Will taking Folic acid increase my B12 levels?

[KatyMac]

Does it matter my B12 level is only just within the range (range - 120-1100 mine is 151)?

That sounds low, I thought it was supposed to be about 300?

Well it's within the range the test looks for (apparently) but I did wonder if it was to the low side of the range

My Folate was 2.2 in a range of 2.7-15 - so I have to take folic acid supplements

Why not try a Multi vit B complex supplement. Should help with everything you are lacking.

I think the body gets rid of vits it doesnt need but am really not sure - possibly ask a pharmacist??

Try sub-lingual B12 tablets (they dissolve under your tongue so if you have problems with your gut absorbing vitamins for some reason you still get the benefit). I had injections for a few months but then my levels appeared to stabilise and they didn't seem to care why the level had been low or why it was now ok, so now I just take my own supplements when I feel a bit low.

A relative had a folate level the same as yours KatyMac but had horrendous symptoms e.g. memory fog, paraesthesia, panic attacks and so on. They resolved fairly quickly with 400 mg folic acid daily. But folic acid does not increase B12 levels as folic acid is B9 though it can mask symptoms caused by B12 shortage. So anyone with low folate and taking folic acid should make sure their B12 levels are above the minimum range. Did your doctor not suggest B12 supplementation as it was right on the low side?

I have so many problems (incl parathesia) I wonder....

Katy - there's a lot of attention given to folic acid supplementation in pregnancy but it is horribly ignored in non-pregnant adults. My relative was undiagnosed for a long time as many routine blood tests don't test for folate. I spent a long time researching the condition when my relative was ill and for a condition that can causes such dire problems it is so often overlooked (whereas B12 deficiency is not). The problem is that it can be insidious, creeping up on you and then suddenly the level gets really low and you fall off a cliff medically speaking and can become really ill. The good news is that the damage to the red blood cells (folic acid deficiency stops them replicating properly by damaging the DNA) can be fixed quite rapidly as blood cells are renewed on a short term basis, but it does take longer for e.g. the nerve cells to recover.

Age, poor diet, smoking, drinking are all risk factors, but what is often not clocked is that many drugs can block folate absorption - the common antibiotic trimethoprim is one example. Doctors seem really ignorant about it and research, other than in pregnant women, is woeful.

Hope you feel better soon.

I used to have trimethoprim lots (less so since an allergic reaction to it

My diet is awful - so many exclusions

I wonder how many of my symptoms could be caused by it:
Bone/muscle/joint pain (esp hands & feet)
IBS (diarrhoea/pain/bloating)
ME (tiredness, visual disturbances, pins & needles, numbness, lack of co-ordination)
FM (Pain)
Mouth ulcers
Slow healing/easy bruising

I think I need to do more research

Have you had a thyroid test?

I have to have weekly b12 injections due to various health problems and folic acid will help keep b12 up, piridoxene (sp?) is another form of B6 that is better at keeping b12 raised though.
I had an odd reaction to that so take a high folic acid dose instead.

Thyroid: Serum TSH 3.09 & Serum free T4 15

I'll see what B vits I can get