Vitamin B deficiency, mental symptoms and injections

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is intrinsic factor and why did it make you stop the Vitamin B?

It means that you can absorb b12 in the intestine. If you lack intrinsic factor your need injections.

[Anonymous]

Urgent care injector here -- sorry, I'm just checking back in on this thread.

I get my shots at the urgent care on old dominion in McLean. It never seemed like a big deal for them to do it.

I didn't notice an immediate improvement -- it's not like you get a shot and feel better immediately or even the next few days. It honestly took me a couple months to realize how much better I felt.

I was depressed and so lethargic before the shots. I went to my doctor because I was feeling so awful. She did blood work and we were both shocked to see how low my B12 levels were.

I think in the beginning I got shots every two weeks. Now I go about once a month. If I forget, I get sores in my mouth which is my signal that I've waited too long between my shots.

I'm happy to answer any other questions.

[Anonymous]

The shots helped resolve numbness and tingling in my hands and feet as well as the general sense of malaise.

[Anonymous]

Do you have ibd or Ibs? Very different. Have you seen a GI doc? Have you had a colonoscopy to see if there is another cause of this deficiency like h pylori? How low is your vitamin B?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Urgent care injector here -- sorry, I'm just checking back in on this thread.

I get my shots at the urgent care on old dominion in McLean. It never seemed like a big deal for them to do it.

I didn't notice an immediate improvement -- it's not like you get a shot and feel better immediately or even the next few days. It honestly took me a couple months to realize how much better I felt.

I was depressed and so lethargic before the shots. I went to my doctor because I was feeling so awful. She did blood work and we were both shocked to see how low my B12 levels were.

I think in the beginning I got shots every two weeks. Now I go about once a month. If I forget, I get sores in my mouth which is my signal that I've waited too long between my shots.

I'm happy to answer any other questions.

Thanks for getting back. I have been diagnosed with a disorder that can cause low B12, but I haven't had it checked yet. But in case it tests out low, I'd rather have injection than take the tablets.

Many doctors shy away from injections because in the 1950s and 1960s it became associated with quackery. I once deep a deep dive research lowing B12 once for a family member and found the research supporting tablets over pills is rather sparse and involved older people, who simply through age are not able to absorb B12 as well from their food. That is simply a very different set than younger people who have low B12 because of a disorder.

Now I know where to go if this is the case--thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Urgent care injector here -- sorry, I'm just checking back in on this thread.

I get my shots at the urgent care on old dominion in McLean. It never seemed like a big deal for them to do it.

I didn't notice an immediate improvement -- it's not like you get a shot and feel better immediately or even the next few days. It honestly took me a couple months to realize how much better I felt.

I was depressed and so lethargic before the shots. I went to my doctor because I was feeling so awful. She did blood work and we were both shocked to see how low my B12 levels were.

I think in the beginning I got shots every two weeks. Now I go about once a month. If I forget, I get sores in my mouth which is my signal that I've waited too long between my shots.

I'm happy to answer any other questions.

Thanks, this is OP! Why did you opt for the injections as opposed to the oral (or sublingual) route? I get anxiety from oral or sublingual and I'm worried the injections will cause the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Female, 50s. I've had brain fog, depression, anxiety and other symptoms for years. Every doctor tells me I'm Vit B deficient. When I try to supplement, it gives me anxiety. I've tried methylcobalamin pills and lozenges and sublingual, and am now trying hydroxocobalamin lozenges for the first time, but I already feel the anxiety creeping in. I have gut issues (IBD) and the MTHFR gene mutation so my functional doctor suggested I try injections next. Have you been through this journey before and found injections to be beneficial? What effect should I expect from the injections? Is there something else I should be doing to improve my Vit B levels? Really at the end of my rope, and having brain fog/anxiety makes it so hard to figure out a way forward. Thanks.

WHY are you only supplementing one B vitamin? Doing that causes other deficiencies, imbalances, and all sorts of problems.

Only take a pill that contains all 11 B vitamins.

That’s not necessarily correct advice

Yet it is correct.

WHY are you spreading intentional misinformation without contributing anything? You want to harm the OP and others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Female, 50s. I've had brain fog, depression, anxiety and other symptoms for years. Every doctor tells me I'm Vit B deficient. When I try to supplement, it gives me anxiety. I've tried methylcobalamin pills and lozenges and sublingual, and am now trying hydroxocobalamin lozenges for the first time, but I already feel the anxiety creeping in. I have gut issues (IBD) and the MTHFR gene mutation so my functional doctor suggested I try injections next. Have you been through this journey before and found injections to be beneficial? What effect should I expect from the injections? Is there something else I should be doing to improve my Vit B levels? Really at the end of my rope, and having brain fog/anxiety makes it so hard to figure out a way forward. Thanks.

WHY are you only supplementing one B vitamin? Doing that causes other deficiencies, imbalances, and all sorts of problems.

Only take a pill that contains all 11 B vitamins.

That’s not necessarily correct advice

Yet it is correct.

I'd like to know the source of this advice. It is well known that the body will excrete B-12 if it is in excess of that is needed, which makes it extremely difficult to overdo B-12.

WHY are you spreading intentional misinformation without contributing anything? You want to harm the OP and others?

[Anonymous]

OP I think it is worth trying the injections. A b12 deficiency is something that you really want to remedy. It might not be terrible now but eventually you will probably get more symptomatic and it can feel really terrible.

[Anonymous]

I have autoimmune gastritis and lack intrinsic factor, so I have to do injections. Without them I end up with pernicious anemia and am at risk of heart attack and organ failure. And even with that diagnosis, it was a major process to get insurance to stop denying claims and actually cover it. I definitely feel better since starting them.

[Anonymous]

Are you taking methyl folate

[Anonymous]

If you don’t eat red meat, you will likely eventually develop some B-12 deficiency.

If you have low B-12, you need to go to GI and figure out why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t eat red meat, you will likely eventually develop some B-12 deficiency.

If you have low B-12, you need to go to GI and figure out why.

FWIW sometimes they just say “we don’t know”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t eat red meat, you will likely eventually develop some B-12 deficiency.

If you have low B-12, you need to go to GI and figure out why.

FWIW sometimes they just say “we don’t know”

and say that it common as we age to not be able to process it.

[Anonymous]

The methyl form B12 supplements caused me a ton of anxiety also. I was fine with adenosylcobalamin lozenges. Maybe tighten up your diet as you start them? Sugar and processed carbs will ramp up my anxiety hugely.