Comments on: B12 Symptoms

By: B12 Anemia

B12 Anemia — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:04:57 +0000

Diane,
I would ask to speak directly to your doctor and see what course of action he would take. I definitely wouldn’t wait 3 months. I would want to be getting a minimum of a shot a week for 6-8 weeks (if he wants you to get more, even better). If he isn’t in agreement, I wouldn’t waste anymore time there. When it comes to B12 deficiency many doctors don’t take it seriously and you may need to go thru a few doctors before you find the right one. I can’t stress enough that the sooner you get the proper treatment the better.
Good Luck!

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:40:25 +0000

First I want to thank you for this great website. I am a 35 year old white woman who has recently learned that I have a low B12 level of 202 (lab scale of 211-946). Reason I found this out was by a fluke. I had been in to see the Nurse Practioner from my Dr. offie and had some labs drawn for a completely different reason (gynecological). Dr office called me on the Friday before Christmas and left a message “they wanted to discuss my lab results with me”. After missing the call and waiting all afternoon for a callback I learn that I am “just” vitamin B12 deficient and they want me to start taking an otc supplement. Okie dokie, sounds good to me.

So after doing a little research, I start to wonder WHY am I B12 deficient as I am by no means vegan and we certainly eat plenty of animal products in this household. So I put a message in to my Dr that I just have a few questions, could someone call me back. 2 days later the actual MD. from my office calls me back, looks at my chart, calls me abnormal, rare, and odd (not too surprising for me LOL), and tells me to stop taking the supplement and he wants to do some follow-up labs on me. Okie dokie.

Sooo, make another appointment, get in with the Nurse Practioner again. This was yesterday. Left her with no further labs, and the instructions again to just take the supplement for 3 months and come back!

I guess my main concern is that she gave me the brush off. Do you think it’s ok to wait the 3 months or do you think I should push it and try to get back in sooner?

Not sure how ‘severe’ my deficiency is, but I do have fatigue, my hands shake all the time, I feel in a mental fog (just not sharp like I used to) and breathlessness just sitting here typing this out.

I am also concerned bc I am bi-polar. For the last 2 years, after really no symptoms for almost a decade, I started have ‘trouble’ again with my bipolar. I am starting to think that is actually related to this deficiency.

I’d like to get some relief as soon as I can of course and start on the road to recovery.

Thanks

By: B12 Anemia

B12 Anemia — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:59:08 +0000

Laura,
While I am very happy that you have been diagnosed, I am still concerned for you. I don’t usually do this, but it will be easier to bullet point some things you really need to be aware of.

• Any doctor that would laugh at a B12 level of 140 has no idea what B12 deficiency is all about and shouldn’t be treating you. Period. Anything under 400 should be of concern.
• There is no way that your B12 levels are back to normal after just 4 injections. Any doctor that knows about B12 will tell you that once you start treatment with shots you will never be able to tell your true levels.
• Even if by some miracle your doctor was able to get an accurate reading of your B12 level, 512 is not grounds to put someone on maintenance. Your doctor should want you to have a B12 level of at least 800 before any type of maintenance is discussed.

When you inject the B12 into your system it raises your levels when tested, but that does not mean that your body has absorbed enough B12 to make those levels accurate. Depending on how long you have been deficient, it can take years for your body to fully recover. It is possible that your cause of B12 deficiency is pernicious anemia (which is what I have) which means that you have no intrinsic factor to carry the B12 thru your body. If this is the case, sublinguals will most likely not be enough. Your body will not be able to heal, and you will most likely become deficient again.

It is really important that you become proactive about your health and find a doctor that takes this seriously. Any delay in proper treatment is a mistake. The longer your body is lacking B12, the harder it will be for you to recover. If your current doctor is not willing to give you the shots then don’t be afraid to get another doctor. You need to get proper treatment as soon as possible.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon!

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:02:48 +0000

I also forgot to mention in my list of symtoms: irritability
Confusion
Disorientation
Forgetful
Lethargy

I was put on antidepressants 2 years ago and they helped a bit, but then even though I was fatigued and lethargic most of the day, when it came time for bed I either couldn’t get to sleep or couldn’t stay asleep; so then I was prescribed a sedative.

