Sorry if this seems like another 'needy post. I've bored you all enough with my problems over the last few weeks.
Now one month into my SI EOD, and feel like in this reversing out, I've hit rock bottom mentally. I feel like the mood changes I'm experiencing are getting more extreme, and the lows are descending into terrible depression, which has veered into horrible, suicidal feelings in the last few days. My wife is talking about making an 'intervention' for my own safety (i.e. sectioning) and I'm tempted to go with that, except I'd be worried they wouldn't let me continue with the B12 injections and supplements!
I feel completely gaslit by every medical professional I've seen in the last few weeks - And there have been a lot. 2 visits to A&E, CT scan of my chest, MRI cranial scan, cardiologist, and the world's most sneering endocrinologist who told me it was highly unlikely my symptoms were due to B12, as my levels weren't low enough (my active B12 had been 33pmol, folate 2.6). My GP thinks it's all in my head, and is angry that I haven't taken the SSRI she prescribed yet. I'm worried that the SSRI might make me feel even worse, or worse than that not help at all.
Just feel like I'm suffering with something that no medical professional (apart from Dr Klein, initially) thinks is serious, so I'm starting to question my own sanity
My son left for university a couple of weeks ago, and I miss him so much. The empty nest syndrome (or whatever you want to call it) would have affected me anyway, but the anxiety caused by the B12 has ramped jt up and the sadness is overwhelming. Am still crying 10-15 times a day, which is something I never did at all until 2 months ago. It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm just dreading it - My son's coming back home for the afternoon and worried I'm going to be crying the whole time.
I know I have at least a couple of months to go until things start improving, but keep thinking 'what if I get to 6 months abd I don't feel any better? Or a year?'. The thought is unbearable - I don't even know how I'll mentally make it to next week. I was seeing a therapist when this started, but last 2 sessions have felt worse afterwards.
Any stories of hope appreciated, progress from this stage, or even whether SSRIs helped you, or something else. I've tried speaking to Samaritans (and they're actually calling me tomorrow evening) but feel like I'm running out of time, and not always thinking rationally now. The thing is, I've actually experienced severe depression in the past, 12 years ago, but this doesn't feel like that in some ways - 12 years ago I didn't have moments of complete normality in between the depression.
Sorry!
Written by
Laverdista
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Really sorry to hear how bad you feel . You must try to hang on that this can and does happen to some people with B12 deficiency/ Pernicious Anaemia. Do read the post of a day ago written by Iheart12.—— Alright , she had severe physical symptoms. and yours are mental . I hope that her story encourages you .
I have been reading posts on this forum for over 10 years , and I’ve read so often that patients do often go through this phase called “ reversing out “ , which you are going through at the moment .
It is very depressing that the medical profession has so little understanding of B12 / Pernicious Anaemia . I went through a time when my GP regarded me as an Hypochondriac. It is very hard to bear . Try to get out in the fresh air ( when the weather allows it !) Have a good diet . And do keep on injecting . Be persistent. . You may think that I’m just uttering platitudes , but I honestly want to give you the knowledge that you can overcome this set back . Make the most of your son’s visit.
It’s a good sign that you are experiencing moments of normality . Your previous depressions may have been caused by B12 deficiency . Since my P.A. has been treated correctly ( by myself —Self -injecting) I have not had a depression . That’s over 10 years . I’m amazed , because it used to happen fairly often . I think that I had P.A. for over 20 years before I managed to get a diagnosis . I was sent on my way when my B12 was well below range . But we know that one can have a normal B12 result , but still have b12 deficiency/ P.A.
Try to keep a bit optimistic. I know that it’s very difficult. It’s a terribly personal thing to go through . It’s different for everyone . And you can’t describe it properly.
