B12 deficiency

[bella]

Does anyone suffer with low B12?

What were your symptoms?

How do you treat it?

Do the injections hurt? I am a wuss!

In Oct I had a blood test and it was noted I was borderline low in B12, they asked me to have another blood test. I haven’t gotten round to it as I REALLY hate needles. After months of getting nagged by OH, I got my second blood test done just over a week ago. I had a letter from Doctors asking me to set up a phone appointment with my Dr as he wants to discuss the results with me. He is not available until 29th March so will have to wait until then.

If I am it would explain a lot! I am always really tired, no energy for anything and I could sleep the day away easily. Most weekends I have taken to having a nap and still having an early night! I am also very very jumpy, everything makes me jump out my skin (to the amusement of my OH) I have read that both can be symptoms.

[kath]

I am B12 deficient and will need continual injections, for me it was discovered after being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.

After my booster injections I felt so much better! Symptoms for me were, fatigue, pins and needles/ numbness in my hands and brain fog. I only really noticed the symptoms after I was treated and they went away , amazing what you put up with when things happen gradually…

Didn’t know about the jumpiness, I am the jumpiest person ever !

I’m due my next injection next Monday and feel a bit crap again, so definitely B12 related, I’m going to ask if I can have slightly more frequent injections .

Injections are just into the muscle so not awful, but can make your arm a bit sore for a couple of hours, try not to worry (easy said than done I know, I also hate injections!).

[don]

I am also Vit B12 deficient and also have ulcerative colitis. I have been having B12 injections for years but have never felt any different as a result. Yes, they are a rather scratchy injection so they are briefly painful but it wears off immediately so don’t be put off.

Edited to add that I’ve just re-read post from poster above me who says that they make her arm a bit sore for a couple of hours afterwards but I have never found that. Just shows we are all different and will react to things in different ways. Either that or I’m so used to being poked, prodded and otherwise mauled around on a regular basis that I no longer notice things

[Emma]

Yep me – been having injections for about 15 years now. Originally after loading dose I was on an injection every 12 weeks but I was getting symptoms still so I went to a specialist who advised my GP to switch me to every 8 weeks.

Now I have asked for them to be more frequent but so far the docs have resisted. I am also low on folate currently and taking folic acid so hoping that will help with my symptoms once levels are back up.

Injections don’t really hurt, sting maybe and I get a dead arm type feeling for a few mins afterwards.

[ritchy]

I think you can take B12 sub lingually if injections really are a no go. I may have dreamed that though. I am a new woman since just taking over the counter iron, magnesium and lots of B vits, no more fatigue and brain fog here.

[sandra]

If you are borderline on an NHS test you are deficient. The injections on their own isnt enough, you need to take the co factors with them, and a huge amount of people find the frequency the doctors give them isnt enough. The frequency has no scientific basis and was just a figure plucked out of the air.

I’ve made so many posts about this previously I feel like I’m boring people to death with it, but have a look on here:

http://www.b12d.org

Get a copy of your blood test results and check them all as well. B12 deficiency tends to go hand in hand with vitamin D/ferritin/folate deficiencies and thyroid issues. You need them all to be optimum to feel well.

[scats]

I had B12 deficiency – it came and went for me in Spring last year. My symptoms were that I was totally and absolutely exhausted the whole time – I really thought it was low mood (I suffer from depression) but this was different and really didn’t mentally feel the same?

I went to my GP and got diagnosed via blood tests, I had the injections (yes, they stung quite a lot!) and took iron tablets for a few months, it went away….

[scarysue]

I have the injections every 12 weeks. My reading was less than 100 which I’m lead to believe is extremely low. I can’t say i feel a huge difference after the injections. I had a loading dose initially every other day for two weeks. The jabs are little ******* (as I call them). The B12 is quite thick. The actual jab itself varies depending who does it – there is clearly a knack and I usually get a dull ache / dead arm feeling about 10 seconds afterwards which makes me want to shake my arm out, but it soon fades.

I am always tired. Can sleep pretty much anywhere, any time and struggle to stay up past 9.30pm most nights. I also get pins and needles quite often, particularly when I first get out of bed in a morning.

I probably need the jabs more often but can’t be doing with the fight. It was hard enough getting them every 12 weeks.

[bella]

Thanks everyone, I have looked at that link sandra – thank you!

Hopefully I get answers on the 29th, my tiredness is starting to cause rows with my OH as I always want to sleep. I struggle to stay up most nights but feel bad as its our time to spend together. It gets to about half 8 and I want to sleep!

[janey]

Have you also had your vit D levels checked? I had 2 lots of blood panels and they still had not tested for D. When they did they could not even get a reading, it was very low indeed, and I was asleep all of the time. My B12 was also borderline (read low) but I have managed with daily tablets or drops under the tongue, but have hit Vit D and K2 to get energy levels up.

[bella]

@janey Not sure about vit D, I will ask on 29th. As far as I know test I had last week was b12 only (looked like that on the form but I am no Dr so could be wrong!) the first lot of bloods was to test for everything and there was no mention of vit D just B12.

[janey]

My doctor said he did not test me because he knew I had an outdoorsey life, but it was the Vit D deficiency that really sunk me. Have a look at the Facebook Vitamin D wellness group – loads of information. https://www.facebook.com/groups/736193223162033/

It is so important.

Now I am on Vit D3 which needs Vit K2 as a co-vitamin. Vit B12 with Folate so it can be absorbed, and Magnesium. With those, plus a probiotic in the morning I feel so much better. It is not particularly expensive, I get mine from Amazon.

I do have a regular Vit D test as I am taking high levels and it can cause you problems as it is not water soluble, but the others are safe to take, if you take too much (within reason) you just pee them out. Sometimes the test is at the Drs, but he only does one a year, so I do another privately, they post you a kit and you post it back (to an NHS hospital) for £30. It is a finger prick test – not too painful.

The Vit D the Drs prescribed me gave me an awful headache, it is actually carcinogenic, but the stuff I get online is not, and no headache.

[bella]

@janey Thanks just looked at symptoms, I am always ill (hence the first lot of bloodtests) in 1 month alone I had 2 water infections, ear infection colds and coldsores. I now have to take coldsore tablets daily otherwise I get a mouthful of them.