b12 levels

[Sharkyboy]

hi I’ve recently been feeling fatigued more tired than usual at work and a general feeling of being unwell. I had routine bloods done and my b12 level came back as 1260. I did receive a b12 injection 2 week before the blood test as my pharmacist recommended it to maybe help with my symptoms. Also I was taking omega 3 with multivitamins in also but didn’t realise it included b12 aswell. So my question is would the injection of played part in my results being so high? Also the vitamins or is there something more serious going on

[Technoid]

its a normal B12 serum level that soon after an injection (and especially if you're getting additional B12 from the multi). If the test was requested by doctors, its odd to test serum B12 this soon after an injection because it is almost inevitably high. After the injection it can be very difficult(impossible?) to prove if a B12 deficiency existed although testing MMA/Homocysteine may show an issue (but not guaranteed).

Serum levels do not correspond to adequate treatment (if only it were that easy...)

There is nothing concerning about having a B12 serum this high from an injection. If any medical professional dealing with you is surprised at your serum result after the injection this is a sure sign they are clueless about B12. Likewise if they express anything along the lines of such a serum result being somehow dangerous or problematic.

[Technoid in reply to Technoid]

Would you be willing to share how much B12 is in the supplement? That could factor in too.

[Sharkyboy in reply to Technoid]

okay no worries thank you for that response. The multivitamins I was taking says on the tub that the amount of b12 inside is 136% of nutrient reference value is does say 3.4 something but not sure what the little symbol is next to it? Hopefully this helps.

[Technoid in reply to Sharkyboy]

3.4 mcg , thats pretty tiny so it probably had little or nothing to do with the result. Nothing remarkable in the test result. FYI the small "u"-like symbol is the greek letter mu which abbreviates the word micro ( as in micrograms).

[Sid_Arthur in reply to Technoid]

. . . ancient Greek, . . . almost as unfamiliar as double-Dutch ! Glad some on 'ere is more learned ! 😊

Sid 😑

'Friday 26 May 2023' it WILL be . . . in ⏳❗😊

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[Sharkyboy in reply to Technoid]

😀 thanks good to know! So my take away from this is that the b12 levels were just high due to the the injection 2 week before I just wasn’t sure if my body would of got rid of what I didn’t need.

[Sid_Arthur in reply to Sharkyboy]

. . . that sounds abt right ! You may also like to visit B12d.org . . . & use the helpful, easy to complete B12 deficiency 'calculator' on there.

As others on here will say, . . . its FAR more important to go by how we feel, . . . than by the results of a blood test, esp given the peculiarities of the serum B12 test, which tho' well known, continue to be poorly understood !

Sid 😑 Thursday 25 May 2023 - & ticking by at a foreseeable rate . . .

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[Technoid in reply to Sharkyboy]

Sharkyboy Since an injection is 1mg of B12, it can raise blood serum levels of B12 for some time. Even if it takes some time to clear the excess its important to understand that there is no toxic level of B12.

You have had one injection and you're taking a tablet with only slightly more than the RDA. If you were vegan, that tablet would be considered too low a dosage to be safely relied on as a single daily maintenance dose of B12, even for someone with healthy B12 levels.

There are many people on this forum that inject B12 every other day, every day or even multiple times a day. Many have being doing so for months to years. Nothing untoward has happened nor would be expected to happen as every available piece of respectable medical research is in agreement that there is no toxic level of B12.

The only situation where injecting B12 can cause significant risks is cyanokit - where grams of B12 are injected, sometimes multiple times in order to clear a cyanide overdose. The risk here is not even the B12 but the volume of fluid injected.

So even in such a case where comparatively massive doses are taken compared to those used to treat deficiency, the only significant health risk is coming from something unrelated to the B12 itself - the sheer volume of injected fluid. The benefit outweighs any risk for cyanokit because cyanide poisoning is of course potentially fatal.

[Sharkyboy in reply to Technoid]

thanks for that as I wasn’t really told how much was in the injection or anything, nothing much was said about my levels so it’s really put my mind at ease the response 👍🏻

[mountainice in reply to Technoid]

The neurologist got the GP practice to cut my B12 injections from two monthly to three monthly on the basis of the homocysteine test. Said I didn't need them so often. I wrote and wrote to the practice, no joy. I didn't know how to answer re the homocysteine.

[Technoid in reply to mountainice]

"although elevated MMA and HCys (Homocysteine) concentrations may be indicative of vitamin B12 deficiency, normal concentrations of these biomarkers do not rule out deficiency or a favourable response to cobalamin therapy"

njmonline.nl/article_ft.php...

[mountainice in reply to Technoid]

thank you , I have saved that.

[Sid_Arthur]

There are KNOWN issues with the serum B12 test, which I'm beginning to realise more & more! And, its seems YEARS after this being acknowledged, . . . the interpretation ERRORS continue, . . . to the detriment of service users ! 😕

Today found a 'Rapid response to: Vitamin B12 deficiency' in 'the bmj' from 4 Sept 2014 - worth finding it, & emailing the reference to your GP practice, . . . I'd suggest ! Easily found w' a 🔍 . . . I'm sure ! 😊 Also, worth becoming aware of this, & the list of refs cited there - for your own well being ! With less health, life becomes & feels more difficult, of course ! G🍒d luck !

Sid 😑

Thursday 25 May 2023 . . . right on ⏳❗( - had got a day ahead of myself! 😕❓ 😱❓ . . . 😊).

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[Sharkyboy]

thank you for all of that very helpful I will look into thanks again have a good day ! 😁👋

[wedgewood in reply to Sharkyboy]

You will always get first rate advice here from people who know more about P.A. / B12 deficiency than any doctor . You cannot overdose on B12. .You need your serum levels to be high. . Most of us on this forum need to self-inject to stay well . Best wishes .