Thank you so much for the positivity. I'm trying hard to dwell on the positives but it's been really difficult to appreciate them recently. 😔
I agree about getting out in the fresh air. I'm lucky enough to live in a rural location, and am a part-time farmer (well, smallholder really). Two years ago I planted an orchard of 30 apple trees in one of our fields. There's lovely views of hills from it. I started walking to it a week ago, and I put a bench there. I've been sitting there for hours at a time, just enjoying the stillness, and being in fresh air (breathlessness is still one of the most distressing symptoms) helps me 'breathe'. I've been sitting writing my symptom diary and thinking. But I've even found it difficult to get enjoyment there for the last 2 days, which leads me to believe my mental health is getting worse.
I hope that I can get through this, but might have to ask for physical help with my mental health before things get out of hand. I'm trying to tell myself that 'it will pass', but I feel like I'm running out of time. 😔
Yes I had that breathlessness as well . Absolutely horrible . I had “ gut problems “ too . Caused by the lack of stomach acid . I got over that too by drinking probiotic kefir which I make at home now . ( it’s the best sort of kefir —read all about it ! ) I can only urge you to hold on to the fact that you WILL get over this very bad patch . Do not stop injecting and also take a 400 mg of folic acid daily , as it works together with B12. 👍👍👍
Thanks for the reassurance, and for relaying your own experiences. Last night was a terrible night (spent 2 hours on the phone to Samaritans) but one way or another I will seek help to get over this. Hardest thing is just not knowing how long the mental symptoms will last. Will they ever get better?
Hi. My thyroid was OK. My folate was very low before I started SI (2.6), and my vit D was low (57). I'm hoping to have another blood test this week to find out what progress (if any) I've made on those levels in the last 6 weeks.
Ok, I've not tried folonic acid though have considered it as it was recommended after I was struggling with methyfolate. In the end I persevered with methylfolate by reducing to the level I could tolerate and gradually increasing. Just looking for contraindications and the NICE website states the following:
"Rare or very rare
Agitation (with high doses); depression (with high doses); epilepsy exacerbated; gastrointestinal disorder (with high doses); insomnia (with high doses)"
I'm not sure if I can help but this is my experience.I had the anxiety, breathlessness, fatigue, depression, impending doom, fear of losing control etc. I started B12 and like you still had symptoms. I did lots of research into different vitamins and minerals I could be deficient in and how I could fix my stomach and improve my health.
Unfortunately it just wasn't enough for me and I had to reach out for more care. I was started on antidepressants and I felt worse. I didn't give it time to work as my anxiety was so bad. I was given diazepam which helped massively. It have me time to assess and rest. But unfortunately I was still ill.
I took an overdose and ended up on a psych ward for 3 months. For me it was a huge scary blessing in disguise. I could rest and be away from life that was triggering me and I met some amazing friends. When I left I had 18 months of psycho therapy, I'm now medication free, I eat well, get out in nature and I rest. I still self inject twice a week and I still have occasions of being down but I manage and previously I wasn't managing.
Sometimes we cannot blame everything on a b12 deficiency and sometimes we need more support than friends and family.
I let go of resistance and went with the flow.
No you cannot self inject on a psych ward but you can get support to help you get better and take up self injecting when you leave.
Thank you so much for the words of hope, and I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. I would happily check in to a mental hospital if I felt it was a 'safe' place to heal. Saying that, I'm worried about the neurological symptoms I still have from B12D, and which might get worse without treatment, and I need to get some more info from my cardiologist and/or a haematologist about my other physical symptoms (blood pressure has shot up to dangerous levels in the last 2 weeks).
