Vitamin B12

[DayreeMilk]

Hi, has anyone had a B12 injection? I'm constantly tired, and wondered if this might help. Any experience of this?

Not spoken to my GP, the practice are pretty dire, but I know you can do this privately.

Going through this process now. It's certainly possible to source and administer your own injections but before you do, you need to have a full thorough blood test as your symptoms could be due to a number of underlying causes.

What makes you suspect B12 deficiency?

It's tiredness like I've never felt. I could sleep at the drop of a hat. I'll ask the doctor to do bloods next week, I'll be on the phone to them anyway because I need to get results of a sample I put in today, non stop upset stomach for a few weeks. I'm just looking for something to pick me up.

I'll do that, more sensible.

I started taking this last week:
www.livestrong.com/article/454179-what-is-methyl-b12/

Don't know if it's helping yet as I also picked up a dose of COVID last week, blurgh...

Ask them to check thyroid but also folate and folic acid too.

Then strongly recommend you share results on the B12 deficiency Facebook page and the Health Unlocked/PAS forum for further advice.

If B12 is low then you need to try find out why - unless you have a spectacularly shit diet then your looking at an absorption issue in which case no amount of tablets will help you.

It's shit having to play detective for your own health but be prepared to and do your research- just in case.

Should say spectacularly shit diet or vegan diet.

If you get Vit B12 injections administered privately it will be nearly impostor you to subsequently diagnosed with either B12 deficiency or perniciousness anemia as you’ll have false readings in your test results.

You’d be much better off telling your GP you suspect vitamin deficiency but even then there’s no guarantee that they’ll administer injections as it depends on levels (which differ in health boards). I was low (but with in range) but it took seven years for them to finally start treating me.

So it’s a choice really - if you can afford to get private injections (anything from £15 to £50 costs) because they give you a boost go for it, but that may have a detrimental effect on you getting a proper diagnosis and treatment via your GP.

As someone with pernicious anemia, I will say that the injections are quite painful (inter muscular/ contain acid) I had no knowledge of this condition or it’s effects when I was told I needed injections (thought it was a one off, turned out to be loading doses and 4 times a year). I’d definitely recommend the Pernicious Anemia Society website for information/as a good source of advice. It’s not very well understood by most GP’s so you need to get as much information as you can.

Impossible!

sorry typos!

You need a full blood panel including iron studies, diabetes & thyroids. Make sure folate, B12, the D vitamins, potassium, magnesium checked. Good luck.

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I'll see if the GP will do some bloods and I'll take it from there.