To take or not to take?

[whitefishbay]

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all hanging in there. I am down to 1 mg Pred and 75 mg Levothyroxine for an under active thyroid. I am a bit stressed (and bored) being back at work (two schools few masks) and I am finding I am a bit forgetful. I try to remember things and it takes a minute whereas before the answer would come in seconds. I read that Vitamin B 12 can help. Or is it better to take B complex? Even with reading up on this I cannot figure it out.

Any advice always very welcomed by you experts. Thanks in advance.

[SnazzyD]

From my experience it isn’t as easy as that. Your avatar’s expression is, “well what the heck was that!?” I think the brain is doing the same thing. 5 years (3.5 in my case) of a systemic illness, 5years of ageing slipped in by the back door and 5 years of Pred. I don’t mean to be so negative as to say, “the ol’ grey mare ain’t what she used to be”, but it is kind of true if my experience is anything to go by. My brain isn’t the brain I had before this kicked off, not even close, and I suspect adrenal function has some part to play but generally we are changed and healing still needs to take place. 1mg doesn’t = nearly back to my old self. It is still on Pred and adrenal function still needs to establish itself. I have found the difference between 0.5mg and zero is huge, so 1mg is far from the end of the journey. Time to embrace the latest new self which you need to nourish for sure, but the task is to work out what is work in progress and what is the end result. Still time to be careful with yourself and not expect resumption of ‘normal service’. You could get a B12 test perhaps. Careful with B vitamins as you can over do it.

[whitefishbay in reply to SnazzyD]

Brilliant advice. Thanks. X

[SheffieldJane in reply to whitefishbay]

Snazzy has put this beautifully. I admire you for holding down a job and holding down jobs within the schools’ system. It must be very stressful, especially during these challenging times. Stress does make marshalling your thoughts difficult. PMR made my mind go completely blank when I was still trying to work, it was horrible, and worse when I felt under pressure.

I sat on a bench waiting for my husband, in the Opticians last weekend, right outside a junior school at home time. In spite of my mask, I caught the most dreadful cold that I have been struggling with all week ( worried that it was COVID). I do think your employers owe you a duty of care with regard to the mask issue. Mind you, I have a drawer full of disposable and washable masks and I rarely go anywhere. I take vit B 12, in a quite unscientific way ie when I feel low - it seems to cheer me up.

[whitefishbay in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thanks Sheffield Jane. Hope you are on the mend. It went from summer to autumn to winter in two days - no wonder you got a cold.

[Constance13 in reply to whitefishbay]

These quick changes of weather "do me in"! My body/bones just can't keep up with it. I'm much better (have less pain) when the weather is stable.

[HeronNS]

I have heard that rosemary essential oil helps memory. Try a drop or two when you rinse your hair. Do not supplement with B12 unless you are proven deficient. A complete B complex should be safe.

And, yes, everything SnazzyD said!

[whitefishbay in reply to HeronNS]

Brilliant advice. Thanks.

[nuigini in reply to HeronNS]

Why do you suggest not taking B12?

[whitefishbay in reply to nuigini]

Sometimes things are contraindicated and as one person said you shouldn't take B12 unless you are low in it. This is why I ask as I can get expert advice.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to whitefishbay]

Doesn't make much difference - it is a water soluble vitamin so excess is just sent on its way via the kidneys. Creating expensive pee ...

Taking megadoses can cause problems like acne or rosacea but high ordinary amounts is unlikely to do anything adverse:

healthline.com/nutrition/to...

[whitefishbay in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for that PMRpro. I was going to take it to boost memory but they don't mention it so I shall save my money and have another look. Thanks again. xx

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to whitefishbay]

I think the jury is still out on the effect on memory!

[whitefishbay in reply to PMRpro]

As for everything they say eat a Med diet, exercise, be social and exercise. Already doing these with occasional treats. My mother had Alzheimers which is to be avoided at all costs.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to whitefishbay]

I know - and I do wish they'd stop calling it a Mediterranean diet! We have friends who live near Bari, only mama is not a doctor - their diet is typical of the local cucina povera. Lovely food - bit really not much like the so-called Med diet. Except a fair bit of Andrian olive oil ...

[whitefishbay in reply to PMRpro]

I suppose almost any Italian diet is better than the uk with some poor produce (tomatoes, etc). Of course food in IT is so specifically regional.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to whitefishbay]

It is really quite horrifying in the cake/biscuit/junk aisle - and you do now see a lot of very fat children further south in Italy. We stayed with the friends some years ago - breakfast was a few disgusting dry biscuits and an espresso! Then a 3-4 course lunch at 2.30pm (if you were lucky) and dinner at 9pm. Not greatly impressed!!!

[HeronNS in reply to nuigini]

I think if you take B12 when you don't need it, it can cause some problems, potentially can be severe .

healthline.com/nutrition/to...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...?

Megadoses of most vitamins should be taken with caution.

Also, don't I remember learning in school that B vitamins are called a "complex" for a reason and you want to have optimum balance of these vitamins? So even if as we age we need more of one vitamin than another, we should still be careful.

[whitefishbay in reply to HeronNS]

Absolutely. Think I will wait and maybe exercise more. Thanks very much.

[nuigini]

I'm familiar with all the articles shared by Heron and PMRpro and have chosen to take a moderate daily dose of B12 (5 mcg). As with so many other things, my aging body isn't quite as efficient as it once was in absorbing a lot of things.

You may be interested in this research paper...if the link works...

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

[HeronNS in reply to nuigini]

That actually sounds very reasonable. My husband was diagnosed with B12 deficiency and has been taking 1000 mcg per day! As he now has spots all over his face I think it's time to cut back but the doctor doesn't seem concerned and told him to keep on taking the supplement. His blood test was good. I don't think he asks enough questions.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to HeronNS]

That is 40,000% of the RDA in Italy!!

consumerlab.com/answers/can...

Who on earth suggested that much? I simply can't conceive of someone taking that much ...

The blood test probably is fine - it is the excess sloshing around his body on its way to and through the kidneys that is the problem!

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

He obviously needed more than the RDA. This seems to be the main supplement in the pharmacy. The first time he went back for a blood test his level was still far too low. But I don't know why he hasn't cut back to a normal B complex supplement by now. Maybe it's the covid thing. They haven't been sending us for blood tests like they should. You really do have to ask. I got everything I asked for, but I had to ask. And hubby only got his more recent test because he saw the duty doctor, not our GP, when he thought his face was all infected but whatever was prescribed (sight unseen) had made no difference.

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

Just checked the B complex I take, and it's 150 mcg per tablet. I only take it every second day. But it does make one think. Why don't they just make a tablet which gives you the RDA? Why should I have to go look up every item on the bottle to make sure it's the right amount? Why don't government agencies do that work for us? Hmmph!

[whitefishbay in reply to nuigini]

Thanks so much. The plot thickens.