Low enough B12 levels

Lia_lia

Got a routine blood test done and my B12 levels were 102, which I've been told is fairly low. I'm in my 20s and I'm in good health. I have been feeling fine and not getting any symptoms.

My doctor doesn't seems too concerned and said to take a B12 supplement. I don't eat meat but do eat fish, eggs and dairy so I'm quite surprised at low vitamin B12 levels.

Just wondering can anyone with experience of low vitamin B12 levels recommend a good supplement to take? Thanks in advance.

sassyj

http://www.hollandandbarrett.ie/shop/product/solgar-methylcobalamin-1000-g-nuggets-60001415

Find this good, keeps my levels decent between shots

GuessWhoEh

I've been in and out of the doctors for years getting the B12 injections. My stomach doesn't absorb vitamins or something so I've to get them injected. I feel so much better though afterwards. Nothing to worry about really

Treetop23

Lia_lia wrote: »

Got a routine blood test done and my B12 levels were 102, which I've been told is fairly low. I'm in my 20s and I'm in good health. I have been feeling fine and not getting any symptoms.

My doctor doesn't seems too concerned and said to take a B12 supplement. I don't eat meat but do eat fish, eggs and dairy so I'm quite surprised at low vitamin B12 levels.

Just wondering can anyone with experience of low vitamin B12 levels recommend a good supplement to take? Thanks in advance.

I can't see why your doctor is not prescribing a B12 injection course.

Low B12 can be a sign of malabsorption-which can be caused by coeliac, crohns. If you are not absorbing B12 in food, you may not be able to absorb it through your gut-so a tablet could be useless.

Ask GP for injection. Ask about malabsorption. Ask about coeliac screen-ttg iga test.

Lia_lia

Thanks for the replies. I've had the coeliac test done before (negative) and also just noticed they tested for intrinsic factor the other day which came out as negative.

So probably just is my diet. I've to go back in three months anyway to get another blood test done to see if supplements make a difference. Just was a bit concerned as I was speaking with colleagues who had much higher levels of B12 that needed injections and had symptoms of anemia.

Surreptitious

Buy the shots in the chemist and the GP will inject you. They do help with energy levels. I was very overworked and needed them for about a year. The good thing is the body passes surplus B vitamins out through the urine so you will never have too much in your system, from the shots that it.

Treetop23

Lia_lia wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I've had the coeliac test done before (negative) and also just noticed they tested for intrinsic factor the other day which came out as negative.

So probably just is my diet. I've to go back in three months anyway to get another blood test done to see if supplements make a difference. Just was a bit concerned as I was speaking with colleagues who had much higher levels of B12 that needed injections and had symptoms of anemia.

How long ago was coeliac test? You can test negative and then the condition can become activated (just bear this in mind). Also, if you are not eating gluten for 6 weeks daily before test it will show false negative.

If an oral B12 intake does not increase your levels in next round of test-ask your doctor about injections. Ensure other vitamin deficiencies are treated and investigated.

homenotaway

Lia_lia wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I've had the coeliac test done before (negative) and also just noticed they tested for intrinsic factor the other day which came out as negative.

So probably just is my diet. I've to go back in three months anyway to get another blood test done to see if supplements make a difference. Just was a bit concerned as I was speaking with colleagues who had much higher levels of B12 that needed injections and had symptoms of anemia.

Have a read of this:
https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/intrinsic-factor-antibody/tab/test/
It's easy to read and should be helpful.

Lia_lia

Treetop23 wrote: »

How long ago was coeliac test? You can test negative and then the condition can become activated (just bear this in mind). Also, if you are not eating gluten for 6 weeks daily before test it will show false negative.

If an oral B12 intake does not increase your levels in next round of test-ask your doctor about injections. Ensure other vitamin deficiencies are treated and investigated.

Coeliac test was about 4 years ago. These are all tests I have got done as a standard medical check. Yes will see how I get on with the tablets. I am not feeling any effects of low vitamin B12 anyway, so I'd say that's why the doctor isn't very worried about it.

Dizzyblonde

My B12 dropped to a very low level (60) about 6 years ago and I had a course of injections. I tested negative for Coeliac disease twice and it's definitely not my diet. I'll be having it checked again. It's dropped again now to 105 and I'm having a course of 5 weekly injections. OP, if I were you I'd be asking for the injections because 102 is too low for an oral supplement to fix.

Surreptitious

I just found out I have this too. I have to get daily injections for a while. I'm exhausted though over it.

Lia_lia

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

OP, if I were you I'd be asking for the injections because 102 is too low for an oral supplement to fix.

I'm going back to the doctor in a few weeks for travel injections so might mention it then. I'd say mine probably is my diet seeing I haven't really eaten meat my whole life.

Surreptitious wrote: »

I just found out I have this too. I have to get daily injections for a while. I'm exhausted though over it.

I don't really understand why I'm not wrecked because of it. I guess 102 isn't the lowest, still seems low enough though. Maybe I am wrecked but just don't know it! :pac: Hope the injections make you feel better.

Lia_lia

Just an update on this. Took B12 tablets everyday for 7 months and my level just got lower. 96 last time I got it checked. So on injections now for 5 weeks and we'll see how it goes from there. Will be interesting to see if I feel any different after them.

