B12 and Ferritin

[betty2480]

Hello again all! I finally remembered to get my actual ranges from results for my B12 and Ferritin which were taken on 28th Feb. My TSH at that time was 6.26 and since then (yesterday) I’ve started Levo on 50mcg a day (was also positive for TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies). I got more bloods taken today to check coeliac, vit D, folate.

My b12 and ferritin on 28th Feb were:

Ferritin 70.5 (range 14.0 - 186.0)

B12 311.9 (range 197.0 - 771.0)

Are these showing I need to supplement? Of course my doctor said they were normal but they seem quite low to me?

Any help appreciated 😊

[Ari3]

How do you raise ur ferritin?

[Ari3]

U need certainty more vitamin b12 it should be on optimal range at least and ferritin 70 is good so your hair has power to grow back again and ferritin is essential for t4 to convert to t3.so whatever u do just keep it up .mine is 40 and that’s why I was asking how do u keep it so good?any supplements? Also try to have some high strength vitamin b complex should help raise ur b12

[betty2480 in reply to Ari3]

I don’t supplement, believe it or not, I’m vegetarian so have no idea what I’m doing right lol - the one thing I do eat a lot of is fortified breakfast cereals, weetabix etc. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables too, I’m following slimming world so eat those every day. X

[Ari3]

Don’t trust doctors they say all is normal they should be optimal not just normal don’t take their words!!! Try to keep it optimal as much as u can ! To raise ferritin eat liver 200g a week no more than that as vit A can built too much in ur body causing toxic effects.eat more iron foods.yours is not bad at all but needs raising if you could.Vit b12 is also very important do u expierence pins and needles or muscle cramps? I would really suggest u to have some high potency good vit b complex and retest it after couple of month .

[betty2480 in reply to Ari3]

Pins and needles every day! In my hands, fingers, feet, toes! I’ll definitely get a good b vitamin complex 😊 thank you x

[Ari3 in reply to betty2480]

That’s the one lady-pins and needles yes! I haven’t had this but people say they expierence this while on low side .They do I think b12 injections to raise the level not sure about them have to ask gp but again he said ur levels are “normal” but actually I r far from it.As kind as u are not deficient they won’t do anything for it unfortunately so yes good vitamin b complex would do for u as it does to me my levels are 700 and over at times even 900 lol keep it up and u will see u will feel better in couple of month or even weeks ! Wishing u best of luck what ever u do x

[betty2480 in reply to Ari3]

Thank you so much xxx

[Ari3 in reply to Ari3]

My pleasure lady

[Marz]

B12 needs to be over 500 to prevent neurological symptoms - such as pins and needles. Scroll down in the link below to read the signs of B12 Deficiency. Also click onto Films in the MENU and watch the videos !

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

[betty2480 in reply to Marz]

Thank you xxx

[Marz in reply to betty2480]

Hope you managed to read the link what did you think ? - don't forget to watch the videos !

[betty2480 in reply to Marz]

Wow, that was incredible! Those stories that were featured, oh my goodness! I never realised how important B12 is for so much!

Incredible. Now I’m going to find a good B12 supplement to take. Thank you so much for that Marz xxx

[Marz in reply to betty2480]

Jarrow Methylcobalamin B12 available from Amazon. A lozenge to be kept under the tongue. Thorne Research have a GOOD B Complex - same source 😊

[betty2480 in reply to Marz]

Thank you again for taking the time, it’s very much appreciated 😘😊 xxx

[Gambit62 in reply to Marz]

Marz, the fact that neurological symptoms can arise with levels of 500 (not sure if that is pmol/L or ng/L) is very different from saying that levels need to be 500 to prevent neurological symptoms.

People vary a lot when it comes to B12 and the majority will be fine with levels much lower than that - its just that a few won't. People who do have problems at this level are likely to have some rare genetic variants (not MTHFR) that affect their ability to metabolise B12 in their cells)

Looking at trends of B12 levels over time - and monitoring for a significant drop is generally useful for identifying an absorption problem - which is more likely to develop with thyroid conditions.

[Marz in reply to Gambit62]

Better to be on the safe side 😊 As someone who had a B12 level around 350 for years and being told all was well - I have had to learn the hard way.

[Marz in reply to Gambit62]

Forgot to mention my result if pg/ml as is the 500 quoted by Sally Pacholok.

Yes I am aware of the absorption issues linked to the Thyroid - have been here for almost 7 years. Many members report huge improvements with improved B12 levels - so it cannot be a coincidence. Perhaps with Hashimotos we need higher levels than other folk

[greygoose in reply to Gambit62]

People vary a lot when it comes to B12 and the majority will be fine with levels much lower than that

But we're not the majority, we're hypo. Advising hypos on nutrients is a lot different to advising euthyroid people. Being hypo usually means you have low stomach acid. Having low stomach acid means you have low nutrients - and low B12 means low stomach acid - double whammy and vicious circle!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Suggest you start supplementing a good vitamin B complex, one with folate in, not folic acid.

You might also need sublingual B12 lozenges

If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

[betty2480]

Thank you SlowDragon, I’ve just bought B12 mouth spray from BetterYou, no doubt my dodgy Hashi stomach would struggle with tablets. The lozenges are a great idea too. I’ll look into those. Thank you again x

[Rmichelle]

Wow quite jealous of your ferritin level of 70!! Lol😊 mine was a measley 10 in january and still struggling to raise-after 3 months of supplementing ferritin it is now 27!! Hmm. But my b12 is tops and still get pins and needles when my thyroid levels are hypo.

[Gambit62]

are you symptomatic of B12 deficiency

pernicious-anaemia-society....

if not then the levels you have are likely to be the right levels for you - but monitor for any significant drops over time - generally the body is quite good at regulating B12 levels by tapping into stores in your liver - but if you have an absorption problem it also affects your ability to use these stores.

Personally I'd caution against using very high doses of B12 supplements unless you know you have an absorption problem.

Lot more on the PAS forum about absorption problems

healthunlocked.com/pasoc

including this from the pinned posts

b12-institute.nl/caution-no...