Following reinjuring my back 5 days ago and being in a lot of pain, -not able to sleep- etc, I am desperate for just one good night. In the past ( before Selfinjectiong EOD B12) I could have a better night if I had a Brandy and Coke with my painmeds. I know it's not advised, but been doing it for years, with only positive results. Since B12 self-injecting (15 months) I haven't had a drop of alcohol, but really want to self-medicate with it now, just for one good night's sleep. Please can those of you who tried alcohol with B12 let me know what to expect? Or talk me out of it if the consequences are too bad....
Thanking you all in advance
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totallyFrustrated
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In the early days of injectiin alcohol was a disaster and my symptoms worsened. But now I can have the odd glass and enjoy with no kick back. Some people do an extra b12 injections if they drink more! Trouble is I've got used to no alcohol and so drink rarely these days.....
thank you so much for writing back, in the end I didn't and I wouldn't today as have to do some work tomorrow, but may on Friday if I am still in more pain than painkiller alone can deal with. I always heard that B12 injections helped with backpain. Maybe just over a year is ot long enough, I will keep going
I can't comment on back pain as that wasn't part of my b12 deficient symptoms but I have been improving over 6yrs been on treatment. It's slowed down but even little improvement makes a big difference to my QoL. So yes keep going. You eill have ups/downs but keep going. Good to keep a little log to help determine time period of injection. That's how I ended up having to move to daily which freaks my new GPs out. I'm not suggesting you need that. Not many people do. It's all about degree of need and what works.
People who have physical dependency on alcohol will do, yet moderate consumption of alcohol does not. I also worked in two agencies for people who had problems with drugs & alcohol.
I have been injecting B12 for two years now and I was never advised to go alcohol free so I didn’t. But I wouldn’t drink coke as too much sugar for my gut but I do drink red wine!
I do have the odd drink now and then. But I went tee total because of my heart was damaged from chemo etc not because of b12. All fixed now but have become used to being alchohol free.....especially as u can buy alcohol free gin.....so a g&t is back on my drinks! Yay!🤣However when I first started injecting b12 I definately noticed my symptoms worsened if I had a couple of alcoholic drinks. I'm now 6yrs on and haven't noticed but as I said I rarely drink these days so am not a good test.
thank you all so very much, thank fully I was never an alcoholic and only use it to enhance the effect of the painkillers. but haven't for, .....well since I started injecting. I only ever did even then when not working the next day, so I will try on Friday, only if still needed, but I will feel more confident now if I need it in the future.
Did I tell you my urgent referral to a neurologist ( that my GP consented to do after I requested it over a year ago) has landed me on a 50 week waiting list. What fun.
Thank you all so very much for being here, for reading and replying and most of all for understanding. This journey is so hard and without you it would be impossible.
I'd challenge that 50 week wait! If you are deteriorating your GP should request urgent. Clearly not done so. Having said that i had to wait 7 months 5years ago. And decided I'd start injections rather than waiting much to my GPs relief. I had bedn seen by Neurologist before so they had a bench mark.....& b12 injections showed a marked improvement. So if you've started b12 injections I would make sure your GPs knows you've done so as you are concerned that waiting nearly a year would cause irreparable damage. Get it logged on your notes. All done politely and sweetly.
At the beginning of my journey to discovering the cause of my ill health, I saw a hematologist at a very prestigious hospital. When the doctor saw how low my B12 level was he practically accused me of being an alcoholic. I had to keep telling him I rarely drank even a single glass of wine. He said that most of the patients he saw with such low B12 were alcoholics.
That was the first question my hematologist asked me! Which is hilarious because I don’t drink at all. I couldn’t even imagine having alcohol with all the digestive discomfort I have.
I never heard about a link between B12D and alcohol -- but over the past 5 years I have become totally intolerant of alcohol and avoid it now because it just makes me feel ill, pretty quickly after drinking it. I was diagnosed with B12D in 2016 but neuropathy symptoms started in 2007 and consultant confirms I probably was deficient by then (said it would take years to get as low as I was when tested).
Wine and beer seem worse than spirits but it just isn't worth it. Nausea, headache, dizziness within 20 minutes of a drink. I used to drink quite a lot (ie 5+ shots a night, most nights) in my teens, drank beer/wine most days (more than NHS recommends but not lots more) through my 40s, now 60 and drink nothing. Quite a few female friends (regardless of B12) seem to have the same issue.
thank you all, you are so wonderful to read , and listen and give me the benefit of your advice. Thank you so very much. I also now have the date for my neurologist appointment. It's Friday next week. Any advice on what to say? Or on what not to say??
I really can't drink alcohol, it zaps me out the next day. On injection days I take and l-methylfolate tablet too, which seems to help. But I just need to pee a lot in the night, which I put down to the body getting rid of a backlog of crap.
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Alcohol
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