Deficiencies And Recovery Time

[krishna]

Hi,

I've been on a gluten free diet for 6-7 months now and have been taking B12 injections every month and Vitamin D3 pills. Today my doctor went over my report and found out I am really low in Iron. Previously I was medium-low but now I'm low but not anemic (still not deficient). So he started me on Iron supplements and will do my tests again in a month. My B12 after taking about 12 injections (last 6 months) is still not that high. It is kind of medium, like 520 something. The range I believe is from 200-1200.. not sure of the units. My doctor says if you take injections then it depends on the time you get tested after taking the injection (mine was after 3 weeks after getting the 12th injection) because the body starts absorbing B12 and B12 levels start to fall. Therefore, he now recommends to take B12 supplements instead of the injections because taking them will project a more realistic B12 number next time he does the tests.

I was wondering how long does it take for B12 and Iron levels to become stable and not change even after stopping supplements? My doctor says it takes anytime between 1 - 2 years but I wanted to get your opinion here.

Thanks!

[ravenwoodglass]

I agree with your doctor but you may see results sooner. When you get the B12 supplements get the sublingual form as the ones in the swallowed pills are not going to be able to be absorbed. The sublingual will go directly into your bloodstream.

[krishna]

Thanks! My doctor also recommended the sublingual type and I've got it already. I keep having panicky/nervous like feeling and feel low sometimes and at other times I feel normal but not so great either. There's always tightness around my abdomen area. Does anyone have the same or similar type of experience?

[gf-soph]

Have you had your folate levels tested? Since you are low in B12 and iron it's important to get it checked, as it also causes anemia.

I found that it took a long time to get my iron and b12 levels stable, and a long time for my d to rise at all.

I started showing low levels in 2007, and had intermittent injections for iron and b12 until mid 2008, when a good dr got me to go gluten free, and started treating the deficiencies more aggressively. I needed iron injections as I couldn't absorb any from my gut. I had a lot of injections for both until about mid 2010, when I found out that additional food intolerances were impairing my digestion. Once I had got these under control my levels have stabilised and even increased since then, and have been very stable in the last 3 months.

So for me, it took 2 years after gluten free, but I was continuing to malabsorb for 18 months anyway. For you the process may be a lot quicker, especially if you can take the iron supplements.

I found that my iron levels tended to not move much, and my B12 went up and down a lot when I was getting injections. I had a lot of B12 at various points, and i did get high readings like 1400 or so. They went down in a month or two to 800, then to 500 pretty quickly. Your body may be better at getting rid of the excess, or it may be utilising the b12 better, I can't say. I found that my body often dumped the extra injectables, I once went from a b12 of 1000 to 200 in 3 weeks. The best advice I can give it to monitor at least every month until you see nice consistent levels.

Your dr's suggestion about switching to the b12 pills is a good one, as it's a truer reflection of what your body can absorb. If your levels increase on the pills then you can be pretty confident that your levels will be more accurate, but when you get an injection there's too much at once for your body to use it all.

[krishna]

Thanks everyone, I will take your advice seriously!

My doctor told me to take B12 sub-lingual 5mg or 5,000mcg daily. He said its the highest dose he sells in his clinic. Do you think it is too strong to take daily? I was reading online that between 1mg-3mg B12 sub-lingual is recommended. Please advice!

Thanks again!

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks everyone, I will take your advice seriously!

My doctor told me to take B12 sub-lingual 5mg or 5,000mcg daily. He said its the highest dose he sells in his clinic. Do you think it is too strong to take daily? I was reading online that between 1mg-3mg B12 sub-lingual is recommended. Please advice!

Thanks again!

Go ahead and take it. If you have excess in your system you will simply excrete it. There is no toxic level for B12 as it is water soluable. Your doctor can retest in a few months to see if you can step down to a lower level.

[krishna]

Go ahead and take it. If you have excess in your system you will simply excrete it. There is no toxic level for B12 as it is water soluable. Your doctor can retest in a few months to see if you can step down to a lower level.

Thanks!

On this website, under the "seasonings" section it says that yeast extract has gluten (barley), is it true? Any read something like this before?

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