b12 deficiency

[nikkor]

Long story short, 5 months ago I started to become dizzy, not the vertigo type thing but something very strange dizziness that seems to go around my head as if there were a balloon stuck in between my temples. After waiting 2 weeks I started getting anxious as I also started having tingling in my left foot,extreme fatigue, brain fog,you name it, I also had a very bad insomnia that made everything horrible. From then I started to suffer from anxiety,etc... I've done all sort of testings (MRI,etc) which came back perfect (I expected the worst)
The anxiety and worst sympotms have dissipated (yes thank god the insomnia went away) but I'm stuck with this wierd dizziness, scalp tension, and sinus pressure (exactly the way it began).
One thing I asked my GP for was a B12 level check. It came back 153pg/ml and the lab stated an acceptable range of 113-300, the internist said I had nothing wrong. Last week I had a visit at the neurologyst and he said that in fact I'm deficient and that I need to take b12 and get my levels checked again after to see if I absorb it or not.
He prescribed me 400mcg Folic acid / 2mcg B12. But after reading on the internet I think he got the wrong stuff for me.
You ME/CFS people seem to know a lot about this, I might even have some CFS because I've always been kind of a tired person (I had lyme when I was 8 years old, they tested again and they say I don't have anything).

Anyway, should I buy some methylcobalamin or what should I do? I'm totally lost, and the brainfog dizziness makes me crazy, I can't work anymore, and reading through thousand of pages is impossible...

2 months ago a doctor told me to take a b1-b6-b12 250mg/250mg/500mcg pill. After three days my body went nuts, I couldn't feel my legs properly, the doctor said I was too anxious about everything, I stopped the pills and it took me 2 weeks to walk confident again, so I'm kind of scared about taking anything.

Best Regards!

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

The rule here is that we do not give medical advice. If we do not know what is your diagnosis we certainly should not be giving advice. And if you are already under a doctor who has advised something you are worried about you need to go back to the doctor and sort it out. Nobody here is qualified to advise you on this.

 

[nikkor]

Thank you Jonathan,
unfortunatly it's almost impossible to go back to the doctor thanks to the burocrazy in the national healthsystem (I have my next appointment in May...)

May be I should ask another way, Is Methylcobalamin preferable over Cyanocobalamin in treating a deficiency. I'm asking because from reading this site, it's as if cyanocobalamin is more like a poison.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

Thank you Jonathan,
unfortunatly it's almost impossible to go back to the doctor thanks to the burocrazy in the national healthsystem (I have my next appointment in May...)

May be I should ask another way, Is Methylcobalamin preferable over Cyanocobalamin in treating a deficiency. I'm asking because from reading this site, it's as if cyanocobalamin is more like a poison.

If you have been prescribed cyanocobalamin I don't think anyone here should be suggesting otherwise. As far as I am aware cyanocobalamin is a perfectly good treatment for B12 deficiency but I am not an expert either. All sorts of opinions appear on Phoenix Rising and as discussions of personal preferences for people diagnosed with ME or CFS that is fine but we are not in a position to advise people who do not have that diagnosis and certainly should not be offering alternative advice to a doctor already treating you.

If the doctor is an NHS neurologist you are entitled to ring up the secretary and say that you are uncertain about the treatment and have a query. An NHS specialist is duty bound to respond to that (I know because I was one for thirty years). You may well get all sorts of obstruction I realise but unless patients persist the system will not change. You certainly should not alter your treatment on the basis of comments made on PR.

 

[ahmo]

@nikkor MethylB12 is desirable, also MethylFolate, not folic acid. B12 levels are notoriously unreliable for showing what's going on. There's a link to Methylation for Dummies in my signature, as well as a short version of Freddd's Protocol. My life-long tendency for insomnia, which had become chronic and debilitating, resolved once I had enough B12. Also my neurological symptoms disappeared.

Can you trace the beginning of your symptoms back to anything? Illness? diet or supplement change? work stress? Linking an excellent vid re B12 deficiency.

This site was created as a hub to bring all the key websites on vitamin B12 deficiency together in one place. http://www.b12deficiency.info/

Diagnosing and Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency‬
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QqjyAeOLyKM

 

[Mij]

I treated my b12 deficiency with 1000mg methyl/b12 and a coenzymated b complex daily.

I'm fine now.

 

[whodathunkit]

Methylcobalamin preferable over Cyanocobalamin

Methylcobalamin is the form of B12 (cobalamin) that needs NO processing by the liver in order for the body to be able to use it.

Cynaocobalamin, OTOH, requires processing so that the cyanide molecule (i.e., the poison) be separated from the B12 (cobalamin) by a detox process in the body before the body can make use of it. If you can't complete this detox process for whatever reason (genetic mutation, poor liver function, etc.), the B12 in cyanocobalamin is not accessible to you.

Cyanocobalamin did absolutely NOTHING for me. Ever. I tried shots and sublinguals multiple times over a span of a couple decades. I kept trying because I heard great things about B12 and was hoping something would change. But I might as well have taken my $20's, wadded them up, and flushed them down the commode. Then my first methylcobalamin shot was a straight-up revelation for me. Within 15 minutes I was like "OMG, so THIS is why people rave about B12!!" Turns out in addition to poor liver function from years of bad lifestyle I also have a few snps that may affect the body's ability to process and use B12. So the "active" form is what's best for me. You may be one of those people, too.

You don't have to use shots, BTW. Sublinguals or transdermal oils work, too. But if you get a good B12 shot when you really need it, it can indeed be a revelation.

BTW, I agree with @ahmo that folic acid is not a great product. I avoid it like the plague. Methylfolate is the active form not bound to toxins.

 

[caledonia]

I continue to be appalled at the lack of proper treatment by the NHS.

I don't understand how prescribing a moderate amount of synthetic folic acid, and a tiny amount of synthetic B12 is going to do anything for a B12 deficiency, and could possibly make you worse due to not being able to metabolize it.

They should be prescribing hydroxycobalamin or methylcobalamin injections.

I have serious doubts about the ability of this doctor to be helpful when he prescribes the wrong thing and also blames you for reacting badly to things he prescribes with no thought as to find out why or try something else. So either find a new doc, or better yet, a naturopath or holistic doc who should understand these things better.

There is also no rule that says you can't research and experiment yourself with supplements purchased from the health food store (assuming that a simple B12 deficiency is your only problem).

Hint, we have found on this forum that sublingual methylcobalamin is a very effective way to get B12, and may even be better than shots. It's best to start low in case there are any adverse reactions and gradually work your way up to a full dose if tolerated.

Any information I have given is for educational purposes only and is not a prescription. I have no medical background, I am just a well researched patient.

There is more info on B12 deficiency in my signature link.