B12 and Fatigue

Hello, I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency almost a year ago after routine blood tests that I had done as I’ve been suffering with chronic fatigue since I had Covid 2 years ago showed my B12 levels a bit below normal range. My PA blood test came back as normal/negative but I know it’s not 100% accurate and luckily it didn’t make any difference to how my GP treated me. My GP put me on injections, it was supposed to be 6 over 2 weeks however the first one made me so poorly that by the time they’d done 3 my GP stopped the loading doses because of how ill it had made me and switched me to one every 3 months. This seems to have helped my fatigue a little, and I definitely know when I’m due one because my fatigue goes off the scale! I was also prescribed a course of folic acid tablets during the loading doses (my folate was in normal range but towards the lower end) but I believe that was just a one off course. I was also severely anaemic last year but that has now settled with treatment and a change of HRT.

Just wondering how others cope with the fatigue? I’m pacing myself as much as possible and trying to exercise by daily walking and swimming when I can but it is such a struggle trying to live a ‘normal’ day to day life when all my body wants is to sleep! I have also lost 2 stone as trying to improve my liver health as was diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver in January, which my GP was hoping would have helped my fatigue but it hasn’t. We’re unsure if B12 is the actual cause of my fatigue or if it’s long Covid or some other unexplained reason.

Thank you

[PlatypusProfit8077]

The fatigue is horrible isn’t it? I wonder if you would manage with more frequent injections now that you’ve settled into that routine? Or you could trial the sublinguals in between injections?

Also, I think there was a discussion recently about a link between B12D and non-alcoholic fatty liver.

[Bellabab]

It could also be diabetes type 2 as the symptoms are almost identical to PA. With type 2 diabetes you might also have bleeding gums.

[Oneash]

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease can be caused by eating too much fructose, sugar is fructose and glucose. So cut out sugar from your diet, especially things that contain high fructose corn syrup. Look up the work of Dr. Robert Lustig.

journal-of-hepatology.eu/ar....

The high homocysteine that comes with B12 deficiency is a cause of non alcoholic fatty liver disease too.

Your reaction to your first B12 shots is called "reversing out". Your system will have a lot of mending to do.

The fatigue is much about a damaged system mending, the reconstruction crew work when you are asleep, plus how B12 is involved with energy release at a cellular level. B12 is needed for hemoglobin, nerve myelin and DNA replication. It works hand in hand with folate, l-methylfolate or folonic acid are better supplements to take than synthetic folic acid. Other B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium and potassium all play a role, as do good fats for myelin building. So a diet including quality grass fed meat, oily fish, nuts and organic green leafy vegetables is good. You want lots of antioxidants and healthy gut goodies.

Many of us here take more frequent injections.

I would council that life won't return to 100% of your past energy levels. Pace yourself, don't overdo it, as all exercise needs B12 for the recovery phase, but do do some gentle daily movement to get the lymphatic system moving and clearing.

Reversing out is a roller coaster as bits of your system mend. Expect weirdness when the reconstruction crew get to your brain!

Sally Pacholok videos on YouTube are worth watching.

You are very lucky to have an understanding GP.

[Jeep13]

did you get the jab? Long covid has been linked to the spike protein in the vaccination. Check Dr Peter McCullough Detox regime for getting rid of the spike protein you may find results. All natural.

[Behaviour]

Please check your potassium levels. Body uses more potassium to form new red blood cells when you get b12 and folic acid into the body. Try to take potassium rich foods especially coconut water and see if the fatigue has improved.

[Hockey_player]

I get my B12 shots once per week. If you have enough B12, you won't have to cope with the fatigue because you won't have it.

[Flintfootfilly]

Analyse your bloods thoroughly.

It is very misleading that some professionals call a lab's reference range as a "normal range". The rr has nothing to do with adequacy. It is purely the spread of levels in the sampled population. So for example if a deficiency of a particular factor is underdiagnosed and undertreated, then the reference range will be lower than it would be if the population's deficiencies were properly treated.

What was the reaction you had to the early B12 jabs, and how soon after the jab did it happen?