Looking back now, I realize all these symptoms were/are likely due to my B12 deficiency! Though my levels are back to normal (acquired in 5 weeks) I know this is level may be difficult to maintain and the physical and neurological affects of the deficiency may linger for a while.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:50:18 +0000

Hello,
I am a 30 year old female.
I became aware of my B12 deficiency as a result of going to the doctors for rectal bleeding. My B12 came back at 140 and my ferritin 11. My doctor responded that everyone is B12 deficient and laughed at my concern! I asked for the injections and requested testing to find out the cause…she granted me the injections, but said any additional testing was not necessary! Considering I am not a vegan, eat a balanced diet which includes meat, dairy, and fish…I think it is.
Anyway, this diagnosis explained many symptoms I had/have been experiencing for 3-4 years including:
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Depression
Insomnia
Anxiety
Tingling in toe and fingers
Headaches
Increase in migraines
Dry,raw cracking around nose
Cracking at corners of mouth
Sore tongue/mouth (thought I had thrush and had treated myself for it on several occasions; it was the only thing I knew of that caused these symptoms)
Muscle cramping in feet (like Charlie Horse)
Pain in hips
Weight gain, no matter what I do

I subsequently was diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency as well, for which I take a purified cod liver oil supplement for.

For my B12 I had 4 weekly injections combined with daily sublingual 5000mcg supplements. My B12 is now at 512 and have been put on a maintenance dosage (1000mcg sublingual daily) to see how that goes.

By: Pam

Pam — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:54:15 +0000

I was just diagnosed 2 days ago. My level was 211. I was driven to the doctor by extreme episodes of muscle weakness that mimicked my blood sugar dropping. A vitamin D deficiency also was discovered, apparently pretty severe. I just received my first B-12 shot. Today I carried on an hour conversation and actually used intelligent language. Something I hadn’t been able to do for awhile but I thought I was developing dementia. I’m 52. I do have a question. I haven’t received my results yet for the anemia but I’m curious as to whether anyone has a problem with bloating and abdominal pain. I feel like my stomach is in spasms and that there’s a 30 lb weight in my abdomen. I also ache and hurt in my stomach. I also have been experiencing diarrhea and constipation. From one extreme to the other, lol. At this point I’m not sure what symptoms I can relate to what deficiency. Just praying I start feeling better soon.

By: Tilly

Tilly — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:07:56 +0000

Hi
Over the past 4 years I have had 2 tests for b12 anemia
( just the uk NHS standard test). They both came back around 248 and GP ( doctor) says thats fine. I was taking a wellwoman multi vitamin at the time that contained Vit b12, folic acid and iron. My Dad, his mother and his 3 sisters and 2 of my sisters suffer from B12 anemia and receive injections to address. I think my doctor thinks I just want to join their club or something …. when really I just want an answer!

From birth I have always suffered from stomach problems and struggled to digest food. in more recent years I have tingling in fingers ( they often are wrinkled like I have been in the bath for a long time). I get regular headaches, hotflushes, swollen glands. My sleep pattern is poor and I am always tired. I often just zone out and I am unaware of how much time has passed. Approx every 2 days I get a very sore toungue at the side and towards the back of my mouth. I also have some hair loss and find it difficult to remember things.
At the age OF 40 I have just been diaganosed with asthema and rhinitus.

