Vit. B12 deficiency and face tingling
 

I have had this off and on left only facial tingling - it's just a weird feeling - not numb but like a sensation by my upper cheek and eye - i did wake up the other night with clenched teeth so i know i do this when i'm stressed. but can the b12 deficiency cause this feeling? i also have anxiety but don't want to contribute everything to that.

i have had this feeling before - i did have a b12 def a few years ago too. i wish i knew what it was.

Welcome to NeuroTalk.
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I have some questions for you. Do you take B12 now? what form and in what doses. When were you tested last, most recently.

There are some things that cause numb tingling sensations in the face. One is sleeping on a hard pillow or putting weight on that side of the face all night--resulting in compression of nerves.
Clenching teeth will also compress nerves. A tooth in the upper part of the mouth on that side that is "going bad" or dying will do it.

People with very low Vit D do not absorb calcium well, and hence get numbness and tingling in the face, lips as a warning sign.

If you had a B12 deficiency in the past you may most likely still have it.
Here is my B12 informational thread explaining methylcobalamin and with medical links explaining that you should have at least a level of 400 (US still has low lab ranges considered normal--below that--which can lead to neurological symptoms.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

i am taking nasal b12 once a week. my levels were checked 3 weeks ago andmy level was 170. i am taking vit d supplements also that level was normal when i had it checked last.

A B12 level of 170 is very low. VERY.

I'd get that fixed ASAP. You need to be at least at 400 or above.

5mg of oral methylcobalamin daily on an EMPTY stomach should raise your levels to a better place within 3 months. This is over the counter and only costs pennies a day. I just tested out Puritan's when they first offered it recently and the 5mg raised me up to 2000 in 3 mos. So it does work, and is a quality product.

Many online places have it... iherb.com, Puritan's Pride and Swanson's are examples. Most local stores still do not carry it tho.

Please read my link that I gave you. There is a link on that thread to American Association of Family Physicians from 2003 written for doctors with the newer B12 guidelines. Also post 70 has a link to Dr. Snow's medical paper in the AMA journal explaining neurological symptoms and low B12, among other things.

Get that fixed ASAP and then see how that facial numbness fares.

Numbness of lips and Tip of tongue
 

Had this numbness of the lips, with some tingling and numbness on the tip of tongue as well as very mild numbness on the left side of my face (cheek) up to the eye. Lips also feel puffy, although not very visible to me and others. I've had this for over 9 months.

Researched numbness and tingling on lips since the beginning, and found a lot of links not leading anywhere (like WebMD, MayoClinic etc.) just explaining things. I'm an Engineer so I started by trying to eliminate things one by one.

Tried the following with NO RESULTS:

- Stopped supplements as first step (Glucosamine, D3, MultiVitamins etc.)
- Changed my medication from generic to brand (Warfarin to Coumadin, Atenolol to Tenormin)
- Tried a high veg diet - nothing
- Went to doctor (Said allergies)
- Tried Zyrtec 2x per day - Nothing
- Tried Cortisone (100,90,80...10,0) GOT MUCH WORSE)
- Went to Neurologist
- MRI & MRA screening for Aneurysm or Tumor (Thank God none found, healthy veins in the brain, They also found a brain :-)
- Went to dentist got old crown replaced, silver tip removed - nothing
- Dentist screened all teeth - nothing - sent to Maxillofacial Specialist
- Went to Maxillofacial, DDS/MD - screened for MS - Thank God NOTHING
- Tried cutting sugar (Except for honey), cut bread, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. for over a month, just ate meats, and salad - nothing
- I have an appointment with an allergy specialist in 2 weeks.

Some rays of hope:
- Researched again (and all along with Google MD) numbness and tingling on lips and tip of tongue since the beginning, so I tried just numbness and found links to vitamin B12 deficiency, Researched and found a lot of articles, Also a lot of videos on YouTube. a lot of it is useless, but some are gems.

Found what B12 deficiency can cause, although I didn't have most of the symptoms they describe, I assumed if I had it, it was not as bad as theirs. So I wanted to try the B12 sublingual just to rule that out too.

Started taking Vitamin B12 Sublingual tablets (melts under the tongue) It's a 2500 Mcg 4 days ago. Very soon, so results might be erroneous still, but:

- Symptoms have just today seemed to improve slightly, but I'm optimistic.
...- First - the tip of the tongue seems to have 15-20% less numbness
...- Second - The lips seem to be 10% better (although still feel puffy)

I'm hoping this will do it (Very optimistic after 9 months)

If you have any suggestions other than "Continue the B12", or warnings, I would like to hear it.