katrina500

I'm sorry this happened to you. The time to recover can vary from person to person. For me it takes about 3 weeks but it could be sooner for you.
When I get glutened anti-inflammatorys help a bit with the pain. I try to drink lots of water and to rest as much as I can. I also make sure that I am taking my vitamins, the B's and D in particular along with some sublingual B12 which seems to help my brain and nerves.
I hope you recover quickly.

Thank you! It took about a week from the gluten intake for me to actually get sick. Is that 'normal'?

I do hope you realize that many alcoholic beverages are not gluten-free. So not only is the alcohol not good for the body, but you may be getting glutened by it too.

However, I will not lecture you on alcohol consumption. I'm sure you know better without it being pointed out to you.

As for B12, whether or not to get injections, and how long it takes to bring levels back into the normal range if you allow them to drop, there is no single answer for everyone. It all depends. It depends on how low your level goes, how much the body has stored up, how much you supplement per day, what type of supplement you take, how well your body absorbs the supplement, etc. From what I've read, the methylcobalamin form of sublingual can be as effective as the shots. It is true that there is no known level of overdose for B12, so you can safely take as much as you wish. Studies in which huge, mega-doses of B12 have been administered show that even 60mg per day can be helpful. I expect that you'd end up ingesting too much of whatever other ingredients are in the supplement before experiencing any negative effects from the B12 itself.

When you say 1000% of the RDA, do you mean 3mg? Some studies seem to show that the body can assimilate about 5-6mg per day, which I suppose is why many B12 supplements are available up to about 5mg in potency. There are a few which are higher, though very few. But depending upon how well you body is able to absorb, assimilate and utilize the B12 supplement, you may benefit from a somewhat higher dose. Experimentation with varying amounts is probably the best way to determine how much is optimal for you.

Thanks so much for your comprehensive response and the trouble to do so. I'm not sure where you live, but I'm in Ireland and they don't say mgs, but a percentage of your recommended daily allowance (RDA). I only drink wine and the occasional spirit, I don't drink beer or Guiness unfortunately. I'll up the supplements I think, but I just get confused as to why sometimes the results are okay and other times not, so times it's getting through and then it doesn't and wondered if that was contributing to the extreme fatigue that I get about once every six weeks.

Thanks again, I'm off to have a B12 dinner!

From your description, it doesn't sound as though your B12 is a problem at this time. However, social drinking can cause low folic acid and potassium levels. Perhaps you should have the levels of these nutrients tested (?). Also, has your thyroid been tested? A failing thyroid can cause extreme fatigue, and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is very common in celiacs. I developed Hashimoto's two years after going gluten free.

Thanks for your reply, I've had all the thyroid tests and I'm actually hugely underweight which, as I understand it, is not something associated with thyroid issues. I'm 5'9" and only weigh 9 stone. I was average before diagnosis and then of course, the cakes and buns went, so I lost weight, but am trying to put it back on. I'll ask my GP for further tests though. It's the "B12 under and B12 okay" results that confuse me.