I had extreme paranoia and was a very nasty irritable anxious person. I quickly returned to normal on B12. Interesting when I stopped B12 because my GP told me my levels were too high the paranoia was one of the first symptoms to come back.
I think you probably need more B12 to get back to normal and stay there.
My anxiety , brain fog ,depression and giddiness all disappeared after loading doses , but started to return well before the prescribed 3 monthly dose .But GP would not give me an injection .before that time , because too much b12 was “toxic” . So I had to turn to self-injecting. ( Once weekly) Those named symptoms disappeared , and have not returned .Unfortunately the burning feet are still burning and painful , so irreversible. .
Yes , increase your dose . Do take a modest folic acid tablet 400mcg daily . Best wishes .
Hi wedgewood, Sorry to jump in here. My feet and hands have been keeping me up at night untill someone told me to put my feet in really cold water for about 10min then rub vicks on them and fluffy socks and I was sleeping like a baby.
Thanks for the information brenanddave . I will try anything . But my burning feet are the same 24/7 . Do not feel hot to the touch . Look perfectly normal . Also feel as though I’m wearing socks or shoes at least one size too small 😢! Also were originally totally numb . Numbness went away after b12 injections , and left me with the burning
I have burning feet but was diagnosed with Erythromelalgia which is a rare condition causing redness in hands, feet and sometimes arms,legs, ears and feet
Yes! Mine are not red or swollen but ache mostly at night and lesser during the day but at present they must be healing because it was keeping me up until I discovered that method. It works so I can then sleep. I hope this is not with me also for life as it is a year on and I am injecting sometimes 2x 1.5 B12 x All the best
I think the first good thing is that you recognise that this is not you.
Anxiety, irritability, depression, paranoia, mood swings, cognitive issues - all of these can be B12 deficiency symptoms, and all can become isolating. It is especially unhelpful that GPs aren't taught to expect any of these symptoms which can leave them trying to treat these as separate issues.
It can be difficult, when really ill, to refuse antidepressants, even when you know that this is really a part of the same thing that has made you exhausted or stopped your legs from being able to walk properly. It is also frustrating for a GP who truly believes that this is what you need !
I refused antidepressants three times, insisting that the source was physical. Eventually, it became clear that I "only" had the one thing wrong and this is now being treated (by me) at a frequency that will prevent a return of all of the above and more ! (Mostly). The NHS maintenance dose was not nearly able to do it's one job, not for me.
A extra-busy week or an illness, though, can mean symptoms return quicker than usual, and a temporary adjustment usually works. Any set-backs have been nothing to worry about long-term but this is not a cure. Just management.
This has been my experience. Others may have had more of a struggle to gain control over symptoms or found some that remain a problem. This might be due to severity of the deficiency they suffered or the length of time before treatment.
Certainly research and clarification regarding this would help both patients and doctors.
Yes. Definitely linked. It only gets worse without treatment. Megaloblastic anemia causes pure madness and can only get better with frequent injections and high doses of folic or folinic acid. Stay away from anything methylated as this can make the anxiety much worse. Try joining the pernicious anaemia B12 Deficiency Support Group on Facebook. They provide a lot of good info on self treatment in the files section. Best wishes to you!
I certainly have the psychiatric symptoms. Depression, anxiety, mood swings. The worst for me is the memory loss and drop in cognitive function, both speed of thought and clarity of thought. Unfortunately, though, I have been taking B12 injections for almost a year, and the symptoms are probably worse, although I can no longer remember what they were like to begin with...
YES!! This morning I was re apologising for my sister for phychotic out bursts to her when she was living with me 4 years ago. I remember feeling paranoid angry and highly anxious. I continued struggling with anxiety after that and my doctor was constantly trying to put me on . I had been on them for years and decided to stop them. I new there was something else going on with me. Very quickly after b12 treatment my mental health repaired and I was back to my old self. I think about 1 month. If I over do things I can feel myself getting abit anxious and tired so try not to push myself too hard.
Hi Jjjmmm, yes huge improvement .Had been on Antidepressants for 30 years for Anxiety / OCD / phobic anxiety you name it! Well I weaned myself off and started SI when it was discovered I had PA . Haven’t needed AD since. Yes I do get minor bouts of anxiety but age and reading some really good books written by top notch psychologists has helped too. I believe I’d been suffering with PA for years but hadn’t known . There are ways you can live with chronic anxiety and having B12 was one of them . You got this
It didn't happen overnight, but when my B12 is adequate, my anxiety is not as easily triggered, and I can manage my PTSD much better. It is still worthwhile going easy on yourself and avoiding stressful situations if possible, at least until your limbic system rewires. Sadly, dealing with this insidious disease without adequate support from the medical fraternity is a major stress in and of itself!
I find that with more B12 that it is easier for me to do the work that results in personal growth. I do not see or define this as psychiatric improvement.
A B12 does not actually cause personal growth rather is impeeds it when I am deficient thing.
I still feel like I'm doing lots of healing, having started self injection last September. I've had some terrible mood swings and paranoia, brain caught in repeating loops over stressful situations, tied in with sinus troubles.
Things that help...
Sunshine, more than vitamin D supplements, makes a difference. This winter has been so dark and wet.
Brazil nuts, is it the selenium, are proving moreish. More than pecans and walnuts. Gentle exercise, despite my achey knees. Sleep.
Cutting out sugar and too much carbohydrate to reduce insulin swings, and replacing them with good fat for stable energy. So extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil, avocados, nuts, eggs, grass fed meat when I can, butter, lard, oily wild fish. Avoiding margarine and chemical extracted seed oils.
Reading favourite novels for escapism.
Getting out, somewhere new is good, especially in nature.
I do feel like my brain is having the neural equivalent of Stacey Solomon clearing a house!
I definitely have anxiety and loss of coping skills. After years of treatment I ultimately settled on self injecting every 5 days. My physical symptoms were ok on injecting every 1-2 weeks but the anxiety and paranoia would return sooner. So grateful to have a dr who allowed me to try different injection frequencies. Likely saved my marriage. It’s amazing that I wasn’t institutionalized at the height of my illness - I was completely crazy. The stories I could tell…
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What are the symptoms of PA?
Suspected Pa , symptoms question
PA - B12D = Debilitating 
Which Symptoms Improve First?