Happy birthday, Laverdista!Recovering from this pernicious disease is hard work, mentally and physically. Noone's experience will be quite the same, but you are not alone in this. Don't give up - you have plenty to strive for, and better days to look forward to. Explore all your options , there will be a solution. Your son will want you there at his graduation, after all! Praying that you find the way through soon 🫂
I was in "reversing out" for about half a year. During that time I stopped going to any doctors, as I was pretty much too miserable to go there, and I didn't trust they could help me anyway (as I was 99 % certain my symptoms came from b12d). And I also feared I couldn't receive my injections in a clinic, like you. The only doctor I went to was a psychiatrist that I trusted. I told him b12d was causing panic attacks for me and asked for a tranquilizider, which he did prescribe. That helped quite a bit to get through the absolute worst bits. But in the end what it boiled down to for me was trust. Trust that this would be over after the estimated time frame in that symptoms from b12d heal. And it was. Now that I'm through I do body-oriented trauma therapy in order to calm my nervous system down again after this traumatic phase in my life. It helps. You can do this too! Trust the process. It might be reeeally hard now, but it won't be like that forever.
Thanks for the insight into your own experience with this. My wife keeps saying to me 'it will pass', just as she keeps reminding me what it would do to her and our son if I did something stupid. But (as I'm sure you know) when we're in that dark moment, rational thought doesn't come easily. 😔
Your not boring anybody your reaching out in desperation. How ofren are you injecting ? I had never suffered with depression until the B12 issue ! I felt suicidal to the point I were clearing things out because I were convinced I were going to die. That side of things for me soon passed............. pernicious-anaemia-society....
Your son leaving for university has left a gap in your life but do try and enjoy his home coming tomorrow, Keep telling yourself this is just a phase that will pass. That dear wife of yours is trying to protect you.
It seems few in the medical field fully understand the impact a B12 deficiency can have. I have seen many consultants the worst beinga neurologist who was totally dismissive of my symptoms and tried to label me with FND ( Functional neurological disorder. ) Luckily my Drs didn't warrent his assumption.
Your not alone and always welcome on site to express your thoughts and feelings. We not only listen we also feel your emotions.
I hope your feeling a little brighter and enjoyed your day with your son. Keep the B 12 going in and if you feel SSRIs might help to lift you take them along side. Its a phase that will hopefully pass, my depression, mood changes and blurred vision were the first symptoms to improve.
Your amongst others who have suffered the same and in time you will gather enough facts and information to educate others. Unless you suffer this condition it's a hard one to understand just how visious and debilitating it can be.
Take advice from others with regard to folate ect which works along side of the B 12. I take a good alround vitamin tablet daily along side of a gentle iron tablet. I found listening to music lifted me.
I’m so sorry you’re going through such a tough time. I also struggled with anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts before I found out about B12 and started treating it. The psychological symptoms were some of the first to start to abate. I hope yours start to ease up too.
I don’t know what the answer is, but don’t hold off on getting help if this valley continues. I hope your birthday is better than you anticipate!
I thought I’d add here, by “first to abate” I don’t mean they disappeared with my first injection. Instead, once I was having injections more regularly and was fairly strict about the timing (exactly 48hrs apart), after a month of this I noticed things easing a lot.
Before that, my injections were haphazard - loading doses were once per week for 3 weeks. And then once per month for 3 months.
I logged all my symptoms and begged the doctor to put me back onto weekly as I was only having 48hrs with reduced (not gone, just lessened) symptoms. That was helpful and then I started on self-injections and haven’t looked back.
I’ve just seen your update - I’m so glad you’re feeling even a little bit more secure. Has your wife read any of our posts in here? That might reassure her about this being a very real struggle for lots of us.
Never be sorry for reaching out. Iv been where you are and it's not a nice place to be so I understand your frustration. Have you tried talk therapy?? I feel there is something going on that you don't know about and it is manifesting physically and mentally on you at this time. Please go to see a good councilor ASAP. Maybe a break in hospital will help.
I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time, but as others have said, there is hope !!
You're definitely not needy, boring or mad !
I can say that with sincerity, because I and everyone here has experienced the same, or variations of it.
I too have had many bouts of depression , some severe.
Since I was adequately treated with B12 injections ( which has included weekly self injection ) I haven't suffered any depression.
I did however, take up my doctors offer of an SSRI ( Citalopram ) to help me over the worst at the beginning.
