how to correct a vitamin b12 deficiency?

[fionagib]

My doc says I'm vit b12 deficient which explains the dizziness & a faint I've had lately. He says I should take a supplement - just wondered if anyone's discovered whether some are better than others? Is a multi vit ok (pharmacist said it would do the trick) or is it better to take a specific supp? Also food - has anyone overcome anaemia with change of diet?

Any tips gratefully received - thanks x

Oh, so that's what it was then Fionagib? That's good isn't it since it can be sorted? Just looked in a baby cook book and vit B12 is in liver, beef, pork, shellfish, eggs, milk, cheese. It says 'water soluble, destroyed by water, light and acids, often poorly absorbed'. I'd have thought you'd need iron rich foods for anaemia wouldn't you? So eggs, lentils, liver, dried peaches, nuts, asparagus, oatmeal, parsley, figs, bananas, avocados, green peas, mushrooms, kale, broccoli. And you need to eat iron rich foods with vit c or the iron doesn't get absorbed, so orange juice or veg/fruit. Can't help on the supplements front though. Hope taking supplements/diet makes you feel better.

Can your doc not give you a b12 injection- that's what i have when i'm deficient in it

Did your doc explain why you were B12 deficient? Usually it is due to an inability of the body to absorb the vitamin from food (due to various different causes) and this would mean that taking oral supplements would be useless. Generally people have to have B12 injections every 3 months. Unless you really just haven't been eating any of the foods that contain B12 normally?

I'm not sure about injections or absorption. Just got the diagnosis over the phone from the chilly receptionist lady. Yes www feel better just knowing what it is, nice to know am not just getting decrepit!

Thanks for advice re foods, diet has been appalling lately so am gonna try to really be dilligent about it and see if I can shake this off.

Marmite!
Hope you feel better soon.

My mum ised to have pernicious anaemia, and had to take regular injections of b12

I love marmite!!!

well, if you are already eating it, the suggestions here about difficulty in absorbing B12 from dietary sources might be more useful. sorry.

um ,for what it's worth, i always find that taking a targetted (rather than general) supplement to be better, but as some of the other MN's said, perhaps it's to do with absorption? Re: anaemia, if you take iron supplements, take vit C with it, that definitely helps with iron absorption. There is a great tonic you can buy from the chemist called "floradix", full of iron, b vits, herbs and natural vit c (fruit extracts etc), which many of my friends swear by to get through pregnancy (they say double the dose).... might be worth a look...

Have tried floradix before & love it, will pick up some on way home from school day...

think prob is likley to be due to hammering it lately as we've had unusual bout of over active socialising... too much booze, not enough vits...