My doctors have started me on B12 injections and I’ve had 2 loading doses out of the 6 so far . I’m wondering if people still take their B complex supplements on top of the injections so you get all the B vits still ? And if so what strength?
I’m feeling very tired today after my second shot yesterday but I believe some people have that reaction to them, I’m wondering how many people still need to take high strength b complex?
I’m on iron tablets too for anemia , which I know low B12 can cause but does anyone know if you can be iron anemic and B12 anemia? So far my B12 is just down as deficient .
Any advice greatly received x
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Fliplaar
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does anyone know if you can be iron anemic and B12 anemia?
Yes. But it might make some blood tests difficult (or impossible?) to interpret.
For example, MCV - Mean Cell Volume - one of the standard tests in a Full Blood Count - tells you the average size of red blood cells.
In iron deficiency anaemia red blood cells are small and MCV is low in range or under range.
In B12 deficiency anaemia red blood cells are large and MCV is high in range or over the range.
In someone who has both deficiencies there is no way of telling from MCV alone. To find out about iron and B12 deficiency they would have to be measured directly.
Another possibility is that RDW (also done in a Full Blood Count - sometimes) would be high. RDW tells you how much variation in size there is in red blood cell sizes.
According to this link to a site which is worth knowing about :
Increased RDW indicates abnormal variation in RBC size. Can indicate iron, B12 or folate deficiency or bone marrow disorders
...
Personally, if I was being given B12 injections I would want to continue taking a good quality B Complex. For a start, for your body to make proper use of B12 you need good levels of folate. Do you know your folate levels? Are you supplementing folate? If yes, what with?
Please note that someone who is deficient in B12 and who has been so for a long time will be rather short of red blood cells. Getting a boost to your B12 with injections will make the body start trying to repair the deficiency in red blood cell numbers. One of the problems this causes is that potassium is required as well, and patients may run low in it. This causes unpleasant symptoms. When the number of red blood cells has recovered as much as possible the increased demand for potassium will stop.
You could try supplementing potassium. It's probably not the world's greatest supplement but to get hold of some potassium quickly you could buy supplements from Holland & Barrett, and spread the suggested dose over a day :
1) Rehydration treatments such as Dioralyte - no prescription required - include potassium. You can take more than one a day if it helps, but I don't know what the maximum is.
2) Cream of tartar (for baking) - put a level quarter teaspoon in some water and drink it - unfortunately it tastes horrible.
3) Low sodium salt - can be bought in some supermarkets - contains 50% ordinary salt (sodium chloride) and 50% potassium chloride. You could put a small amount (a level quarter teaspoon of the product in water) and just drink it.
For more info on potassium this article by Malcolm Kendrick is very good - and many of the comments are helpful too :
Thank you so much for all this information I’m going to check all the potassium info out straight away and see if I can make sense if my previous bloods and see if there’s anything info I have already x
It depends on the reason why you are B12 deficient, if you have pernicious anemia then taking tablets to increase B12 levels are likely to be a waste of time and money. Those with PA lack a stomach enzyme that helps them absorb it.
I'm pretty sure this is because I've struggled with very low B12 all my life and when I was diagnosed the last time I tried high strength tablets from my GP to see if I could avoid the injections and my level didn't move so it's been 3 monthly jabs for me ever since.
I do take a B complex but that's to ensure my other B vitamins are good, especially folate. I'm not convinced I'm absorbing much if any of the B12. I use a mouth spray just for B12, using a mouth spray bypasses the digestive system as the B12 is absorbed by the blood vessels in the cheeks and tongue.
However if you're B12 deficient and it's not PA, often diet related if you're vegetarian or vegan, or if you've got absorption issues, then taking a good quality B complex is a good idea. I can really tell when I need my next jab. I get tingling and pins and needles anyway and these get far worse when I'm due a jab. I've got a neurology consult soon and am going to ask if I can get more frequent jabs.
I’m not sure if I just have low b12 and iron deficiency anemia, or if I have PA , my endo said my anemia could have been caused by my low b12 and a lot of my thyroid symptoms haven’t improved with my levothyroxine, those symptoms might be due to the low b12 and my anemia so I’m on iron tablets and although that’s increasing my iron levels I’m still exhausted all the time so I’ve been started on the b12. injections .
I already take a high strength b complex supplement and it’s still low but if I stop taking the supplement I feel worse so hopefully that means I’ve absorbed some over the years I’ve been taking it. I’m not vegetarian or vegan and I went gluten free over a year ago, my absorption levels of my levo has improved since I went gluten free so hopefully my vitamin have too.
I think I’ll continue to take a b complex because we need all the bs not just the b12 and hopefully with the shots I’ll feel the improvement x
I hope you’re next appointment goes well and they increase your frequency of shots x
I rarely remember bananas , probably because I don't like them very much. I also heard them described on a video I watched recently as yellow bags of sugar with little else going for them.It's obviously all a matter of interpretation.
Your doctors should have done at least an Intrinsic Factor antibodies test. If positive, that would show you have Pernicious Anaemia. (Mind, it has a high false negative rate.)
I suggest you ask about the B12 issues over on the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum:
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