Vitam B12 deficiency level

Notgettinganyyounger23 · 2025-09-15T21:36:18+00:00

Hi all, I went to the doctors last week as I'd generally been feeling under the weather and had what I thought was a massive panic attack out if the blue. Shortness of breath etc. They did a full blood test and everything's fine apart from B12. This has come back as 25 pmol/L. They mentioned injections and I've got another appointment with the doctors. I'm wondering what other people's levels were when they were prescribed them.

6thformoptions · 15/09/2025 22:45

Mine was 180 ng/L so not comparable but if the Dr is saying you need injections you need them. What I would say is that after the loading doses you may need to continue with them but your results when tested will show they are raised - don't be fobbed off that this means you are fine and keep checking if you gradually feel run down that they haven't dropped back down. Mine did and the Dr refused to re-test because the one a month after the last loading injection was so high, so I went several years being told I wasn't deficient and being told I was depressed/put on Prozac, when I actually have pernicious anemia. Thankfully switched Dr's and she saw it and now I am off the prozac and have injections every 3 months. I also have a family history of it which I was told by the previous Dr didn't make a difference when I now know makes it more likely I'd have it.

*just to say our levels in UK are very high compared to other countries - our lowest level of "normal" is in the range of abnormally low for other countries. So even if you are at the low end of normal you likely feel the effects of low B12.

Original poster

Notgettinganyyounger23 · 15/09/2025 23:19

6thformoptions · 15/09/2025 22:45

Mine was 180 ng/L so not comparable but if the Dr is saying you need injections you need them. What I would say is that after the loading doses you may need to continue with them but your results when tested will show they are raised - don't be fobbed off that this means you are fine and keep checking if you gradually feel run down that they haven't dropped back down. Mine did and the Dr refused to re-test because the one a month after the last loading injection was so high, so I went several years being told I wasn't deficient and being told I was depressed/put on Prozac, when I actually have pernicious anemia. Thankfully switched Dr's and she saw it and now I am off the prozac and have injections every 3 months. I also have a family history of it which I was told by the previous Dr didn't make a difference when I now know makes it more likely I'd have it.

*just to say our levels in UK are very high compared to other countries - our lowest level of "normal" is in the range of abnormally low for other countries. So even if you are at the low end of normal you likely feel the effects of low B12.

Edited

That's awful of the doctor. I'm hoping for the injections as I feel awful at the moment. Really anxious and short of breath. It's almost a relief to find a cause if that makes sense.

OP posts:

Mathsbabe · 15/09/2025 23:27

I have B12 jabs every three months. Asking for them to be done very very slowly is helpful. If you have pernicious anemia you have to have injections. My grandfather died of it in the 1930s. Leaving 3 children under 4.
if you don’t have pernicious anemia I think you can take tablets. A blood test tells you which you have. Good luck

Onechocolatebiscuit · 15/09/2025 23:41

I also have pernicious anaemia and have B12 injections every four weeks. I have no idea what my levels were when I was diagnosed. I just remember feeling really weak.

Original poster

Notgettinganyyounger23 · 16/09/2025 07:13

Have the injections improved your symptoms?

OP posts:

BadActingParsley · 16/09/2025 08:13

They improved mine hugely. Since then I’ve taken sublingual b12 and eat more shellfish. That seems to have kept mine ok. Can’t remember what my levels were but apparently they were comparable to an 80 year old woman, I was 30 at the time and crawling under my desk to sleep at work.

Onechocolatebiscuit · 16/09/2025 09:34

Yes there has been a big improvement. Before I started the injections I felt like I was dying tbh. Now I feel generally OK.

6thformoptions · 16/09/2025 09:59

Yes, I also felt like I was dying; palpitations, split nails, hair loss and the whole effort everything took made me want to cry almost every hour. I did actually think it might be nice to just fall asleep and not wake up a few times. In about 3 injections it was like the cloud lifted and I was amazed I could do things and not be exhausted just looking at the stairs!