Active B12 test

[Clags]

Hi all,

Has anyone got a link to being able to buy active B12 tests or do they have to be done by a medic /GP? Thanks

[Gambit62 Administrator]

generally people on the forum don't go for testing the way some other forums do - once you have a diagnosis there generally isn't much point and the standards don't recommend retesting if you are on injections.I think a lot of people use medichecks but please be aware the GPs often don't trust the tests. Another option is St Thomas in London who do private testing. Generally GPs won't use active B12 - its a more complex test.

[Clags in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit62 that’s very helpful

[LaPantera in reply to Gambit62]

Been down that avenue. Absolute waste of money. Treat symptoms not results;

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Holland and Barrett have an Active B12 test kit available on their website.

[FlipperTD]

Scientist, not medic.

If the NHS don't offer 'Active B12' then ask yourself why that might be. It simply adds to the cost of investigation, but doesn't generally add much to diagnosis or treatment. It's easy enough to find a supplier, but you could do worse than ask your GP for advice, and listen. Good quality samples taken by a competent phlebotomist and submitted quickly to an NHS laboratory [for me, at any rate] are preferable to finger-prick samples sent in the post, but that's purely a personal standpoint.

Good luck.

[Clags]

Thanks all

[Clags]

It’s for my pregnant daughter who is also B12 def and wants to make sure she and her baby are getting all the support they need. Her GP keeps repeating bloods which of course just show high B12 levels as she has two monthly jabs. However even before she was pregnant she struggled with low energy at the end of this period.

I’ve passed on all the advice so she can make her own choices.

Thanks all.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Clags]

if on injections - wouldn't bother with active B12 - generally its about 1/5 of serum B12.Ideally she should go by symptoms. There are a couple of tests that look at metabolites that build up if B12 isn't available at the cell level - MMA and homocysteine but the test method means they really need to be done at a hospital.

B12 levels tend to be lower during in pregnancy anyway because the body tries to meet the needs of the foetus as a proiority which makes identifying and treating deficiency in pregnancy more complicated if you are going by test results

[Clags]

Again thanks all I’ve passed this all on your her.