Hello Monica,

As I said to theresej, before it became apparent that she knows what she is doing, please be very careful about self-diagnosis of B12 deficiency.

No, it is not stupid to take methylcobalamin if you are vitamin B12 deficient; it is the best form available. I did not use it for my research because it was not readily available here, and I do appear to respond well to cyanocobalamin.

If you had not already commenced taking the supplement then I would have suggested tests for methylmalonic acid and homocysteine first. Once you are taking B12, you can no longer compare the before and after results.

The problem with having taken the supplements before testing is that you do not know whether or not you actually need them. I cannot advise you to stop taking them in order to find out. This is because, if you are deficient, you could suffer harm by ceasing treatment for the time it would take to return to your original levels.

My research shows that it can take a very long time to deplete your stores; a very dangerous thing to do because damage can occur even at high B12 levels. This is why it is so important to get the evidence of disease before taking the supplement.

Is it worth having the blood tests? You will need to decide for yourself, but consider these possible scenarios:

1. No blood tests, no treatment, with B12 deficiency:

• Increasing disability
• Eventual death likely

2. No blood tests, taking supplements, no B12 deficiency:

• Unnecessarily taking supplements for life
• Risk of masking folate deficiency

My advice to you is similar to what I offered to theresej:

• Search for a doctor who specialises in nutritional or holistic medicine.
  
• Read as much about B12 deficiency as you can, especially the findings of researchers, starting with reference G1 on my web site.
  
• Before accepting advice that you either do or do not have a B12 deficiency, ask “what is the evidence?”. Remember that is that there is currently no agreed “gold standard” test for vitamin B12 deficiency. You will have to make a decision based on the imperfect tests that are currently available.

Paul