b12 levels

[suki65]

hi my b12 was 276 over 1 month ago i was told it was normal ,had it checked again it was 722 told there must be a blip they wanted to check it again a week later its 648 can any one help what should it be ?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Are you taking any B12 as a supplement? Either specifically B12 or something which has B12 as one of its ingredients?

Rod

[suki65 in reply to helvella]

hi yes im taking B-Complex and B12 from holland and barrett i was taking 6 tablets a day but reduced it to 2 a day recently on the back it says b12 25ug

[shaws Administrator in reply to suki65]

That's why the blood test was higher because you are taking supplements but the fact is that your B12 test of 276 is low and it is recommended for us to be towards the upper level. People who have pernicious anaemia and have injections usually have an average about 1,500 but you cannot overdose on Vitamin B12.

[suki65 in reply to shaws]

so if your levels reach the upper limits do you still need to take supplements to keep them there or stop and they will stay high ?

[shaws Administrator in reply to suki65]

I am not medically qualified and I have pernicious anaemia and have B12 injections every 3 months but only have a b12 blood test every year to see if my levels are o.k. So I would think you would have a check every year to check your levels.

If I am wrong someone will clarify.

[130396]

My B12 was 2662 two weeks ago. Told nothing to worry about

[Hidden]

They really need to ditch the serum total B12 test in favour of something more specific and less prone to false positives and negatives. This study suggests HoloTC (Active B12) and MMA, which in my mind are the ones that should be being used:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/233...

"Testing for vitamin B12 deficiency should start with holotranscobalamin measurement. Holotranscobalamin between 23 and 75 pM should be followed by MMA testing that can filter substantial number of deficient cases in the grey range in individuals with normal renal function. This diagnostic strategy may significantly improve assessing vitamin B12 deficiency."

If you are symptomatic of B12 deficiency and have normal test results you should show your doctor the following warning:

ukneqas-haematinics.org.uk/...

"B12 assays may be vulnerable to interference resulting in normal values despite severe cobalamin deficiency. Where there is discordance between the clinical features of neuropathy – parasthesiae, loss of joint position sense, or megaloblastic anaemia and a “normal” B12 result, clinicians are advised to request storage of serum for further testing and are advised to treat the patient with B12 replacement therapy. Further testing may include repeat testing by an alternative B12 assay, holotranscobalamin assay, serum methylmalonicacid and measurement of intrinsic factor antibody. Treatment with B12 should not be delayed to avoid progression of neurological damage."

The bottom line - treat by symptoms not test results.

Hampster