SSRIs have had a bad press over the last few years, but for me and many others they were a lifesaver !!
It's true that they can make you feel absolutely terrible for a few weeks, but that wears off and then your mental health slowly begins to improve.
They are NOT addictive !
Again, just as when you started taking them, there is a period where you can feel a little rough as you're coming off them, and this has to be done very slowly and gradually.
However, for me, the benefits far outweighed the temporary negatives.
As for other B12 deficiency symptoms, injections certainly were not a quick fix for me.
I'd been undiagnosed for too long, so the neurological symptoms in particular took at least six months to resolve, and I didn't feel fully human again until a year.
There were small gradual improvements from early on, though, so the secret is to plod on and try not to lose heart !
Enjoy your sons visit in the knowledge that there will be good times ahead, both with your health, and the pride you have in your son spreading his wings.
My son too left home a couple of years ago, and while of course we miss him, it has opened new horizons for us as well as him !
Take courage from everyone here , and very best wishes! Xx
hello Laverdista, I am so sorry you are having a terrible time atm.
When I experienced Reversing Out it was not the physical symptoms but the mental black pit that made each day unbearable. I knew I had to keep injecting so I did. I have never experienced mentally anything as bad as this before.
I have read posts that others have suffered with this negative altered mental/emotional state. Just keep going injecting, plus taking folate too. You will emerge from this.
Thank you so much for the reassurance and kind thoughts. Did you take any medication to get through the darkest moments? How long did it take for you for the mental symptoms to subside?
No, on medical notes cannot take antidepressants because of side effects. That was a while ago, now I avoid doctors who do not understand many conditions and their medications if at all possible.
So, I kept it to myself, envisaged a dark tunnel and prayed to find the light and emerge from Reversing Out. I also kept reminding myself of the improvements I had made.. Timescales, I don't know, just seemed forever, but of course it wasn't 🙂. Maybe up to two months. Suddenly no more 'darkness', I was suddenly ok again.
Thanks, Lorraine. I'm actually thinking that a hospital break may be helpful. But need to get some other things checked as well (physical health) before I go.
I know it won’t help much but trust me I’ve been there more than once. I am not a natural crier so it seemed so weird to me. Your a month in and trust me I hated it when people said it to me but that’s early days. As I understand it no b12 means no feel good chemicals in the brain.
Everyone is different but it took me 2 months to stop crying. And probably 3 where I felt my thought processes were more balanced.
Thing is you are stressing and that lowers your b12. When I got that bad I was spending as much time in the garden reading as possible trying to distract my mind. I’ve even more recently started doing weights and the treadmill as exercise I feel helps with my mood.
Just remember stress is your worst enemy. Klein himself told me recently when my whole system crashed it was down to stress and illness. He had me up my dosage to every day for 2 weeks and I pulled out of that nose dive.
If you genuinely think you would follow through on suicide do see someone. I felt suicidal but knew I was incredibly unlikely to do that. My best friend killed himself when I was 17 and seeing what it does to everyone around you would hopefully always stop me.
Just tell yourself this mantra ‘I will get better, it takes time and I am on the right road’
If u need to talk give me a shout.
I too have been gaslit by all the gps at my surgery even told false information that I would overdose on b12 which is impossible. You have to put your faith in someone and I chose Klein.
Try not to beat yourself up. Try to tell yourself things will gradually improve and in 3 months you will feel better. Try not to stress although I know how hard that is. Distract yourself. Do you have hobbies?
I'm so sorry you're feeling like this, sounds very tough to deal with. I haven't been diagnosed with PA but I have with Secondary Progressive MS . I always say I have to ride the MS rollercoaster. Sometimes standing flailing an arm around like a rodeo rider (YEEHAA!) and other times hiding in the footwell willing it to stop. B12 helps no end but, yes, makes you worse before you feel the benefit.
I try to just hang on in there when times are tough and trust that rollercoaster will take me to a better time.
