Talk to me about vitamin B12 injections

[DointItForTheKids]

Hi.

Peri-/menopausal, on HRT patches. Much improvements in many things since being on them but seem to be deteriorating again. Sleep is very hit and miss - go off alright and don't wake up in the middle of the night but I wake up feeling utterly exhausted every single day.

Brain fog has gone off the charts. I cannot concentrate, I cannot string together multiple threads of information any more. I cannot remember things - the instant I'm told something unless I write it down I can't remember it. If I didn't have Alexa our dinners would be burnt and the house on fire because I don't remember I've put a pot on the stove.

I wanted to look at B12 shots (not oral supplements) and know people on here have used them. I would just like to be able to check out sites that people have used before and know that they are getting the right stuff.

So, where do you get it from, how much does it cost, how long do you have to take it for before it works, what improved for you at that point, how many times a week do you need to take it - etc - anything else pertinent that I need to know? Oh, price! How easy is it to do it to yourself (iykwim)?

Thanks anyone who has such info. I'm at the point where on a weekend I literally have naps both days. I'm on the sofa and overwhelmed by tiredness and I just have to go to sleep. It's just getting beyond a joke now. I'd go to the GP but honestly unless there's something severe they really aren't interested - last thing I went in about I got a leaflet which was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard! I often prefer just to get on with things and just do them myself, wherever I can and it's safe to do so.

No idea. My understanding these are for people who are very anaemic and have the injections via the NHS as part of treatment for low iron count. it's NOT something you can but and DIY

But if you are on HRT and it's not working well, the first step is to think about increasing the dose of estrogen.

what do you take and how much?

B12 is readily available privately as an infusion, lots of places do them, google it.
I would ask for a blood test first though from your GP to check your thyroid, B12, ferratin, iron, LFT, etc.

I have b12 injections, it is not for low iron. It is for pernicious anaemia, all to do with ferritin and b12 levels. They have helped I only have them every 12 weeks. There is a group on Facebook called the Pernicious Anaemia Society, it might be worth posting on there. A lot of members are in America though and self inject/have the option of daily B12 injections which we don't in the UK.

The injections do help, but they arent regular enough for me.

If you don't have PA (you cant absorb the B12) but want to try B12 you can get a B12 spray from Holland & Barrett that you spray on your tongue.

B12 is necessary for the absorption of iron so it is linked to anaemia (ferritin is another name for iron in blood.)

Low B12 is a medical condition as you say but it's also found mainly in people who are vegans and vegetarian as a prime source in the diet is animal meat and fish.

It can't be that then because I do eat a good amount of meat/fish, certainly not a vegetarian, eat a lot of eggs too...

What is the cause of this crushing tiredness and inability to think then?!

Going back to my first post- what HRT are you on and the dose?

If it's not working so well now, first step is to think about upping the dose before tinkering with anything new.

As you get further into peri you may need a higher dose.

You see I thought about the dosage and felt that the natural thing seemed to be upping it but I got "well you're already on a pretty high dose (no idea if that's correct or not)" and "we'd swap you from patches to tablets instead, not up the dose" - which didn't appeal so I kind of head to leave it. It should be mentioned this was from the same GP who repeatedly tells me that "you can only be on HRT for 2 years max" so one wonders if she knows what she's talking about.

I still have periods/semi-periods so am guessing I must still be in peri menopause; the system is still slowly shutting down.

When I next go upstairs I'll have a look at the exact meds details including dosage.

If you have pernicious anaemia it doesn't matter how much b12 you eat because your body cant absorb it. It's worth having a blood test to find out your b12 levels

B12 issues aren't just vegan/veggie. My friend has nhs b12 injections her levels are very low even though she eats b12 rich food. Her body doesn't absorb it! Lots of non veggie people have this issue

If you have pernicious anaemia it doesn't matter how much b12 you eat because your body cant absorb it.

yes I know that. The point is the OP ought to seek medical advice and tests, not self medicate with something like this.

You see I thought about the dosage and felt that the natural thing seemed to be upping it but I got "well you're already on a pretty high dose (no idea if that's correct or not)" and "we'd swap you from patches to tablets instead, not up the dose"

Well that's a load of rubbish because the amount absorbed from pills is known to be less than a patch.

