn't going to make it through the next hour before starting b12 and then had severe side effects for a few weeks or so. At first b12 gave me a rush, but now it makes me feel calm and sleepy for a few days. I had 1-2 injections per week. It has now been 4 months and I have improved immensely, although still feel like I have far to go. It was worth going through it and I'm very thankful I didn't let the initial side effects stop me.

[Hidden]

I have never had vomiting or nausea as a side effect of my jabs (I’ve just finished my loading doses 6 weeks ago) but I have thrown up my vit d tablets and felt sick occasionally, mainly when not taking them with food. I’m sure you’ll be ok, and like others mentioned the benefits far outweigh the risks. I noticed a difference when I got my loading doses. I’ve gone backwards slightly so expect ups and downs but it’ll be fine 😊

[katamarang]

Personally I've had no side effects! I was really worried about bad side effects but nada. It was fine! Good luck

[SKalila]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the replies. xxx

[Sagandeep]

Those side effects from injection are due to low potassium levels in blood. Rapid heart beat, muscle cramps, tingling. On my first 3 injection, I had swelling sensation but it was not very uncomfortable. It went away when I continued injected