Good luck with it all and remember we on this forum are here for you. Take care.
well b12 deficiency can cause depression, exacerbated by the symptoms of b12 deficiency being so terrible, it's no wonder you feel like you do. It's ok. It's not you! The medical world has let you down. But the up side is there is a solution.
I don't know active b12 levels. Did you have a serum b12 test before any injections? if so what was it?
Either way, if your b12 is low, it took up to 4 years to get low, thus it will take a long time to get your b12 levels up and for your body to repair the damage done, but it will repair and THERE IS HOPE.
I and many of us here have been down this journey and are here to tell you, it is slow but sure. I went from being bed ridden to climbing mountains. But it was very gradual progress over two years. I definitely felt better but it was slow. After the 2 years I felt amazing.
The key is, keep doing the daily or eod injections, never let anyone convince you to stop or space them out. Do them until your symptoms resolve. For me, my b12 deficiency is due to an absorption problem and thus I will need injections for life. If I space them out the symptoms come back. So don't skip them even when you are feeling down or scared. Tell yourself in a loving way that this injection is what will get me well.
take a b multivitamin.
And have no shame in crying. It's how you feel, let it out. Hugs from all of us and thank you for reaching out to us and giving us the opportunity to pay it forward. So many here helped us on our journey and still do. I consider all on this forum my family.
There is no shame taking an ssri. I have done it and once I got feeling better, very slowly tapered off.
I see it as diabetes, they need insulin, why is mental health any different.
My heart goes out to you. I can completely relate to what you’re going through. My initial B12 level was 282 and I received two monthly injections which actually made me feel worse as i started to crash a couple of weeks later. I felt amazing the day after my first injection—mentally and more energy as I had trouble getting out of bed ( I had chalked this up to extreme grief from losing my brother unexpectedly).
Long story short, I discontinued injections without understanding the situation and I became very sick. The anxiety was relentless after 3 months and anemia symptoms were so scary that I made an appointment with my general practitioner. I could barely drive to the appointment.
Though I had never had any psychiatric history, for the first time in my life, I understood why some people are in such agony that they are driven to take their own lives. My GP put me on weekly doses and I started to feel better, but when blood testing showed b12 levels around 780 and still experiencing extreme anxiety, I thought the low b12 diagnosis might be wrong.
I asked my neurologist about this and she explained it takes one full year for the brain to recover from low b12. My GP prescribed Lexapro for me because I was going back to work after taking 10 years off to have children and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to function. This was approximately 6 months after starting back on injections but there were some issues with continuity of treatment so that definitely affected achieving full recovery.
I started Lexapro at the lowest dose 5mg that is only half the therapeutic dose of 10mg. By that same evening, I felt motivated enough to start organizing in preparation to go back to work—something I had not been able to do.
I was on the SSRI for 10 days when I began my job. I was still having anxiety. I felt like I wanted to jump up and run out of the room during meetings. It was awful. After about 6 weeks of lexapro, the anxiety was gone.
I took the drug for another 4 months that would have put me at a full year since regular injections began. In the meantime, my injections were reduced from weekly to biweekly. After discontinuing the SSRI, which had run its course as I felt like I was always in the middle and I was a person who always had a lot of highs-I experienced bouts of less severe anxiety that I thought was the best that I was ever going to feel.
By a couple of years later of biweekly injections and using a vial longer than 28 days, I bottomed out and experienced phobia so bad that I would not drive on an interstate. I worked with a therapist for about 9 months to no avail as I live in an area where interstate travel is a must.
She told me that she couldn’t help me after almost a year and to get an SSRI from my GP. Just about this time, a pharmacist questioned me why I wasn’t filling my hydroxo rx every 30 days and how long was I using the vial? I had been using it unrefrigerated for about six months and I was injecting biweekly.
I opened a new vial and injected weekly two times. In 10 days, I was able to muster the courage to drive on the interstate for just a few minutes. Recovery took some time, but I was in full remission after about two years of weekly hydroxo and using the vials only 28 days.
