B12: a simple 5-second poll for everyone

[Pyrrhus]

This is a simple 5-second poll for anyone who has ever tried a B12 supplement in any form.

Many thanks to everyone who responds!

Please feel free to share your experience in more detail in a post.

 

[Wolfcub]

I don't think I had any reaction, neither negative nor positive. I took methyl B12 500 daily (sublingual)
Blood tests showed I did not have any B12 deficiency (but as we know, what is standard for blood tests isn't necessarily an optimal level so did give it a try.)

At first when trying high dose B complex, I had 2 good -ish days followed by an exacerbation of symptoms, and had to lower the dose to 1 tiny hardly-there B complex tablet per day, which I have been fine on.

But with B12 alone I noticed no benefits and no worsening. I stopped taking it.

 

[ljimbo423]

This is a simple 5-second poll for anyone who has ever tried a B12 supplement in any form.

I've been taking 2.5-3.75 mgs sublingual methylcobalamin for several years to help maintain good methylation. I don't notice any benefits or side effects from it.

I also take methylfolate at about 3.5-4 mgs a day. The methylfolate gives me a very noticeable increase in energy. I take the B-12 because it's needed for the methylfolate to work best.

 

[Jyoti]

I had a B12 injection many years ago--long pre-CFS--that left me in tears. I felt SOOOOO good. It was if I had finally seen myself again, energetic, optimistic, full of joy and life force. Just incredible. (Obviously, though not technically sick, I was drained at that point.)

But then, when I started taking B12 once I had ME/CFS it was impossible to deal with. Even the smallest dosages hit me like amphetamines, sent me crashing. Of course every naturopath I saw wanted me on it, but I was pretty quick to recognize that I was not able to handle it. Now, after improving from low moderate to low mild, I rely on it and feel weak kneed and drained if I don't have it each day.

So....it has been a dance and seems to depend a great deal on how strong my body is and what it can process.

 

[ebethc]

FYI ... methylation was a hot topic around here a few years back (or maybe a little longer)...

the ppl who were helped by methylation treatments have dropped off the board (ie, I don't see it discussed much anymore).

So, if you're trying to understand if methyl supplements help "chronic fatigue" the answer is "yes", but your poll may show other results b/c the ppl it helped aren't even around to answer the poll..

 

[percyval577]

I take little amounts, and it has had a good effect last spring and this spring again, but was lacking any effect in autumn. It is the ordinary form which I take.

I have tried a lot of supps now, and in most cases it´s effective in little doses as I drink it in sips (drinking a sip with the supp in water and then later again). This is on top of an avoidance.

I also tried injections (hydroxy-form), but the effect didn´t last very long, instead the stiches lasted, so I dropped it.

Finally, I also tried the methyl-form (it was sublingual), but there wasn´t any effect at all (it might have been in autumn, can´t remember).


My interpretation was firstly that it is an anti-NO effect, whereas here on the forum it was discussed as affecting the methylation cycle (if I got it right), and B9 was part of this interpretation. But I get negative effects from B9, for what ever reason.

With the methylation though there might be something. I will look again in autumn, when NO might be in my body lower (my impression only). I say this because I have good effects from acetate (very small dose), and acetylation is known to take place e.g. in epigentics, as B12 methylation is.

I think an influence on epigentics is not in itself necessary useful, but may easily depend on good circumstances, so I wonder why in the past the B12 thing has been considered that helpful, but didn´t read through the theory.

 

[Sushi]

I get a mild, good response from injections of hydroxycobalamin—it only lasts for a day or two so I inject a couple of times a week. I react very badly to any form of methylcobalamin though.

 

[Booble]

I've never had injections but increasing my B vitamins via food and supplements definitely improves my energy level (and reduces incidents of my ocular migraines). When I say improves I mean a significant and noticeable amount -- without a mega dose.

 

[Booble]

I had a B12 injection many years ago--long pre-CFS--that left me in tears. I felt SOOOOO good. It was if I had finally seen myself again, energetic, optimistic, full of joy and life force. Just incredible. (Obviously, though not technically sick, I was drained at that point.)

