AFAIK from here and elsewhere, according to NIH, no maximum dose has been identified. Many people here on NT have/are taking 1-5 mg/day (1000 - 5000 mcg) of methycobalamin/day. My wife & I have both taken 5 mg/day, and on occasion have gone over that, without any adverse reactions.

If you're concerned, depending on your test scores, you might try a bottle of 1000 mcg the first month, begin at 1000 (1 pill/nugget) per day (on an empty stomach, at least an hour before eating anything) and titrate up to 5000. Take it from there depending on reaction/goal.

Doc

In Melody's case, it may be from all the nails she chews... :p

If you tell it to get a laugh, it's funny. Humor is an odd thing; a person's misfortunes are never funny to them, but we've (human beings) been laughing at pratfalls since Adam fell off that ladder reaching for a banana....

Doc

Speaking of nails, I read somewhere online that your fingernails look different when your B12 is low. Do you know if this is true? Supposedly the "white" moons fade (less opacity).

Cats get intestinal inflammation, now thought to be due to wheat and corn and other grains in their food. New information coming out of the Vet schools, is to not feed grains to cats.

Hence we are using Blue Buffalo Wilderness brand now.
We had a cat--Sheba-- who was allergic to corn. But when I changed her to IAMs Eukanuba from Science diet (this had corn first listed in order of content)...her skin cleared right up!

Oreo since she has been ill and lost weight, has been on methyl B12 2 or 3 times a week. I mix it in her treat--whipped cream, and she accepts it (5mg).

There is a website on the net about a diabetic cat who uses 5mg a day orally too.He was numb in the hind quarters, and dramatic in presentation very unlike Oreo who physically is still strong (and runs around). Two of the vets we've seen so far with Oreo's cancer, recommended B12 for her. It is becoming very common in cats to be deficient!

I don't think the fingernail thing is reliable 100%. I have a B12 level of 1999 now, and I still only have moons on my thumbs!
I think it has to do with how your fingers are formed, and the cuticles etc.

@ Deb--- I would just swallow the B12 and not do it sublingually. See if that works. Take the whole 1000mcg and swallow and make sure it is on an empty stomach. Some people react to flavorings and colorings in the tablets when in long contact with the mucus membranes of the mouth.
A very small portion will be absorbed passively this way, and may work for you.

People very low in essential fatty acids, cannot maintain the integrity of the skin and mucus membranes. You must eat omega-3 oils, in the form of flax, etc, or eventually you will not survive. Your skin reactions, and everything may point to deterioration of your skin areas which we all repair and maintain with Omega-3s. Since you do not eat fish, you are not getting any from there either.

Also the vitamins in veggies are mostly betacarotene, not real Vit A... one cannot get too much Vitamin this way.
http://drbenkim.com/nutrient-vitamina.htm
This explains it well.
If your skin becomes a bit yellowish/orange like, that demonstrates a potential low thyroid condition. Thyroid hormone converts betacarotene into Vit A in the liver. People with hypothyroidism therefore get low in Vit A and deposit the pigment from the carotenoids in the skin of the palms and feet.

Good morning, mrsD and all...Omega-3 oils..allergic to flax seed, but I eat Bison often, a good source of b12 and omega-3. I have swallowed the tablet twice...allergic to the fillers, as I am to all fillers. Manitol in the tablets caused my kidneys to malfunction, depleted my potassium by day's end..more problems..lol. The liquid subligual has a preservative, of which I'm leary, but when I switched to asubligual liquid with only water added, no preservatives, the choking, swelling and wheezing was much worse. I went back to the original sublingual. I have also tried swallowing the liquid, resulting in more dramatic adverse reactions.

The immediate neck and tendon pain relief from the liquid sublingual is phenominal. My initial higher doses for 1 month seemed to have healed much of my myelin, but I don't seem to be able to store any extras with the low doses. The constant coughing and reaction to my hormones is my concerns. My nurse prac suggested needing progesterone now, but using it would most likely cause problems. I lives on tofu until post menopause. After that, even 1 serving caused my monthly flow to resume which required yet another invasive biopsy. Food, suppliments, meds, even at the lowest dose cause immediate reactions, never good ones.

I have turned myself orange in the past by eating sweet potatoes. I know better. Thyroid is working well. The vit a food thing, well, I'm not so sure I wouldn't be a first to OD on greens..lol.

I'm sure I passively absorb some b12 because I'm still alive, however, the pain control is essential. This has to be intestinal related, with inappropriate results. I have an injured gut and it doesn't know what it's doing. I know several people with motility diseases that have been told to never take b12. I wonder how they survive. I'm researching this also...worries me..

Thanks for the mind stretching questions, keep them coming as you all think of aything. I'm looking for docs to question and will make an appt with my nutritionist first thing on Tuesday...Happy Martin Luther King's day to all of you, by the way..Think I'll go take a drop of b12, cough a bunch and hope for the best.

Oh, my..just read about Orea. I have a year old dog with severe hip abnormalities, on rimadyl twice daily. It's not hip diysplasia. I was just thinking about asking my vet if it was appropriate to treat with some b12. I'll do that this week also, but if she starts swelling or coughing...I'll KNOW it's a black cloud hanging over my house...LOL...

deb...

I've read that B12 deficiency causes candida, but the B12 I am taking has fructose, and sugar or fructose can lead to/exacerbate candida.

Any truth to that? My core temp today has dipped to 95.6F, which is my worst ever. I'm trying to figure out why. I don't eat sugar and only have a little natural honey.

Energy level is way down with low core temps.

psoriasis and celiac are not that uncommon together....and with a child dx'd
your odds of being celiac go up. The blood tests have as much as 30 FALSE negative. Try a totally gluten free diet for 4-6 weeks and see if there is improvement. But it most be total!

pabb, thanks for your reply. I had the upper and lower gut testing for ceiliac. All good. I know about going completely gluten free due to my daughter and tried it for 1 month, just in case I was wheat sensitive. I am strick when it comes to food. Well, my weight dipped to below 90lbs and I became more obstructed to the point of more testing, which is always hard on me. The b12 cough didn't change a bit. It's not gluten. It's not dairy. Beef, Bison, any fortified foods, all make my cough worse. Until starting the b12 suppliment, none of these foods caused me any problems. Oh, and my gluten foods are 1 piece of whole grain toast, 1/2 cup of fiber flakes, with only wheat as the gluten source and Bobs Red Mill gluten-free oats, which my daughter can not tollerate. I can't tollerate rice.

I'm leaning towards my b12 intolerance having to do with another vitamin/mineral absorption problem. I obviously can't start another suppliment. I'm seeing my ENT and MY gastro next week. Maybe they have a suggestion. maybe know of another situation like mine, maybe have a miracle to offer.

I'm still low dosing and coughing. The lower the dose, the less side effects, but more pain and numbness I have. After 4 days of 50-60 mcg, and this is my "higher doses", my emotions are a mess...anger and hysteria....but boy, can I move well. b12 is messing with everything I took for granted. There's an answer..just can't find it yet.

Stress? hair products, as in perms all of my life? psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis? My gut directing the b12 in an inappropriate manner due to the obstructions, missing small bowel sections? Vagus nerve damage?

thanks for the input...
deb...

Vitamin B12 – Clarifying Some Misinformation

Nice article and a few interesting public comments below it.

Another reason not to watch "The Doctors show"...

Methylcobalamin does not last "minutes" in the body.

Beware of comments on internet sites.