I am 55 and struggling with leg, feet, circulation type issues. I have had crohn's and psoriasis in my life. I have had every test under the sun and the doctor can't work out why I'm having so much trouble with my extremities. I also have constant pains in my right side of my gut, tinnitus, headache, moodiness, fatigue at times, and feel cranky and a bit forgetful. I've struggled with low b12 but tests ok at moment because I use supplements. My symptoms are getting worse and doctor can't find anything wrong with me. I think I have PA. What do you guys think?
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Jijimooma
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Those are certainly B12 deficiency symptoms. I don't know where you are located but I am in the States. For 10 years I used sublingqual daily letting it soak in for 20 minutes under my tongue and it worked very well for me. You can buy sublinqual B12 over the counter in the U.S. Recently the B12 has stopped working for me, hence I am in the support group and I am scrambling to try to somehow regain the progress I have made. Still 10 years of success on sublingual is a pretty good track record. It might be worth a try to see if it helps.
Thank you so much, how much did you take? I'm in australia and I think can only get tablet form here. Thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it 😊😊😊
injectable B12 is actually an over the counter medication in Australia but many pharmacies seem unaware of this. You could ask for a trial of B12 injections from your doctor referring them to the BCSH guidelines that can be found hereonlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...
and highlighting the comments on limitations of serum B12 test
Crohns is a condition that can lead to problems absorbing B12
I took sublingual B12 which came in a bottle with a dropper and looked like a thick red syrup. I did 5000mcg daily. Maybe you wouldn't need that much but when I was prescribed injections I needed daily injections of 1000mcgs. so when I wanted to switch to sublingual my doctor recommended up it to 5000mcgs. Daily. They worked just as well or better than the injectables it seems but perhaps I would have improved just as much if I was still taking the injections. Hard to tell. Some symptoms seem to slowly but steadily lessen as time goes by.
My peripheral neuropathy initially felt like circulation problems. You can be deficient in B12 with a total serum B12 at the top of the normal range. I was, and others on this forum have had the same experience. The only sure way to exclude B12 deficiency is to get B12 injections every 2nd day for at least two weeks and see if your symptoms improve. Oral B12 is not not guaranteed get your B12 high enough to deal with neurological symptoms.
I am also in Australia. We can buy B12 for injection without prescription from any pharmacy. I self inject. You need to find a doctor who will give you a trial of B12 injections. You should get your first one or two B12 shots by a doctor because some people have adverse reactions.
Thanks Martin_12, I have had them before years ago and no reaction in fact I remember them making me feel awesome. Where do you purchase them from in australia? Online or chemist warehouse?
Any chemist including chemist warehouse which is cheapest. Chemist warehouse requires a prescription if you order online but not in store. Of the locally made stuff I prefer Aspen because the glass of the ampoules is darkened to protect the B12 against light. I am now using Rotexmedica Depot from Germany because it is cheaper when bought in bulk, has better shelf life and seems to work better.
If injected B12 reduced your symptoms before, that is very strong evidence that you are B12 deficient and probably need injections for life. You just need to decide on the interval between jabs. Blood tests can't tell you that. Go by your symptoms.
Having low B12 suggests you may also have LOW VitD - again another link to Crohns and auto-immunity. Also check Folate and Ferritin - if low in range - they too can be the cause of some of your symptoms ...
I have had lots of gut surgery for Crohns and have a B12 issue and had very low VitD. I now inject B12 and take VitD supplements.
Low thyroid can also present with the symptoms you experience. It would be good to rule it out with the correct testing to include anti-bodies. Hashimotos is auto-immune - and yes I have that too 🌻
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