Head pressure - B12?

[Ctadds1]

Hello all

I hope everyone is doing well. I have been receiving injections for almost 2 years. Just recently had my second child. I am experiencing alot of head pressure, ringing ears, and feeling like I am tipping over or being pushed I’m one direction or another. It’s not blood pressure or anything else I can figure out. Had anyone experienced these things as a result of low B12. I am thinking pregnancy, giving birth, breastfeeding, plus not getting much sleep is taking a toll on my B12 levels and I have increased frequency of injections to weekly but not sure if B12 is even the cause.

[Nackapan]

It could be be as b12 naturally drops after childbirth for everyone Also breastfeeding depletes you .

So having extra b12 and other vitamins s good idea.

I've had what you describe and to a degree ongoing for me.

Get your bloods done to make sure your iron levels,ferritin folate , vit d levels are okay.

Busy times but precious 😍

[Hidden]

Congratulations !Am pleased to hear baby has arrived, must be draining for you, hope you feel better soon

[rogergee]

I had quite similar weird things that you feel it's probably best not to tell anybody about!

I felt I was tipping over to the left as well as backwards, and I was obsessing about falling down the stairs over it.

Another really disturbing thing I had was the feeling of something moving that couldn't, if I was leaning on or had my hand on them, such as a bathroom basin or a wall - I would feel they were moving side to side or front to back.

These things were all worse when it was dark or I had eyes closed.

I did pluck up the courage to write a full list and tell my GP a couple of months ago, which led him to think it was potentially a brain issue. We came to agree that my B12 was likely rather low, despite the blood test results. I've just finished getting my loading dose of B12 at the surgery yesterday. These weird things have completely gone.

I hope you improve really soon.

[Nackapan in reply to rogergee]

That's good they have resolved. You've reminded me of the water in the bath moving from side to side like waves.

It wasn't.

And the walls closing in on me.

Tried a shower and wax an out of body experience.

Went on for some tine.

So hard to explain.

Sounds like something out of 'Alice in Wonderland '

[rogergee in reply to Nackapan]

What a bunch of weirdos we are.

I’m surprised I wasn’t asked about my alcohol and recreational drug use!

[Nackapan in reply to rogergee]

I was!! in A and E as pupils dilated in a bright room. At the time just thought a routine question.

Didn't dawn on me they didn't seem to believe me.

Also couldnt t walk without bouncing off the walls.

I even crawled to the loo with 2 elderly women tucked up in bed tutting at me but there were no walls close enough.

When I got to bed status after so long on a trolley I heard mutterings if there were more deserving cases by the other patients!! ??

The finale was bring told I was having a panic attack as nothing found wrong??

I did retaliate to that comment.

All Before a b12 test done at the go's later .

Couldn't make it up.

Not been able to read that a and e report yet.

[rogergee in reply to Nackapan]

Omg! We have been through some stuff.

Do you think that you really need to read that report ever? If it's not bringing something positive to your life, maybe it's better just to leave it in the past?

[Rexz]

I was having those same symptoms over a year ago now. The balance issues and when I walked I always veered to the left, sometimes to the point of almost falling down, I am sure I looked like a drunken sailor! The brain fog and becoming very disoriented. Seems with low B12 your compass and altimeter are off kilter! Then after many weeks of that my right side went completely numb. At that time I was on 1mg of Cyanocobalamin weekly. I went to neurologist here in US and had an brain and spinal cord MRI and an MRA (Angiogram) of brain and neck. This imaging all came back normal. My B12 injections were changed from 1mg weekly of Cyanocobalamin to the 2mg weekly of natural form of B12 Methylcobalamin. After about 6 months of being on that treatment my symptoms have pretty much resolved. I can walk again, the periods of disorientation are gone, the numbness resolved but still have some remaining in my right foot and part of my right hand. I will be staying on that methyl dose self injecting for the foreseeable future. You may want to consider trying a higher more frequent dose and maybe even changing to another form of B12.

Best wishes

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Congratulations !

Yes, you probably do need to up B12 for a while. B12 depeleted I expect. Nackapan is right about childbirth. Hope you have got good support around you.

Feels disorienting.

Antibiotics can do this to me now - assume because of B12 depletion .

rogergee - I'd forgotten all about that.

When I was very ill, things unexpectedly moving even slightly could throw me off balance and make me feel dizzy, nauseous. Ceiling-fixed rails full of clothes in shops, springy upper floors in shops, even walking past a bus-stop when bus starts slowly moving off. Movements no-one else particularly noticed. Especially peripheral. Someone next to me swiping quickly on phone, rapid credits at the end of a TV programme.... but don't think it was ever imaginary.

Did get imagined smells though- mainly bad ones: supermarket fruit and veg aisle that smelled of raw sewage was the worst. Absolutely convinced !

[Sleepybunny]

Congratulations on your little one's arrival.

Did you have gas and air mix as pain relief during your labour?

Gas and air mix has nitrous oxide gas. Nitrous oxide gas inactivates B12 in the body.

I'm not medically trained or a scientist but I'm guessing that it might take a while for inactivated B12 to be replaced in the body.

Nitrous Oxide

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/n...

NICE guidelines Nitrous Oxide ( see side effects section)

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/nitrou...

Strangely there is nothing on the NHS page about pain relief in labour about nitrous oxide inactivating B12 in the body.

nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and...

Have you had your folate, iron and Vitamin D levels checked?

Links about B12 deficiency and pregnancy

Link below says advice should be sought from a haematologist for patient with b12 deficiency who is pregnant.

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anae...

Did your GP do this?

Article from B12 Deficiency Info website about Pregnancy

b12deficiency.info/pregnancy/

I think PAS website had info on pregnancy.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

Have you talked to your midwife or health visitor or GP?

Birth triggered migraines for me which I suspect was an underlying B12 deficiency made worse by exposure to nitrous oxide.

[Susanemily]

I’m so sorry, it’s not unusual for pregnancy to increase copper. Have you had a serum copper and zinc test? I’ve been injecting bi weekly for 14 years and didn’t realize that cobalt can cause an imbalance in metals longterm. Please check, your symptoms sound like copper overload. I had it.

[Ctadds1 in reply to Susanemily]

How did you remedy this??

[Susanemily]

Lower copper foods and increase zinc. I’m still working on it but feeling better. I’m just saying this is a possibility. I wasn’t aware of it because I thought my symptoms were all B12 deficiency since I was injecting so often I knew something else was going on.

[Hidden]

Oh my gosh, my head has been feeling like it's in a vice without the pain along with back of neck stiffness, ringing in my ears and lightheadedness. Hate to say this, but it feels better knowing someone else is experiencing this as well - and I didn't have a baby. (but congratulations!)

[Ctadds1 in reply to Hidden]

Ugh some days I think my head might just pop right off with all the damn pressure! I am constantly trying to pop my ears or do anything for some relief