But then, when I started taking B12 once I had ME/CFS it was impossible to deal with. Even the smallest dosages hit me like amphetamines, sent me crashing. Of course every naturopath I saw wanted me on it, but I was pretty quick to recognize that I was not able to handle it. Now, after improving from low moderate to low mild, I rely on it and feel weak kneed and drained if I don't have it each day.

So....it has been a dance and seems to depend a great deal on how strong my body is and what it can process.

Very interesting, Jyoti.

 

[Tammy]

When I first started taking B12 (liquid mixture of methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin) I had both positive and negative reactions. Sometimes it made me extremely agitated, At other times I felt extremely sleepy and super relaxed. I hadn't experienced that state of relaxation in a very long time. The feeling sleepy part was actually a pleasant experience for me as it was such a deep sleep..............another thing I hadn't experienced in a long time. I felt like I was in la la land. Usually I had always felt wired all the time........like my body could never let go and relax.

 

[Diwi9]

I did injections every three days for about six months under a doctor's prescription. I can't remember the dose, but it was high. I did not experience any change.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer this poll.

Much appreciated.

 

[Learner1]

B12 doesn't work in a vacuum. It works with many other vitamin and mineral cofactors. So, if you take B12 and lack some other vitamin or mineral that's needed, it's likely you won't get any benefit whatsoever.

Additionally, many people have genetic SNPs and microbiome constituents, and intrinsic factor variations that affect their ability to assimilate and use B12, furthermore there are different forms of B12 which vary in their efficacy for various patients.

With all that said, I've gotten a great deal of benefit from B12, and take the equivalent of about 10 mg daily of methyl B12. I can't tell you what happened the first time I took any, because I believe it was in either a multivitamin or a B complex.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Just one last bump!

 

[Timaca]

I've taken a small amount of B12 (13 mcg) for years because I eat whole food plant based. My serum B12 levels have always been normal. I recently had the MTHFR test (or something like that....I probably got the letters out of order)....anyway, as a result of that my doctor wanted me to try methy B12 and methyl folate. I've been doing that for a couple of months now without any difference to how I feel. I will finish the bottle and go back to taking my smaller amount of B12.

 

[Heartl]

When I eat foods high in b12 I do seem to feel better

 

[maple]

My first injection of hydroxycobalamin (hydroxyB12) was amazing. Like jet fuel the next day. I inject several times per week and sometimes I still feel a boost and improved mental clarity- and sometimes not.

 

[Learner1]

I've taken a small amount of B12 (13 mcg) for years because I eat whole food plant based. My serum B12 levels have always been normal. I recently had the MTHFR test (or something like that....I probably got the letters out of order)....anyway, as a result of that my doctor wanted me to try methy B12 and methyl folate. I've been doing that for a couple of months now without any difference to how I feel. I will finish the bottle and go back to taking my smaller amount of B12.

Serum B12 is a pretty useful test. Methylmalonic acid is the "gold standard" B12 test. Serum B12 will look ok if you're taking it while you can be very deficient. Being deficient in B12 can lead to PERMANENT nerve damage, a high risk for a vegan and s very bad idea for someone with ME/CFS. Other tests you can watch are MCV and homocysteine which can suggest a B12 deficiency.

And if you've been in any antibiotics or any other gut disrupters, you might want to do a Great Plains OAT test to ensure you don't have an oxalate problem which s heavily plant based diet can make much worse.

 

[Aerose91]

Serum B12 is a pretty useful test. Methylmalonic acid is the "gold standard" B12 test. Serum B12 will look ok if you're taking it while you can be very deficient. Being deficient in B12 can lead to PERMANENT nerve damage, a high risk for a vegan and s very bad idea for someone with ME/CFS. Other tests you can watch are MCV and homocysteine which can suggest a B12 deficiency.

And if you've been in any antibiotics or any other gut disrupters, you might want to do a Great Plains OAT test to ensure you don't have an oxalate problem which s heavily plant based diet can make much worse.

Would high or low homocysteine indicate low B-12?

 

[Pyrrhus]

Would high or low homocysteine indicate low B-12?

B12 deficiency, via the "methylfolate trap", leads to elevated homocysteine, especially if vitamin B6 is also low.

In neurological conditions, you have to test for high homocysteine in the cerebrospinal fluid, not in the blood, as there can be a localized B12 deficiency in the brain, but not in the rest of the body.

For more information, see:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9310111/