Unfortunately, the US shortage of hydroxo, resulted in a setback for me. I used a combination of pascoe and cyano and nothing seemed to work. I was able to finally refill the hydroxo and upped my injections, but still not in full remission. I recently took a pascoe injection again and I think it definitely helped, so I’m going to incorporate that with the hydroxo and see if that won’t put me back in full remission?
Anyway, the path to recovery can be long and winding and each person has different needs. I wish that I had loading doses and had known more about b12 deficiency and PA when I was first diagnosed, but I will tell you that recovery is possible if you stick to an adequate injection schedule. Just realize that it won’t happen overnight and will take some time.
What kind of B12 are you taking? Is it methyl? If so, methyl made me feel horribly anxious and gave me insomnia. These issues went away with in 24 hours of stopping this type of B12. Something else to consider.
It's not you. Your whole system is exhausted. When your body is in stress mode it can't heal. So your absolute priority is to breath, tell your head these thoughts ARE the illness and observe them like pebbles on a beach. Throw them in the sea and soak up the sunshine.
Make sure you are getting all the other B vitamins, methyl folate especially and magnesium - Epsom salts in a long hot bath.
A good quality liver paté is the more natural way to get what you need. Cut out inflammatory sugar, carbohydrate and alcohol. Make sure you are getting enough olive oil, avocados, butter, and quality meat. Your brain us 60% fat and the rest protein. Give it the tools to rebuild and as much sleep as possible.
I've struggled with much paranoid speculation, not helped by doctors. It does return, black and white thinking, and I know it's a sign to not push, and eat well. I get sinus problems. A bad sinus infection can make me really end of days doolally. I recently was recommended to use non fluoride toothpaste by another PA sufferer, early days, it seems to help things not be so inflammatory. Sterimar is good for washing out sinusitis.
You are not a burden on your family. You are their parent, they just want to see well. Your loss would be a far, far, far greater burden.
Things will improve. Well done for self injecting. Well done for finding what's wrong. Be kind to yourself. Make the most of your babe coming home, but let him fly, it's his time to fly, and he'll keep coming back.
Hi there—I am so sorry you are going through this. I know what you are feeling, as I had similar symptoms about 3 months after having COVID in January 2022. I am positive that’s when my B12 deficiency began but it wasn’t until January 2023 that it was discovered after I had asked to have my level tested.
Backing up to April 2022, my then GP put me on an antidepressant because I was so depressed. I had such digestive issues that I had no appetite, was nauseous all the time and losing weight like crazy. I had never had depression before in my life. I began taking mirtazapine and quite honestly it really helped me. It is sometimes prescribed to chemo patients for nausea and I was able to put weight back on and sleep better.
I am still taking it, but I am only taking a quarter of the dose prescribed. I have a B12 injection every other week and take probiotics to help with my digestive issues. Still working on that but I’m much better than I was 2 years ago. Hang in there, it will get better!
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I did in fact try mirtazapine when I had a boit of depression 12 years ago, but I found it made me feel a bit groggy, and I did put a fair bit of weight (I remember the GP saying 'hide the cookie jar'). It's really strange for me to be losing so much weight without trying, but I am getting close to worrying about the amount of weight I've lost and my lack of appetite.
I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling Laverdista . Many of your difficulties are familiar to me before I became well. I can only see this on looking back, but there was a time when I was constantly tired, depressed and breathless. I never thought I'd be able to climb up my beloved mountains and fells again and found it hard to see the point of continuing. But first of all I wanted to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I DID recover.
My advice would be firstly to take one day at a time. I saw it as another day over and nearer to my recovery. I kept a symptoms log and was shocked a few weeks ago when I looked back at this to see how far I've come.
Regarding your anxiety, I have experienced this with too high/frequent a dose of both B12 and folic acid. Have you consulted with Dr Klein again? We're all individual and it can be a bit trial and error to find a regime that suits you.
