b12 deficiency and menopause

[Woodyscooby]

HI...is anyone on here trying to cope with b12 deficiency and menopause symptoms ....hard to tell what symptoms are what at times .....im so miserable and scared ....heart palpitations especially at night and after meals and dry salty tongue is making me totally exhausted ...anyone else suffering this ....x

[flosslechops]

funny that-I was just thinking this morning that I haven't had any palps for a few weeks now-started age 38(am 56 now)and they have been scary and fierce at times over the years,makes me wonder as some women sail through meno if an underlying b12 deficiency does actually affect changing hormones rather than it being primarily hormone changes that cause symptoms as I was told by docs,I have been SI for two years now though and am getting relief from other b12d symptoms too-do you have the jabs every 3 months at your surgery?

[Hidden]

I thought at first it was menopause that was troubling me so I paid out a fortune seeing private consultants and battling to get nhs help,I couldn’t understand it because I’d had a hysterectomy ,Ovaries intact,before I was 40 ,I’m 63 now,and I thought I was well past all this but these consultants insisted I try hrt so I did for 18 months and I suffered all the horrible side effects that came with it but they just kept saying persevere and upped the dosage and tried patches gels etc till I decided no more I’m stopping this.as soon as I did I no longer had cannonballs for breasts I can’t describe the pain and of course according to them that wasn’t usual,I also stopped the vagifem as I was Intolerant of the fillers used and again resolved the issues I had there.

I then did private blood tests amongst other things as I noticed a link to b12 deficiency symptoms and it was spot on.itried b12 supplements did nothing so after I got mma test done I got gp to do injections of loading doses and hey presto the difference was amazing,after just two shots I could feel the old me under there somewhere.

I now know I have pernicious anemia ,prob been there since childhood,I did of course get worse with neuro symtoms around injection 4 or 5 it seems to activate and highlight all the symtoms for the first while,I now self inject if I don’t all the old symptoms come back.I no longer have most of what I thought were menopause symtoms,no dizziness,no brain fog,no old lady waking I hated that,no urinary urgency no migraines much less anxiety,I no longer want an ambulance if I get a paper cut lol.no palpitations all gone as long as I maintain my b12 levels.

You might want to get your folate levels checked too as a lot of these symtoms also cross over ,if I’m low I soon know because my tongue gets all cuts and sores and I get mouth ulcers,took me a while to work that one out.

Read and read again all the posts here you’ll learn so much they’re a great bunch good luck x

[Nackapan in reply to Hidden]

Yes my daughter gets the same with low folate so supplements daily now . Sometines q bad taste in her mouth too.

Hope you doing okay.

[Hidden in reply to Nackapan]

Yes thank you Nackapan I’m plodding away,more good days than bad days so I realise I’m lucky,still doing investigations with my lovely professor I’ve got a dexa scan coming up,useless gps have dumped me again,I must be too expensive for them lol,I’m having to have the dexa done privately.

Im still learning lots of new stuff every day and it’s very useful but I’m not so focussed on the anxiety stuff now and I’ve finally managed to get the shots down to weekly and feeling ok,I’ve another two weeks left of this then I’ll go every two weeks for a month then all being well I’ll drop to monthly.I know now I can increase at any time I feel the need and I’m in control not the medics.

Stay well xx

[Nackapan in reply to Hidden]

That's good.

I tried that but only got to every 3 weeks then had to go back to 2 weekly for a year . Now every 6th day since April. . Over 2 years. As youve said before go slowly otherwise your husband will be doing the shots for you!!

Hope it works out for you.

[Nackapan]

My symptoms were put down to stress and the menopause. The timing is spot on fir b12 starting to deplete. Headaches fatigue (not chronic like now) headaches when weary. Concentration problems clumsy as I had some nasty falls . Lady one the worst cracking my head on concrete. Paranoia .

I then thought I was anaemic. Doctors wiyjsnt didnt even si a blood test when I went with very sore ribs and out of breath. (From fall) I've since read all women are at risk from b12 deficiency in the menopause and should supplement. Aks8 should have a blood test. As ice said before this should be included on 50+ health screens for men and women.

So yes I had both symptoms the only ones that were familiar were the ones that resembled pmt.

I like Thrones was persuaded by my Gp to try HRT. Ti help my awful daily headaches/migraines at times. I k ow realise it was an attempt to get my serotonin levels up as she thought I was depressed ans wadnt pushing enough.

Unlike Thrones I lasted ? 6 weeks. I walked further than I should and got a 6 day migraine having gone far too weak 1/2 way on a very familiar walk in the fields. I aksi had breasts that were so big and sore I felt like a baby needed feeding. I aksi bizarrely went through many hormonal changes but all in the wrong order no pattern. I went t8 the first Gp with an appointment and burst into tears. Then the problems came getting off it. I was on a combined patch. 50mg. But a 25mg combined one not made. I wanted to wean off rather than cold turkey. So 25mg and my go said mini pill for progesterone part and to take sertraline . I didnt take sertraline.

Now I realise as not explained the sertraline raises serotonin.

So even though I was told bi problems coming off I had a day of terrible dizziness and diarrhoea (not a good mix) apparently normal with a big drop in hormones and serotonin levels.

All in all an unpleasant triall.

I was too old I think . I do realise it suits many but not when you've neurological symptoms from b12 deficiency that Gp

woukdnr have was related.

So I would think anythi g comparable to pmt is tour menopause and anything else b12 deficiency symptoms.

[MoKayD]

I blamed all of my symptoms on menopause, which makes sense because insomnia, tiredness, dizziness, brain fog, etc. are all symptoms of menopause. After starting B12 shots some of the symptoms started to go away but some didn't. I'm now two years into receiving B12 shots and almost 3 years post menopause and I feel so much better. My hot flashes have pretty much stopped. Oh, the joy of feeling cool and comfortable.

Hang in there, you will feel better but it takes time. Be kind to yourself. Do things that make you feel good, you're worth it. I'm not a patient person and the slow rate of recovery was frustrating and caused me to be more miserable.

[Woodyscooby in reply to MoKayD]

Mokayd thanks for your reply .....how often are you having your shots if you dont mind me asking

[MoKayD in reply to Woodyscooby]

Normally I get a shot once every three weeks. I seem to need more frequent shots in the summer so during July and August I will sometimes get a shot every two weeks.

[thenotsocrazycatlady]

Yep and it sucks, dizzy, spaced out, tight chest,heart flutters, hot flushes, feeling like you are about to pass out and generally feeling so weird that you think at times you must be dying as the weirdness is so strong. I've been rushed to hospital twice by ambulance with a suspected brain infection because my symptoms were so bad (throwing up, incoherent and passing out) but nothing was found. I'm covinced pa and menopause don't mix well. On the upside I feel like I am coming out the other end after two years as things seem to be settling down now and I rarely feel as bad as I have in the past and as my menopausal hot flushes have lessened too I think there must have been a connection and menopause makes pa worse or pa makes menopause worse.

[Woodyscooby in reply to thenotsocrazycatlady]

Could i ask if you take hrt for menopause ....

[thenotsocrazycatlady]

No, due to a very large fibroid I couldn't be prescribed it. However my fibroid shrank dramatically as soon as I stopped drinking milk. I think all the hormones in the milk were making it grow