Treetop23 wrote: »

I can't see why your doctor is not prescribing a B12 injection course.

Low B12 can be a sign of malabsorption-which can be caused by coeliac, crohns. If you are not absorbing B12 in food, you may not be able to absorb it through your gut-so a tablet could be useless.

Ask GP for injection. Ask about malabsorption. Ask about coeliac screen-ttg iga test.

On the ball! My GP is worried it could be due to something like this as I've always had IBS type issues. And the tablets did nothing. So she has referred me for a colonoscopy and endoscopy (dreading it!).

Surreptitious

There's no way in the world you should have been given tablets instead of injections. My GP told me the gut doesn't take in as much B12 as an injection does. I've a bowel problem so can't digest the vitamins anyway. Good luck with the colonoscopy, if you go under you won't feel anything so don't overthink it.

Wesser

If it's dietary then oral tablets are enough.
If it's malabsorbtion then needs injections.

titan18

Ya, I'm a regular injection person here. Pretty much any time it gets checked, it's in the 90s, so always end up getting them

goat2

is there anyone find the tablets work, I am on galfar at mo, with about 3 weeks, and hoping they work, was and am feeling dizzy, light headed, mark easily, headaches, blurred vision, tiredness oh the tiredness terrible, bleeding gums, and still bleeding

dibkins

Lia_lia wrote: »

Just an update on this. Took B12 tablets everyday for 7 months and my level just got lower. 96 last time I got it checked. So on injections now for 5 weeks and we'll see how it goes from there. Will be interesting to see if I feel any different after them.

On the ball! My GP is worried it could be due to something like this as I've always had IBS type issues. And the tablets did nothing. So she has referred me for a colonoscopy and endoscopy (dreading it!).

Sounds like me, i had low B12 and was tested for coeliac and it came back negative. Doc gave IBS tablets but they didn't do anything. B12 injections helped me feel normal again, but the gastro stuff remained.
3 years later and i was still destroyed a week after being at a wedding so a doc tested me for coeliac again and it came back positive. I didn't know at the time of the first test but you have to eat gluten to aggravate your condition for the blood tests to work for coeliac. I generally ate a low gluten diet as i never liked the taste of bread or most wheat products, so i was only getting gluten through the odd bit of cake and soy sauce and the like. 2nd time around the feed of beer from the week before probably helped reveal what was really going on! Even then my bloods weren't hugely above normal, but the rest of the clues were all in place for me to be sent to the specialist (which led to biopsy, which led to diagnosis of coeliac).

I was getting the injection every 3 months, but the doc has me on tablets now as i should be able to absorb it again since i manage my coeliac.

Lia_lia

Surreptitious wrote: »

There's no way in the world you should have been given tablets instead of injections. My GP told me the gut doesn't take in as much B12 as an injection does. I've a bowel problem so can't digest the vitamins anyway. Good luck with the colonoscopy, if you go under you won't feel anything so don't overthink it.

Went for the colonoscopy today and CHRIST! The sedative didn’t work at all so I could feel the whole thing. Even after they gave me extra sedative. Was horrible.

I was going between saying “why aren’t I sedated” to looking at the monitor and saying “oh that looks cool”. The consultant said the the man that had his colonscopy done after me was double my size and had half the amount of sedative..but he was conked out snoring. Apparently the sedative just doesn’t work for some people. Hope I’ll never be doing that again. All looked okay anyway and they are doing biopsies but she reckons they will be fine too. So still doesn’t explain the low B12!

Surreptitious

Lia_lia wrote: »

Went for the colonoscopy today and CHRIST! The sedative didn’t work at all so I could feel the whole thing. Even after they gave me extra sedative. Was horrible.

I was going between saying “why aren’t I sedated” to looking at the monitor and saying “oh that looks cool”. The consultant said the the man that had his colonscopy done after me was double my size and had half the amount of sedative..but he was conked out snoring. Apparently the sedative just doesn’t work for some people. Hope I’ll never be doing that again. All looked okay anyway and they are doing biopsies but she reckons they will be fine too. So still doesn’t explain the low B12!

I didn't go under for mine either! I started crying out and they held me down. Not good. You're a vegetarian aren't you? I saw that on the food forum. Maybe you need to get some more of that into you food wise, my colonoscopy came back clear too but I still have a bowel problem which can't digest properly. I honestly don't know but I'm still getting injections too.

Lia_lia

Surreptitious wrote: »

I didn't go under for mine either! I started crying out and they held me down. Not good. You're a vegetarian aren't you? I saw that on the food forum. Maybe you need to get some more of that into you food wise, my colonoscopy came back clear too but I still have a bowel problem which can't digest properly. I honestly don't know but I'm still getting injections too.

Twas awful! Sounds like most people fall asleep for it. Oh well sure it's done now.

I don't eat meat but do eat lots of seafood, eggs and cheese which all contain b12. Plus the oral b12 over 7 months did nothing. Getting it tested again next week so we'll see if the injections worked and if the levels have gone down again. Once it's nothing too serious I don't mind.

Surreptitious

What happened to me is I got the course of injections and tested fine then three months later needed to be tested again. The injections do work. Good luck!