Told there is a change in NHS guidance on b12 injections ?

[JohnnyHC]

Has anyone recently been told there is a change in NHS guidance and GP now refusing to give b12 injection ?

[Hidden]

Welcome JohnnyHC , glad you found the forum.May I ask who told you this ?

[rogergee]

Hi JohnnyHC. I was told in March that there is now a move away from GPs sanctioning B12 injections and so I couldn’t have them, but I could buy over the counter oral B12 and take that if I felt I needed it. I was really close to being out of range on my blood test result, and very symptomatic.

A blood test, a few days, a polite argument quoting the British Society for Haemotology, and an intervention from one of the other partners at my GP's surgery when he consulted them, later, and it was agreed that I needed the injections, so they were sanctioned and started the following day.

Call me cynical but I sense a cost-cutting exercise when I hear one.

[JohnnyHC in reply to rogergee]

Cheers that’s what I am thinking as well, managed to fight my corner for now and getting my injection tomorrow

[rogergee in reply to JohnnyHC]

Oh well done! Hope you start uickly to improve.

[Nackapan in reply to JohnnyHC]

Oh that's good.Fight your corner.

There is still an ignorance with continuing b12 injections after loading doses.

Also going by b12 levels which are irrelevant once on injections.

Also a drive on oral b12. As very very little evidence it works.

I was told this by a neurologist.

I also had a gp get advice from a neurologist bf email!! Never met me as a patient.

I however have more prescribed thsn the bnf guidelines 2 -3 monthly.

If you have an absorption problem whether priced PA or not.

Injections are needed by s High majority of people.

Also one had injections as needed k think extremely difficult to stop completely without getting ill again.

Only cases are if the b12 deficiency I'd dietary .

The way to go is prescribed but self administerd

The b12 is cheap.

Nurses time costs more.

Still think cheap in thd grand scheme of things

More costly doing test after test .

Consult after consult

Rather thsn the b12 injection frequency you need.

It's a real mess.

And grossly underestimated how debilitating it is.

Hope you get what yiu need . Or an explanation what else is causing your symptoms

[CyclingDog]

Ah, that’s why my GP suggested it the other day! Not that he gives me injections anyway.

[eclilley]

May I ask, is your GP surgery in Gloucestershire?

[mountainice]

My surgery carried out an audit, perhaps last year, can't quite remember and made their own rules! Showed how much they would save per year, I think it was £22 !!

I was on monthly injections from my now-retired GP, she was very willing to listen to my concerns. This 'audit' changed me to two-monthly, which I could live with as I self-inject anyway, but the neurologist I saw last year wrote to the GP and said I should only have 3-monthly injections and no amount of letters I have written (about 7) have changed the mind of the woman who carried out the audit at the surgery (a doctor). I have quoted guidelines till I am blue in the face, they ignore and say they are giving me the treatment I need for 'me'. Well, I have PA and although I had loading injections in 2008 (discovered at the hospital owing to neuropathy) I was never given every other day injections until no further improvement as the guidelines. They quote the original neuro - well he was wrong, I should have had EOD. The current neuro is also woefully ignorant. It is an uphill battle constantly. I just hope and pray that one day B12 deficiency will be recognised for what it is and we get correct treatment without the battle. I can never understand why doctors do not educate themselves. They must have many people coming in with various symptom and asking for more frequent injections , and yet we get told anxiety or any other thing except what it really is. Similarly, for myself. hypothyroidism and I was told severe health anxiety.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

There is no change in the medical guidelines from NICE. But there will be soon. Next year I think.

The draft copy has been linked on a post here previously - and the questions put by a panel of medical professionals and (thankfully) other interested parties - such as the Pernicious Anaemia Society. It can't come soon enough.However, since medical guidance is being ignored right, left and centre already, it seems that we will still have a fight on our hands there.