[abby2]

I'm new here,and don't feel very good right now.I was diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia about 6 yrs ago I think I've been on every med out there and so far nothing works for very long.I have numb feet and severe pain in the left foot,my hands are starting to go numb,and they itch, mostly at night.Right now though, for the last week I feel very tired and light headed, almost like I'm here but not here.Very fuzzy,like the inside of my head moves slower than the outside.I know it sounds stupid, but it's the only way to describe it.Right now I'm taking 600mg of Gabapentin 3 x a day,I was taking Venlafaxine 37.5 2 x a day but the Dr took me off of them because he said they were causing me to itch,but I was itching way before that He is supposed to be giving me a new med but since it's the wkend I won't get it until Monday. Has anybody felt like this (the head thing)?

[mrsD]

Welcome to Neurotalk:

First thing I think you should find out is what your current B12 test reading is. It could still be low, because doctors don't understand the lab ranges in US are outdated.

If you are below 400 and having chronic symptoms it might be because you need more B12 to get into a good reading range. If you get shots, you should wait at least 72 hrs to a week before having a blood test.
Otherwise the result will reflect the shot, which leaves the blood in 72 hrs. That would give a false high reading which would be low the rest of the time until the next injection.

So see what your last test was. Get the numbers etc. How do you manage the pernicious anemia? What dose and how often?

Also you should get the Vit D testing too. Many people who come to these boards with chronic illness and pain have very low Vit D. Fixing that often helps alot of your daily comfort.

[lizziebeth]

Did your doctor tell you to just stop the Venlafaxine? Although you haven't been on a very high dose, I would think it probably should be tapered to lessen a withdrawal effect. Did the feeling you describe coincide with stopping the Venalfaxine? Mrs. D, please correct if I'm wrong regarding this.

[mrsD]

It really depends on the person. Effexor has a very short half life in tablet form. So taking it twice a day, would leave Abby without for some hours. This is a really low dose, and may not create the same dependence as the long acting. The time frame also is important, but I think this dose is low enough that any major withdrawal may not happen. Abby could have been having mini-withdrawals all along every day...mistaken for side effects.

Not everyone gets the withdrawal symptoms either. It can be very variable. It is possible she is having some effects...but it is really hard to tell.

It is also VERY possible she has really low B12 which will cause fuzzy thinking and other odd sensations.

[abby2]

I just got my B12 shot(10000 cc) on the 7th of this month,I have been getting them for as long as I was diagnosed, which is 6 yrs.The Dr. did'nt tell me how to titrate down I just got fed up with the headaches and not sleeping for more than 3-4 hrs a night and stopped taking them.I figured The dosage was pretty low and that it would'nt really hurt me to quit.I just feel so fuzzy headed,maybe I just need a really good nights sleep.I don't know how long it will take to get the med out of my system,I've been on it since the middle of May. Thanks for the help and info.abby2

[mrsD]

I would get a B12 test done.... and see if that shot is "enough".

Some people do better on daily high dose oral therapy, instead of the shots.

Since May... it is not likely to be much if any withdrawal, for short term use, of the Effexor. That is not long enough for the receptors to "change" as they do with antidepressants. Effexor tablets have a very short half life...should be gone in 3-5 days.

The gabapentin can cause confusion and fuzzy thinking all by itself.

[glenntaj]

--if you have absolutely documented, indisputable pernicious anemia, I don't understand why you would not be on daily oral B12 supplementation. You need that B12, it is very easy to get over-the-counter nowadays, and it is likely to keep your B12 levels more constant than periodic injections.

[abby2]

I went to the Dr. and told him I was having a headache 24/7,leg cramps and was so tired but I could'nt sleep more than 4 hrs at night.I asked for a Vitamin D test & he ran all of them.My B12 came back at 372 and Vitamin D was a 10.I'm now taking 50,000 of D 1x a wk for 6wks and then will be retested.I went online for D defiency and found out that this can cause my itchies and my headaches,my vision had gotten blurry but I just figured that was a B12 problem.Thanks to you I found out what my new problem was and hopefully I will get it fixed.Oh, and I'm now taking sublingual B12 3000 several times a day.
Again,thanks for the info and the support that I've found here,abby2

[ger715]

Originally Posted by abby2

I went to the Dr. and told him I was having a headache 24/7,leg cramps and was so tired but I could'nt sleep more than 4 hrs at night.I asked for a Vitamin D test & he ran all of them.My B12 came back at 372 and Vitamin D was a 10.I'm now taking 50,000 of D 1x a wk for 6wks and then will be retested.I went online for D defiency and found out that this can cause my itchies and my headaches,my vision had gotten blurry but I just figured that was a B12 problem.Thanks to you I found out what my new problem was and hopefully I will get it fixed.Oh, and I'm now taking sublingual B12 3000 several times a day.
Again,thanks for the info and the support that I've found here,abby2

There is a difference with B12 vitamin. The MethyCobalamin B12 is more concentrated than other forms of B12. Are you taking the MethyCobalamin B12 ?

[Sheltiemom18]

Abby -

Glad to hear you're doing the sublingual B12, but it needs to be the METHYLcobalamin, not CYANOcobalamin compound. It's off the shelf but not always easy to find locally. Puritan's Pride (the website) sells it. That's where MrsD directed me after the my local supermarket health aids section quit carrying it.

As to your D 50,000 x 1 per week, a pharmacist I know told me to take D3 and not the 50,000 D (said it was "useless) and I trust a pharmacist in some things moreso than a doc. D3 is easily found off the shelf in the vitamin section. I've been taking it for almost a year. Maybe you'd want to ask your pharmacist about this before you'd consider changing.