B12 deficiency

[Bama_86]

I have been dealing with insomnia(never seem to get sleepy enough to fall asleep and hard to stay asleep as well) muscle twitching, vision issues(blurry especiallyat a distance), anxiety and palpitations for some time now. My b12 was recently checked at level of 274. I'm also working on a vitamin d deficiency for several months as well. Has anyone else had similar symptoms?

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Do you suspect that you have thyroid difficulties Bama_86, as I cannot see any reference to this in your profile? Have you ever had any thyroid blood tests? The symptoms you describe could be related to a struggling thyroid, so if you haven’t had any tests, look to check TSH, FT3 and FT4, plus thyroid antibodies.

It would be helpful if you could add reference ranges to your B12 (as these can vary between laboratories) and give your Vit D results (with ranges) so members can better advise. In addition, ferritin and folate support thyroid health, so knowing these levels is also useful.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Muscle twitching ….low magnesium

When supplementing vitamin D we need separate magnesium supplement too

Magnesium best taken in the afternoon or evening, but must be four hours away from levothyroxine

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

livescience.com/61866-magne...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Interesting article by Dr Malcolm Kendrick on magnesium

drmalcolmkendrick.org/categ...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

B12 low are you vegetarian or vegan?

[Bama_86 in reply to SlowDragon]

Im aware that it can help but can't tolerate magnesium. Im only supplementing a small dose of d3 k2. My blood pressure is on the low end and taking magnesium lowers it too much and causes more palpitations. I'm not vegan. All of these symptoms match b12 deficiency and only started after I stopped drinking energy drinks that contain extra b vitamins.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Bama_86]

Suggest you test thyroid and cortisol

[Bama_86 in reply to SlowDragon]

They have been checked. Both were good.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Bama_86]

Can you add actual results

Thyroid testing - TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 plus TPO and TG antibodies

Always do thyroid test early morning for highest TSH

Cortisol, ideally a 4 point saliva test including DHEA

Have you tested testosterone

[kiefer]

You might want to check your cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol can cause insomnia and insomnia in turn can cause elevated cortisol. It can be a vicious cycle.

"High cortisol levels have been linked to insomnia, waking up during the night, and less sleep time overall. When cortisol levels are normal, the hormone helps you wake up in the morning (when levels are higher) and drift off at night (when levels are lower)."

risescience.com/blog/cortis...

"Lack of sleep results in excess cortisol production in the body, which increases the likelihood of muscle spasms. The condition is worsened when your body is already hyperstimulated."

healthmatch.io/anxiety/musc...

Patients with insomnia without depression do present high levels of cortisol, mainly in the evening and at sleep onset, suggesting that, rather than the primary cause of insomnia, the increase in cortisol may be a marker of CRH and norepinephrine activity during the night."

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

"If you are in a stressful situation or time of life, there is a good chance that palpitations are the result of the body releasing stress hormones like cortisol."

premiercardiology.com/blog/...

The symptoms of high cortisol levels include:

Insomnia and general trouble sleeping

Waking up in the middle of the night

Weight gain or obesity

High blood pressure

Decreased sex drive

Erectile dysfunction

Depression, anxiety, and irritability

Irregular periods

Osteopenia (or low bone density)

Glucose intolerance

Thin skin and bruising easily

‍Digestion problems

‍Brain fog

‍Acne

[humanbean]

Low magnesium would be my first suggestion. But if there are reasons why you can't take it, other possibilities are low iron or low ferritin (iron stores). Also low vitamin D. Also low potassium and/or low sodium.

For the iron/ferritin you would need to get an iron panel done. Ask your doctor. Be aware that they might just test ferritin, which is not sufficient to know your iron status. You could have "normal" ferritin and low or high serum iron. Depending on the combination of iron-related results you get you might or might not benefit from taking iron supplements. There is an iron panel you could do privately with Medichecks which covers all the iron-related results, if you were prepared to pay. No doctor is required, it is all done at home with a finger-prick sample of blood which is then posted to a lab, and results are all provided on your account :

medichecks.com/products/iro...

Discount codes for a few companies, or further info on how testing is ordered can be found on this link :

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

...

