Alternatives to oral supplements?

[Hollb]

Does anyone know of transdermal B complex/Vitamin D supplements, or have any suggestions for ways to get vitamins other than orally? I am currently injecting 1mg of hydroxycobalamin daily which is helping alot with my energy levels and has pretty much eliminated my brain fog. I want to supplement methylfolate and other b vits too as I have lots of signs of B vit deficiencies, and vitamin D (last blood tests showed I am D deficient), but I have enormous trouble tolerating any oral supplements. I have recently been diagnosed with probable Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, I have huge difficulty eating high histamine foods. When I take any supplements I get gut pain, diarrhea, urticaria, facial flushing and my skin problems worsen. This is really frustrating as the hydroxy injections have actually been improving my tolerance of foods, and improving my skin into the bargain. I took Vitamin D capsules 3 days ago and it has sent my gut and skin into turmoil again, undoing several weeks of what I presume was repair/healimg that the B12 had achieved.

I feel I need to get these nutrients in me somehow, I have a very restricted diet due to the MCAS so dont get what I need from diet, although I make it as healthy as I can within my restrictions, and I am certain I have malabsorbtion too. I have noticed that my energy levels dip periodically which I think is when I dont have enough methylfolate for methylation, so I make a load of hummus and eat that which definitely helps but I am certain I would be better if I could take a supplement. I get extra minerals from Dr Myhills mineral transdermal spray (it also has some vitamin D in but a very low dose) which seems to work well for me, but can't find anything similar for B vits. Does anyone have a similar problem or have any suggestions?

 

[Marc_NL]

Over here they have oils with B vitamins:
http://www.b12oils.com/index.htm

It's mostly B12 but there is also a B Multi Vitamin Oil.

I didn't use the oils but there are some threads on the forum with people's experiences, like here:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/transdermal-b12-oils.33172/

 

[helen1]

There are also vit D lamps. I have one by Spectra which has nicely increased my D levels. Don't confuse vit D lamps with full spectrum SAD lamps as the latter don't have the right rays to produce vit D.

@Hollb

 

[Hollb]

Thank you both very much for these suggestions. The b12 oils look very promising, especially the B complex oil, although I am tempted to try out the Methyl oil too given how well some other people have found it to work! The only thing I am unsure about is the lack of Methylfolate in the B complex oil, but I emailed and asked them and they replied that 'Many people who have CFS have issues with dealing with folate and methyl B12, which is one reason for not having them in the oils. The second reason is that folate is very poorly soluble.Most people though with CFS have issues with folate and methyl B12 because they are functionally deficient in vitamin B2.' I am not totally sure I understand about the B2-folate connection. I thought CFS'ers taking cobalamin needed folate for the methylation cycle, but perhaps I am wrong? It looks like I am back to the drawing board on folate however, if it is poorly soluble I like will be unable to find a transdermal route of getting it. Perhaps there is such a thing as a folate injection.

I have considered a vitamin D lamp before, but as it was expensive I put it aside and forgot about it - I don't suppose you have any experience of how well they work Helen? As they are pricey I'd like to know they do the job before I invest. The other alternative I have discovered is going for injections, which as the NHS won't give me them will likely entail a trip to a clinic somewhere like London regularly which will probably add up to a smiliar cost or more than a lamp, so it is definitely looking like a good option.

 

[aaron_c]

Be careful with transdermal B2, as B2 is degraded by light.

How is carnitine for you? Decent doses of carnitine (close to or above what causes insomnia) can really help my gut. Although it sounds like your case is way more severe than mine.

 

[VitaminK2]

I imagine making your own transdermal with dmso and vitamin b / d powders might work. You just need to make sure you keep everything as clean as possible in addition you measuring the doses properly. Have you tried asking your doctor to get a specialized injectable with B vitamins and D3 made for you by a compounding pharmacy?

 

[erin]

You can make a suppository of vitamin D mixed in coconut oil and put in the fridge. I haven't tried it, just an idea. It'll be absorbed better from the intestine, by passing liver.

 

[aaron_c]

The easiest way to get vitamin D would probably be with a UV-B light. Oral vitamin D gives me a whole slew of side effects, whereas the UV-B light doesn't give me any of them.

A decent number of us get quite fatigued from oral vitamin D. And I know I'm not the only one who has to find a way to balance the extra calcium vitamin d brings in (usually balancing it with Vitamin K MK-4). It also depleted me of boron, which was a vicious cycle because boron supplements deplete people of B2 while boron decreases the breakdown of the active form of vitamin D...which meant that the more boron I took, the more boron I lost due to increased vitamin D, not to mention the more B2 I lost.

 

[Hollb]

aaron_c I haven't yet tried Carnitine, I have a pot sitting in the cupboard waiting though so will give it a go soon. Good to hear that it helped you, I had some success with Glutamine, but it started to give me an odd lightheaded sensation so I stopped taking it. I aven't really properly begun the process of trying to heal my gut, as until now my brain was too foggy to research and understand what I need to do, but am hoping to start the gut healing process in earnest soon.

I think a UV-B lamp might be the best thing for me. Thank you for the information about Boron and B2, I didn't know about that interaction. I am deficient in B2 already so will have to keep an eye on it. I have a lot to learn, sometimes it's a bit overwhelming as it seems I am going to have to micro manage most of my nutrients and understand their interactions since my gut is no longer capable of absorbing enough and doing the job for me. I am sure many people here are in a similar situation!

VitaminK2 Thank you, I have considered making my own, and found a good supplier of DMSO, the thing that has held me back is uncertainty about the other ingredients in the vitamins I would be using to make the mixture (preservatives and so on). I am probably being overly cautious but I haven't been sure it would be safe to introduce those ingredients to my body transdermally. I have looked at compounding pharmacies, but I don't have access to a doctor who would be willing to prescribe anything like that. Do compounding pharmacies make products for the general public too or do you have to be a doctor to order from them?

Erin Thanks! Suppositories are an interesting idea, I have pondered them in the past. I didn't know it was that easy to make your own though. I am a little wary of introducing Vitamin D into my body by any method even connected to my gut at the moment though as I have had such a bad reaction to it.

 

[helen1]

There are also vit D lamps. I have one by Spectra which has nicely increased my D levels. Don't confuse vit D lamps with full spectrum SAD lamps as the latter don't have the right rays to produce vit D.

@Hollb

Edit: it’s a Sperti lamp not Spectra

 

[andy_smurt]

You can make a suppository of vitamin D mixed in coconut oil and put in the fridge. I haven't tried it, just an idea. It'll be absorbed better from the intestine, by passing liver.

I am skeptical considering:
(1) "How coconut oil went from health food to 'poison'" https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/8/23/17773494/coconut-oil-poison-saturated-fat
(2) Consider people dying from alcohol delivered that route due to rapid "unprocessed/undigested" intake into the bloodstream.

Methylcobalamin of significants amount can be found in shellfish (clams oysters mussels). I couldn't find the source I'd read verifying methylcobalamin was the form within those, but I think that fact is implicit given "Cyanocobalamin is a man-made form of vitamin B12 used to prevent and treat low blood levels of this vitamin."