B12 and Folic acid

[tantoller]

Last year I had loading injections of B12 then went onto B12 tablets at my 6month blood test my B12 levels were good but my folate levels low so I took folate and in latest blood tests all levels were good.

My question is I have stayed on a daily tablet of both B12 and Folic acid (as vegan) but have developed bloating and bad trapped wind, I wonder if I’m taking too much?

B12 is 50mcg per tablet and folic acid is 5mg

[wedgewood]

Your B12 dosage is fine , but your folic acid is extremely high . ,A modest 400mcg should be sufficient - that is the amount that is recommended during pregnancy . You can’t overdose on B12 , but you can on B9 ( folic acid ) I suspect that as a vegan you may well be eating B9 -rich foods , but a modest 400 mcg daily tablet would be fine .A 5 mg folic acid tablet should really only be taken on a doctor’s recommendation, and then only for a short period -say a month , if the patient was grossly deficient .

I have not heard of overdosing Folic acid producing the side effects you mention . I think that something else is doing that . I had bloating because I had low / no stomach acid , due to Pernicious Anaemia. Lack of stomach acid allows bad bacteria to flourish , causing fermentation in the stomach . ( bloating) I solved this with a probiotic .— this helped the stomach flora . This is just one possible reason for bloating . Always remember to eat slowly and chew thoroughly . There is a breath test that could help you to find out what is causing the bloating .

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I am surprised that you have a folate deficiency as a vegan as would have expected you to be consuming a good amount of folate rich foods. The best sources of folate are dietary. If you were consuming sufficient folate rich foods but still deficient that would imply that you have a folate absorption problem. If you have a folate absorption problem then that makes it more likely that you will have a B12 absorption problem which would mean that the dose of B12 you are taking won't be adequate long term.The bloating and wind could be an indication that you have low stomach acidity which would also be consistent with folate and B12 deficiency. Try having some lemon or lime juice in water with your food and see if that helps

However, as wedgewood says - 5mg is too high a dose to be taking as a maintenance does for folate absorption issues. 400mcg would be more appropriate

[Ninagreen]

If you have absorbtion problems you need B12 injections. With that low dosage of B12 you only need what you get from your food for folate. You can't go by your bloodwork after getting injections. It will give false results.