Vitamins

[brenanddave]

Hi all, Just another quick question. I am at the early stages of dealing with PA and need advice as to the most important vitimans I need to take with the B12 and folic acid I am on now. Thank you

[Technoid]

Unless you are deficient I would not bother with anything beyond an excellent diet:

hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions...

an RDA level multivitamin along with adequate Vitamin D supplementation.

You will find many recommendations to take extra Magnesium, B-vitamins etc etc. This can make sense if your diet or absorption is poor and blood results indicate that despite adequate intake you are not absorbing properly.

A useful exercise is to run an average day through an app like Cronometer. This can often show up unexpected areas of deficiency or low intake which can then be dealt with by diet changes and/or supplements. Without checking an average day in cronometer, its quite hard to tell whether you are really getting enough of any particular vitamin, mineral or macronutrient. It may also save you money on unnecessary supplements - for example I discovered my folate, iron and magnesium intakes are multiples of the RDA so it made no sense for me to supplement those.

[Technoid in reply to Technoid]

I have revised downward very substantially my ideas about necessary supplements but if you would like a huge list of supplements to consider, I wrote a long guide almost a year ago on them here:

healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...b12-deficiency-treatment-support-plan-for-the-newly-diagnosed-managing-stress-sleep-diet-and-supplementation-personal-reflections?responses=148356054

Although I still take some of the supplements mentioned in this list, I now think it is a much better idea to get the highest proportion of them from food if possible since whole foods come in a package that makes them far more useful from a health perspective, such as the various kinds of fibre needed for a healthy microbiome, phytonutrients etc. I see supplements as a complement only, with the healthfulness of the overall diet as the main event.

This is not to say supplements are useless, indeed many are critical/essential but IMO they should only serve as a final jigsaw piece to a picture that is largely composed of the other components of the diet, sleep, exercise etc. I would now also add properly planned safe heat and cold exposure to that picture, as being very beneficial to health

Supplement safety is also very important (e.g. does it contain what it says on the label at all and at the stated quantity) and is it free of dangerous contaminants. A good site to check for supplement quality is labdoor.com/ . Third party testing is important for quality and safety.

[brenanddave in reply to Technoid]

wow! Thank you so much for all that info. I appreciate it and your time. I have been diagnosed with pernicious anaemia and am def b12 I am presently having weekly b12 shots but am increasing that as I am still experiencing peripheral neuropathy and neurological issues memory recall etc. I am taking 800 folic acid and magnesium also but have heard multi b is needed too.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to brenanddave]

Ask your GP to check ferritin and folate levels, vitamin D and thyroid. If any of these are causing additional problems, s/he should address this and monitor until stabilised so that you are aware when and if supplements are necessary. They aren't always.

NICE medical guidelines to GPs re treatment for those with B12 deficiency with neurological symptoms: every other day (EOD) B12 injections until no more improvements can be had - then every 2 months. Nerve damage can take a long while to heal, so unlikely to get improvements immediately: your GP will need to be aware of this. If it works, the point is to continue it.

The point at which you are satisfied that nothing more can be gained and you are happy to maintain what you've got ? I think this can be a difficult one to accept. Sometimes, not everything can be recouped, but nothing can be gained by an early finish ! It is your life and a discussion, not a medical decision made for you, is warranted.

[brenanddave in reply to Cherylclaire]

Thank you Cherylclaire I have hemochromitosis so ferritin builds up and an I need venesections. I am taking folic acid. D vits and now multi B magnesium and probiotics on the advice of people in the group. Hoping that will do it. I am waiting on an endoscopy and have had thyroid come back fine.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to brenanddave]

Bear in mind that no-one here (to my knowledge, anyway) is a medical professional. You are having to deal with quite a lot, and should not need to do this alone.

Glad you have had thyroid checked - and an endoscopy pending. Still, I would not expect that folic acid, vitamin D, magnesium and probiotics always necessary - and, like Technoid , would not supplement unless advised to do so because found to require additional help on testing/ monitoring.

Hope some answers found for you soon.