Vitamins and particularly B12

[Onemoret1me]

I’m sick of feeling run down and catching every infection going.
Ive used first defence which seems to ward off a cold but now have d&v.
my B12 levels are low but borderline so they’ve not said to have any treatment.
i get ill quite frequently and when I do I really struggle to fight it off and seem unwell for much longer than most others.
what supplements do you recommend? I don’t really know where to start. I’ve just been taking a chewy multi vitamin which brought my B12 up to borderline but no higher.

I have a B12 injection every three months.
Ask your doc if this would suit you.

you can get a test from Monitor my Health which costs £49. But a normal ferritin range is from 41 up to 400 according to this NHS page so I would just spend the £49 on more iron tablets and keep taking them. 23 is still low so your GP should have kept prescribing the tablets, monitoring your levels and assessing and trying to treat the cause. Do you think it’s heavy periods?

https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/pathology/tests/ferritin/

Great advice above.
Vit D and K2 together have been a game changer for my general health.
Look at your gut health and foods that promote that.
Magnesium bisglycerate aids sleep.
I'm taking Ashwagandha too for sleep and because a few friends rave about it for stress relief.

Definitely use supplements to get that ferritin up.

Do you take these by adding them to a drink?

@oenix thats bonkers that they won't retest, mine offered to.

But no you don't need a retest at your level as you have so far to go, I just kept going, one tablet every 48hrs for six months. The coil stopped me bleeding so my levels eventually went up.

Last test was 118.

Thank you, the GP told me that 23 was within the normal range for them, although I knew that it was still low so I did buy supplements myself and continue to take them for a while. I was worried about my levels becoming too high though without testing, so now I just take an occasional tablet once or twice a week (I was on two a day when prescribed).

I was having heavy periods and was put on HRT which has helped with those, and also referred to gynaecology who scanned me around the time and found another possible issue; apparently I need an ‘urgent within 6 weeks’ hysteroscopy for further investigation/ treatment according to the consultant but over a year later I’m still waiting!

Thanks @Thecows and @Moveyourbleedingarse

I think I’m going to start taking them regularly again as I’ve been feeling really tired lately, maybe once every couple of days.

@oenix you should never take iron more frequently than every 48hrs. Your body can only absorb so much in this time frame. 2/3 a day is very outdated advice.

Have a google and the new evidence is for 48hrs.

And if you needed an urgent hysteroscopy why on earth haven't you chased it?! I had a hysteroscopy when my endometrium was at 7mm on HRT, what was yours?

Interesting, thanks. I was prescribed two a day for three months. But it only got my levels from 10 to 23.

I did chase it. Reception told me that it was never going to happen and that the wait was more like a year, and that the consultants didn’t have a clue!

I have no idea as I had only just started HRT when I went for the scan; the issue was linked to something else (a pouch linked to a c-section scar, which was filling with blood).

When my ferritin level was 26 they prescribed iron tablets for me. Next time it was tested is was 58. My GP continued to prescribe iron for me, as she said that’s still on the low side and it can take a long time to improve.

She also reminded me to take iron with either a good quality orange juice or eat an orange, as iron needs vitamin c to absorb. She also said take one tablet every other day.

Also interesting, Google says that it varies according to health board; I’m in an area where the NHS is massively struggling, so they have probably lowered their thresholds. I have a DC who requires further surgery due to a wait for an ‘urgent within 6 months’ surgery taking over 2 years, which led to further damage - it’s awful around here.

I was taking it with fresh orange juice every morning/ evening.

B12 is useless without Folate. Your body uses folate to process B12.

If you take B12 supplements you will raise your B12 levels but these are just blood levels and do not reflect your active B12 levels (Holotranscobalamin)

To get a more accurate B12 test you shouldn't take any B12 supplements for 4 months before you test. The Doc should also test your folate levels at the same time because if folate is low it's a waste of time taking B12 because your body won't activate/process it.

I’m really surprised at some of these replies. OP unless you are vegan or inhaling nitric oxide it’s very unlikely to be the kind of B12 deficiency that you can improve with diet and tablets. You probably cannot absorb the vitamin, there are lots of reasons why. Injections are the only way to treat that kind of B12 deficiency. I’m new to all this myself having recently received a borderline result and I’m having to learn about it. But that’s the facts as I understand them. Have a look at The B12 Society and Google the NICE guidelines for B12 deficiency.

If you take B12 supplements they will then cause a false blood test result.

Do you take omeprezole? That can affect B12 absorption

No, they are in a dropper bottle and you pop them under your tongue.

Now confused by other posters saying taking B12 supplements will result in a false high reading on future blood test results?

I was taking high-dose (10,000mcg per day) biotin supplement (B7) before, to try and combat hair thinning. GP has never asked me about them before so haven't mentioned. I've since discovered that not only were they probably contributing towards my oily, greasy, acne-ridden skin but they also give a false high reading on blood tests so should be avoided a few days before...!

I had b12 injections. £20 from my local beauty place. Would recommend to give yourself a boost.

Wearing a good quality ffp2 mask on public transport and other crowded places has helped me go from being ill every two weeks to once in the last two years. Honestly amazing, and definitely way less difficult than I thought it would be. If you are in crowded places a lot could be worth a shot.

My friend who is a doctor recommended it when she was telling me about how lots of people getting covid a lot is making everyone's immune systems worse and worse, and I didn't have a very good one to start with 😅

plain kefir for gut health

immune health starts in the gut

last 2 winters i was catching every possible infection, and with almost everyone i had to take sick days at work as i was barely functioning.

this winter I am much better, didnt have (knock on the wood) sick day yet.

drinking plain kefir daily, and using inulin powder (good fibre source plus its probiotic).

I have history of anemia, recently my ferritin was 23, and iron slightly below the lower range. I was told everything is ok and my blood results are satisfactory.

i ve done my own research and ferritin should be around 70-100 for optimal energy, cognitive function, and overall well-being

I didn't want the sugar in fresh orange juice, and only take my iron every other day now, hence just taking it with a vit c tablet.

Also, Kiwis are much higher in vit c than oranges, so if I were to have fresh fruit with my iron then I would have a kiwi.

Think I'll buy some ferrous fumerate from the pharmacy like someone mentioned up thread, and see if I can get it over 70 for the first time in over a decade.

When I stopped smoking 5 years ago now, for a couple years, I constantly caught everything going. Chest infections. Flus. Colds. The lot.

Game changer for me was taking magnesium. Touch wood, but I haven't been sick (flu nor cold) for 3 or so years.

Another game changer for me was the First Defence Spray. If I felt any tingle at all, I'd take a spray up the nose.

I also was taking Vit 12 spray with folate and my levels went through the roof, so much so, my doc said to stop supplementing.

I take 3000 iu Vit D also everyday. Will down this in summer months.

Which brand do you use?

Where do you get the kefir please?

My symptoms of low b12 are feeling like there's an insect eg ant, fly crawling over me. It's a tickly constant feel and is because b12 impacts nerves. I've just started b12 supplements again as I've been constantly brushing non existent insects off me the past couple of days. Makes sense as I'm a couple of weeks post major surgery and that can impact b12 levels if you're prone to low b12.

I use the better you multivitamin spray as have known absorption issues - might be worth a try OP?