You ought to know what mcg patch you use.

I still have periods/semi-periods so am guessing I must still be in peri menopause;

How do you know you are having periods when using HRT?
If you are on the sequential regime (which you ought to be in peri) you will have a withdrawal bleed each month anyway. I don't understand how you think you still have natural periods (and can identify them) if using cyclical HRT.

I didn’t think Jingling was out of order at all!

What an awful retort to her. You are the one asking for help here, if you are too busy to supply more info why ask for help? Bizarre!!

I order my b12 from a German company. Can't remember the name at the top of my head, ut if you Google it, it should come up. Can't remember the exact price, but I think I ordered 10 boxes of 10 or 12 injections for about £60. I ordered seringes of amazon.

I started injecting 15 months ago. At the time, I had severe symptoms of pins and needles, shakiness, dizziness, tinnitus and breathlessness. I felt terrible. I started injecting every other day for two weeks. Had to do this loading dose three times. Since then I inject about once a month.

To be totally honest, I don't know if I really have a deficiency or whether all the symptoms were due to menopause anxiety. I do feel better after I inject.ut my GP says that everyone would because of the large dose, it doesn't mean a deficiency. All my symptoms have almost disappear now but they do come back and when they do, I just do an injection. The breathlessness is usually the first symptom I notice.

I've reached the point I don't care whether I have a real deficiency or it is just a case of placebo effect. It makes me feel good. You can't overdose on b12 as any amount you body doesn't need is excreted in the urine so it's not dangerous either way.

Brain fog is a symptom of high blood pressure (most likely in your 40s-50s and taking HRT), and hypothyroidism. B12 deficiency, if you eat meat and eggs and don’t have an autoimmune/ inflammatory bowel condition, is highly unlikely.

B12 is necessary for the absorption of iron so it is linked to anaemia
B12 deficiency anemia has nothing to do with iron. Macrocytic anemia can be the result of low b12. It usually shows itself by a high MCV level. You can have a normal level of iron but high MCV level causing anemia symptoms.

@Miniloso if you read one of my PPs I said that I was not upstairs at that time (and as already advised, my memory is buggered - so I cannot remember the name) but I said when I was next upstairs I'd remind myself - obviously with the intention of coming back on and providing that information to the thread. So I'm not 'witholding' any information from anyone, I'm just doing other things at the minute and not in the same room as the patches.

I don't agree, I think both her posts were more than somewhat excessively 'challenging' in their tone when there was no need to be and assumed that I am completely stupid. So we will have to differ on that.

You can offer help and that's fantastic, Mumsnet is great for this, but there's a way of phrasing your responses which I am sorry, I do not feel she managed to achieve.

Why not go to a GP then? Let them give you a non-challenging response. People are taking up valuable time and energy to reply to you - you need to be more appreciative.

@DointItForTheKids
Wow, just wow. Very rude and won't waste energy on you.

But don't bash me for asking basic questions like what dose you are on and what your periods are like. Hard to understand how anyone doesn't know if their patch is 37mcg, 50 or 70 or whatever, without looking at it regardless of brain fog.

Good luck

Since neither Dr's nor patients can determine if a woman is in peri menopause or menopause, then neither can you - I feel that that is where my body is at - if you don't like that that's your problem not mine.

For anyone reading who wants facts and not an ridiculous outburst, menopause is able to be determined when a woman is post menopause. (Usually a year after a last period.) If using HRT this is harder.

Crushing tiredness and brain fog can be hypothyrodism. You need a blood test to find out your TSH levels. Ask GP if there is a possibility you might be hypothyroid.
a blood test would determine all your levels, vitamin levels, iron, folates, thyroid, some autoimmune conditions.

It is not necessarily menopause or peri menopause that is causing those problems. People get those symptoms without being peri menopausal.

@JinglingHellsBells I’m with you, I wouldn’t waste my energy either on someone so aggressive. I think B12 isn’t needed, maybe anger management is!!

I suffer from bad brain fog. It is directly related to the quality of my sleep. When I get 3 days in a row sleeping deeply and hardly waking up, I could do an A level exam. When I have 3 weeks of very poor nights, I can hardly concentrate on a conversation for longer than 5 minutes.

Sadly, I'm on 3 years of poor sleep, so brain fog is the norm!