Vitamin D - This is often low in people with thyroid disease. A good test, which only requires a blood spot to be sent to a lab, is this one :

vitamindtest.org.uk/

...

Getting sodium and potassium tested is something you will almost certainly have to get done by a doctor. I don't know of any private company that does a test just for sodium and potassium. If they do it at all it is only done as part of their large and expensive packages. Although someone else may know of a company which does these.

There is an alternative which doesn't involve testing, but it isn't a good idea to do this long term without testing...

You could try drinking a glass of coconut water - it contains potassium.

And if that doesn't help then try a level quarter teaspoon of salt in a glass of water or orange juice.

Or you could try both the coconut water and a small dose of salt in the coconut water.

...

All of these symptoms match b12 deficiency and only started after I stopped drinking energy drinks that contain extra b vitamins.

Why did you stop taking B vitamins? There are plenty of B Complex supplements available that you could take instead of energy drinks.I would ask people for their suggestions on which B Complex to take. Many of the cheap ones have ingredients that are poorly absorbed.

I'm currently taking this one :

amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B...

[Doris11]

yep same! My B12 serum 221! But two Drs I’ve spoken with say my B12 is normal 🙈 my eyes are blurry every morning! And my sleep 😴 is terrible 😞 but luckily I have an appointment with my Gp next week and we will crack it ❤️

[humanbean in reply to Doris11]

But two Drs I’ve spoken with say my B12 is normal

Doctors will always say a test result is normal if it is within the range. Particularly in the case of nutrients, reference ranges are often too wide with the lower reference range far too low for good health. Different countries have different expectations of what constitutes normal in nutrient terms.

For example, Japan considers a result less than 500 in serum vitamin B12 to be deficient . But in the UK doctors are usually happy when serum B12 is 180+. This doesn't mean that UK people need less B12 though! And doctor's expectations of B12 levels don't help patients with low levels to feel well.

Some links about B12 that should be helpful for people who are low in B12 :

perniciousanemia.org/b12/fo...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...

When I supplement B12 I always take methylcobalamin with the occasional use of adenosylcobalamin.

This product has been recommended by several people on the forum.

cytoplan.co.uk/vitamin-b12-...

This link might be of help depending on what you are interested in buying :

thyroiduk.org/discounts-on-...

[Doris11 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you 🙏

[FlorenceNightingtwit]

Hi Buddy,

Your symptoms are familiar to mine in the past. My Functional Medicine GP prescribed B12 and D3, but tool some time to catch up to where my numbers should be. She also put me on Magnesium Citrate in powdered form (better absorbency) for muscle relaxation, constipation and sleep aid. For insomnia, due to high cortisol levels at night keeping me awake, she recommended an OTC Sleeping pills for as long as I needed to get back in to a healthier sleep pattern, which worked. I’m back in sync with the circadian rhythm . Occasionally I even sleep through the night without toilet calls.

[Dancer57]

Hi. Lots of good advice on here, as usual, from those who know much much more than me!!

Just a thought, have you tested your Active B12? Someone here may have mentioned that and I have missed it!!!

My total B12 was 333 earlier in the year, dropped to 263 few months later. I would add I do not take any supplements but have tried to improve my B12 diet under the supervision of a Nutritionist.

Few weeks back I decided to do an Active B12 test privately and mine came back as below the reference range. My result was 28.6 (ref range 37.5 - 188). I saw my GP and she requested a total B12 blood test which came back as 444, highest it ever been!!! That result is misleading for me as the other one is so low.

I don't have your symptoms, mine are fatigue, balance problems, vertigo, tinnitus, digestive issues which have been on and off for years. I did have quite bad palpitations but I was Folate Deficient at the time, my total B12 was 333 then. I do have Hashimotos and on a low dose of Thyroxine.

Do you have any family member who has/had the autoimmune condition Pernicious Anaemia. My mother did and I need to keep an eye on my B12 absorption as PA can affect other family members. The Active B12 test has alerted me to this. I am undergoing blood tests for PA.

Not sure if any of this will relate to you but something to bear in mind perhaps.

Good luck.