Supplements still necessary?

[Aumshantii]

Good morning allI have run out of my methylfolate supplements I have been on B12 injections for a few years now and been taking supplements too. Just wanted to know if its necessary to keep taking the supplements, it just gets so expensive with the cost of living. I take B1,B2 & methylfolate. Any advice regarding the must have supplements gratefully received.

[Jillymo]

Hi,

As you have a diagnosis of PA I would advise to carry on suplemmenting. To save cost maybe a good multi vit would save a few pennies.

The following link might explain why these extra vitamins are needed.......

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Aumshantii in reply to Jillymo]

Thanks Jillymo, like the B12 supplementation the Bs will be lifelong. If anyone know a good one containing the essential Bs I would be grateful for recommendations.

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to Aumshantii]

I use this company: cytoplan.co.uk/shop-by-prod...

[Aumshantii in reply to ClaireWF1346]

Thanks Claire, that is the one I was using but the article posted by Jillymo above only mentions B1 & B6 are needed so I thought I could stop the methylfolate maybe. Any thoughts?

[ClaireWF1346 in reply to Aumshantii]

Ah sorry, I didn't read the article and just posted what I thought was a good supplier. I can't advise on the need folate however... I'm only a month into my treatment and still taking folate as per specialist's advice. Sorry! Hope you get an answer ☺️

[Aumshantii in reply to ClaireWF1346]

Thanks Claire, I too have taken the methylfolate the whole time up to now so hopefully I don't need to continue with that one but if anyone has advice on whether it should be continued whilst on injections, I will think again.

[Nackapan in reply to Aumshantii]

Folic acid shoujd be fine.200-400mcg daily .

Usually in a standard supermarket multivit .

As good or better than others I've taken

[edeuweed in reply to Aumshantii]

I use Viridian............

[Hectorsmum2]

dont waste your money on multi vitmains as they usually contain iron with blocks absorbtion of the other nutrients. I take ingenious super B complex. I only take one a day not the two suggested on the bottle so a bottle last me 120 days. I was recommended it by thyroid uk as it does not contain B6 which is a problem for some people. By from amazon for about £13. I think.

[Aumshantii in reply to Hectorsmum2]

Thanks Hectorsmum, I will take a look.

[Nackapan in reply to Hectorsmum2]

Multivits have worked for me .Blood tests show this .

Expensive is not always better!

Selling vitamins a right racket with prices and claims

[Technoid in reply to Hectorsmum2]

"dont waste your money on multi vitmains as they usually contain iron with blocks absorbtion of the other nutrients."

This is not the case. With extremely high doses of iron such as those used for treatment of an iron deficiency, there can an effect on the absorption of other nutrients, but with the level of iron that is normally found in a standard multivitamin, this won't happen.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

People with B12 absorption problems may also experience problems absorbing other micronutrients - particularly folate and iron, but not everyone does.

There is a lot of hype about methylfolate - unless you have been specifically advised by a medical professional that you need methylfolate then a supermarket supplement should suffice and will be much cheaper.

[Aumshantii in reply to Gambit62]

Good to know, interesting about iron as I always had an issue with anaemia randomly coming on and going. I assumed it was menstrual cycle related because sometimes it resolved without supplements. I should really ask to be tested again as its been a while and I'm also hypothyroid.

[Marz in reply to Aumshantii]

Good idea to be tested again. As you are Hypo low iron can affect the conversion of your Levo/T4 into the active T3. It's possible you have auto-immune thyroid so your absorption generally could be affected. How is your VitD ?

[bookish]

Hi, did you try a folic acid supplement before you tried methylfolate? Many are fine with folic but some do better with methylfolate (which made a vast difference to me). I have not found that consultants appreciate the difference. You may be fine with a folic or a multi/B complex, it rather depends on which processes aren't working very well. Keep a diary and if you notice return of symptoms, readdress your changes.

[Aumshantii in reply to bookish]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I have Hashis and my D was always low too. I will ask for bloods to be tested to be sure of deficiencies before paying for more supplements. Hopefully we will have a bright summer and all get some natural D.