I have heard the UK’s – standard NHS- b12 test is not reliable?
What test should I ask for?
Is there any information I can quote or refer my GP to that might encourage him to carry out further tests?

all the very best
Tilly

By: Tamyetta

Tamyetta — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:58:50 +0000

I was diagnosed with severe pernicious anemia last year at 35. I almost died! My blood count was 5 and my hematologist told me I had the largest red blood cells he’d ever seen. I was hospitalized for a week receiving 3 blood transfusions and daily b12 shots for 2 weeks. After 3 years of feeling like I was slowly dying of poison and going crazy. My symptoms were misdiagnosed by four separate “specialist”. It all started three years ago, I had spontaneous diarrhea several times a day accompanied with the inability to hold down food (for this I was diagnosed with IBS and GERD, I went to a Gastro doctor who performed 3 separate anesthesia procedures- upper, lower endoscopy, and colonoscopy and prescribed five different medications, which made the symptoms worsen). I couldn’t walk up stairs, by the time I got to the top my chest felt like I swallowed a brick and I couldn’t catch my breath (for this I was misdiagnosed with asthma, my primary physician prescribed Singular and Advair-didn’t help a bit). I had fainting spells especially in the shower (for this I was prescribed anti-anxiety drug Prozac). I started to urinate on myself and couldn’t control my bowels (for this I was misdiagnosed as inconstinence, my GYN said I should exercise my pelvis muscles) This one was the worst, sex. After an orgasm, I would get a sick of poisoning- almost cost me my marriage. I could hear my heart beat in my ears (I went to see a cardiologist) I was given a stress test and wore a monitor for a day to record my heart rhythms. ALL these symptoms were directly related to severe anemia. NOT 1 doctor took my blood for three years. When I literally crawled into my primary doctors office and told her that none of the specialist healed me, she for the 5th time tried to give me anti-depressants and told me I was aging. She ran blood test and called and told me my iron was low and my blood count was 7, she prescribed IRON pills and referred me back to the Gastro doctor (who also basically told me I was crazy because she couldn’t find anything wrong with me but wanted to do another anesthesia induced test). After 2 weeks wait for appointment, I went to see the Gastro doctor, told her my blood count and she sent me in for a blood transfusion- still undiagnosed. When I went to the hospital the day before my transfusion for blood work, I had to be wheeled in because I was very sick. When they received my test results after I left the hospital, the hospital called my cell phone to come back immediately- I was critical, my blood count was 5! I was admitted on Monday and they didn’t diagnose me until Wednesday. The nurses kept asking my where my blood went!??? The attending physican had to wait because they tranfused me before knowing what was wrong in the first place (they didn’t test the blood from earlier). Anyway, all of the symptoms are gone except now but I have neurological damage from being sick for so long. Blood is needed for every body function, because my blood was so low it caused my body to mimic other diseases. The worse was sex, all the blood rushes and my body is left numb and weak. To walk, my heart works harder but there was no blood, to digest food was hard work on my body because again, my blood was too low. No diarrhea no GERD, no asthma. The one problem I have is pain in my legs and the inability to remember simple things like my daughters name and birthday. Pernicious Anemia ran in my family and I didn’t know it, medical history questionnaires don’t ask that question.

By: Grandfeather

Grandfeather — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:28:06 +0000

Just found your blog and find it so helpful. I really thought I was just over the hill at 67. Usually I have high energy but for the past 2 yrs I just fizzle out way to soon. Kept asking to have thyroid cked. Came back within range. D was low but within range. Hair thinning over past two yrs so badly so keep asking for TSH test and they are within range. So was actually relieved when B12 came back in range but very low end. Just had 1st shot. Ferritin also low so have to take SoFe also. I am hoping this does the trick before I am too old to care. Does anyone else have hair thinning issues?

By: VINNIE VELLA

VINNIE VELLA — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:01:52 +0000

vinnie
I was 35years old when I notice something was wrong .I used to be in terrible pain in my legs. I nearly sleep all day and night unless my husband or the children come and shake me up to get up struggling to do any house work feeling very tired. i blame it because We moved to another house. ONE day I took my daughter to the doctor for something, and while I WAS there I ask him if he give me something for my sinus because I felt like my eyes want to close’. he test my eyes etc etc and then he said I will give you some tablets but he said be careful because they will make you sleep’ I said you have to be kidding .I sleep all day. so he sent me straight to have blood test where I found out what cause all the trouble the doctor found I had pernicious anema so He start give me these injections of B12 and some iron injections until my body back to normal .so I be having the B12injections for about thirty years. and I feel very good . no more sleeping all day I was very lucky Iwas close to be in a coma.