You clearly are blessed with a loving family, so do keep seeking all and any help you need. It's good to hear Samaritans are helping. My friend recently lost her son to suicide and I've seen first-hand what this does to families. For now, if you can't see the point for yourself, keep doing everything you can to get well for them. It will be worth it when you look back on this time, I promise.
I am so sorry you are feeling so low at the moment I can strongly relate.. I was prescribed anti depressants to assist with the low moods just after I collapsed mentally and physically with PA.
I was sceptical at the time, thinking that this was instead of B12. I did trust my GP of 20 years and was eventually persuaded by my husband and also by a trusted good friend to start taking them. It is not a quick fix though, a lot like reversing out.
At the time I had no idea how badly I was affected and was still thinking I was going to be fixed and get back to work.
I realise now looking back I was going through a form of acceptance of the P.A and then grieving for the life prior to P.A. I had just had to give up my job, my driving and my independence.
Please take the the SSSI as prescribed (inspite of your reservations) as it will help in the longer run as you battle through the other elements of B12 reverse out.
Ask your trusted ones to be your guide for you on this one at least for now. Taking them also has the added bonus of signalling to the medical professionals that you are “listening” and taking their advice. It makes them much more inclined to work with you on future appointments. If one doesn’t suit ask for something different. It worked for me and eventually I was on the very lowest dose for over a year but am now well clear of them.
Thank you so much. Yes, I think you're right about making the GP feel you're taking them seriously. I've 90% convinced myself to start taking the SSRIs. My hesitation stems from a bad experience taking one (Citalopram) 12 years ago, when it actually made me more suicidal than I'd been (this was subsequently recognised as a known side-effect of the drug), and also because I worry, that I won't know when the B12 injections might have helped to make me feel mentally better. I've just a received a Flow Neuroscience gadget (tDCS unit) and was going to try it as a non-medication based treatment, but suspect I will have to bit the bullet and take the SSRI.
Please try a different one and persevere until you find one that works for you. I found I was very sensitive to the brands of the same prescription, with some working and others not, even though they were supposed to be the same.
Once I found one that worked I would phone around the pharmacies until I found one that could supply it and take my prescription there. My GP thought I was bonkers but went with it because I was taking them!
I also tried a range of additional non medicinal and mental therapies as well. They may have been effective, though I never had an epiphany but they give you another focus as you wait for your reversing out symptoms to become manageable again.
I also started to work with a functional practitioner who helped with identifying mineral deficiencies and other support supplements. It wasn’t cheap but I felt it filled the gap that the NHS GP couldn’t and still have to take some of them. That was a game changer for me.
Take all the opportunities you can to get the support you are looking for and keep doing the SI. That is an absolute fundamental.
Hey Laverdista, sorry to hear your going through such a difficult time at the minute, by any chance have you had your ferritin checked to see what your iron levels are like??… all of our vitamins and minerals work closely together, and generally people who are low if B12, folate and vit D will most definitely be low or even deficient in iron, and if your injecting B12 regular it will cause iron to drop even more since B12 uses iron in many chemical reaction's as a co-factor…. What your going through has been happening to me over the last year, I was deficient in b12 and iron, but my symptoms only started to really improve when I started iron 6 months after starting B12, iron deficiency symptoms are very similar to B12 deficiency symptoms, and you’d never know the difference, but one symptom I experienced alot was anxiety, depression, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, there is alot of information on the Reddit forum about iron deficiencies and on the iron protocol on Facebook….. if you haven’t had ferritin checked please get it done, a ferritin level of 70ug and under can cause symptoms, and if you have inflammation that can cause falsely raised ferritin levels, even better get an iron panel done
Thanks very much. That's interesting. I had my iron panel done before I started injections a month ago, and it seemed OK. My Ferritin was quite high, but as you say it can be inflammation. The other iron counts seemed ok, but I am going to get another blood test done this week, so should be able to compare. I did see Dr Klein initially and he put me on 20mg of iron EOD. Did you take anything to help with the depression?
