B12 Levels

[elaine33]

My mom was diagnosed last winter with a B12 deficiency. She lives 1500 miles from me with her husband so I don't know a lot of her medical history, just what I get from her husband as she has some dementia and she also refuses to talk about a lot of things. She has always had chronic health problems very similar to mine, so I have a lot of fear I am headed towards dementia eventually.

When I was told of her deficiency and had read up on it a little, I started supplementing for a couple of weeks with methylcobalamine. I was also in touch with a hematologist for some mild anemia issues and asked to be tested. I went off the B12 and about three weeks later had a B12 level done by my hematologist which he said came back normal at 520. I am reading that a lot of holistic people and even other countries like to see the level about 500, so even in that scope I am considered normal. I have some neurologic issues. I am wondering if the methylcobalamine I took in that two week period could have bumped me up, and how much?

Thanks for any help.

[CarlaB]

bump ... Sorry, I don't have the answers, but I know there are people here who know a lot about the B12 issues.

[trents]

How much were you taking? People who have B12 deficiencies usually have absorption problems (as in pernicious anemia) or are vegetarians and unless mega oral does are used (say 4 mg) so it might not impact your levels.

[elaine33]

I was taking very high doses (my sister has MS and she takes it this way). Averaging, I think I took 500 mcg every three days for about two weeks, so about 2000 to 2500 mcg?

Here is a link to what I was taking - don't know how mcg converts to mg ?

Open Original Shared Link

[trents]

To convert mcg to mg divide by 1000. Thus, 500 mcg is .5 mg. You really weren't taking very much.

Are you a celiac?

Steve

[Rusla]

First; you need to know how low her B-12 is, if it is pernicious anemia it is very dangerous. She could be in the stages where she does not remember phone numbers etc. She may have prickles in her feet and hands that without B-12 will get considerably worse. She can be come paralyed with Pernicious anemia, I was two points away from that. After paralysis is irreversible brain damage which also starts on the way to paralysis.

There are still things I can't remember and I know when it is dropping because I get prickles in hands and feet and can't remember much.

She should be on shots to start with, if it is very bad then she may need iron infusions. As I did not want to take shots for the rest of my life because mine was that bad I would have to we tried normal pills but I could not absorb normal B-12 (should have been a clue to the dope GI I had at that time). I take sublingual B-12, they will go right into the blood stream, no swallowing they dissolve under the tongue, they taste good.

[georgie]

Rusla, What does this mean ? What level were you when dx ? I was 148 when dx and have had pins and needles in my feet for 15 years. I came very close to being permanently paralysed.

She can be come paralyed with Pernicious anemia, I was two points away from that.

Elaine, 500 isn't really a good score for B12. Near 1000 is better. And if you have neuro issues you may need a very high number ( ie over range ) to feel good. Keep taking the sublinguals but keep an eye on your B12 .

[darlindeb25]

I take 2400 mcg daily and I still have pins and needles in my feet, I am diagnosed with periphreal neuropathy in nearly my whole body, my hands and fingers go numb, and I get dizzy. For a person with neuropathy, normal levels are not anywhere near normal. I have a malabsorption problem with many vitamins, still after 5 yrs. I have been told that I may need to take more daily than I already do. I use liquid sublingual cyanacobalamin, for some reason the methylcobalamine gives me headaches. As I said--normal levels are not high enough for people who suffer B12 deficiencies. This is a very good forum for reading about B12 and neuropathy: Open Original Shared Link