Get your CRP done, that will tell you if you have inflammation…. And what was your iron panel results?? Can you post the results and ranges…!! I’m currently taking iron to reverse deficiency and I’m 5 months in at the minute so it can take a while, and I was very very close to starting something for the depression, but thankfully when I started the iron, it started to improve quite quickly so I was able to avoid it
Your iron levels look pretty good, but if you can get your CRP checked next time, just make sure your ferritin isn’t falsely high, some people can be quite sensitive to B12 aswell so it might be worth trying injections less frequently, maybe once a week instead
Sorry to hear what you’re going through. I can relate as I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression for 27 years and have been on many medications which just help me get by.
Speak to your doctor about Diazepam as it calms you down, gives you good sleep and removes all your worries and anxiety.
I’m currently on 10mg nightly, have been on them since 21, I’m now 48. They can be addictive once you take them daily for about 3 months but I couldn’t cope with life without them. They don’t have any side effects.
Get your B12, Iron, Folate and Vitamin D checked. If all this is good then you need prescription medicine like Diazepam. If will get you through the rock bottom stage and then you can decide to come off them (by slowly reducing your dose) or continue to take them.
It’s important that you keep yourself busy with work you enjoy, change your diet, GO OUT, don’t stay at home all the time, spend time in nature, go for walks, exercise, go to gym, sauna, steam. Do things you enjoy .
It’s hard but take one step at a time. Exercise and diet change has helped me most with depression. One hour 3 times a week is enough.
You’ll get out of this rock bottom feeling but you have to take the steps above to get out of it.
Change your lifestyle. Do the above for 4 weeks and come back and tell us how you’re getting on.
I just posted this on another’s thread (see below) so clearly you are not alone
We have all been through it. My doctor didn’t believe me when I tried to get diagnosed. I felt crazy and was suicidal. It took time. I used aromatherapy for anxiety (even at home - the noise was unbearable), headphones with calming music helped. Lots of chamomile tea. Good luck and hang in there. It gets better.
”I had symptoms for probably a year that I didn’t really understand, then was diagnosed in late 2017, then it took about 18 -24 mos to resolve most of them.
Tingling and numbness in feet, aching arms and hands, shortness of breath, dizziness, poor balance, falling, extreme fatigue, heart palpitations, sensitivity to light and sounds, irritability, suicidal ideation, confusion, couldn’t find words when speaking, etc etc. When I started treatment, I had sensations like a when you put your tongue on a 9-volt battery (I had an older brother!) all over my body and feeling overwhelmed by the imagined sound of a poorly tuned radio/static in my head. Insomnia was terrible. Aching arms and feet on fire!
I really thought I would never feel normal again. Wasn’t sure I knew what “normal” was anymore. Luckily I had a nice naturopath that kept encouraging me and said I would heal, that he’d seen people improve. I think that kept me going. And then I found this group and the PA Society. That kept me going.
Now, I am pretty much fine if I keep on top of injections. But I was self injecting every other day for months and months as it took the symptoms a long time to resolve.
Hang in there and good luck. Keep reading about PA and get lots of rest!”
Thanks for the positivity. Unfortunately things have gotten to a head with me, and it looks like I might be admitted to a psychiatric ward this week, at least for a short stay. It's putting a huge strain on my wife, and dragging her health down. My condition for them putting me in there is that they continue to allow my B12 injections and co-factors, otherwise my physical health is at risk as well. Never thought this would happen, as I was mentally A-OK 4 months ago, but things seem to have spiralled unfortunately. I presume they'll put me on anti-depressants and just hoping that it doesn't make things worse. 😔
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Am I crazy or do I need closer timed shots?
PA and Eye Health
Help at last, a Psychiatrist who listened and backing me to get treatment
