very informative thread...

i recently had my B12 level checked after telling my new doc about my 3+ years of pain in upper back/neck and down my left arm (now it's affecting my right side. i'm a musician (guitar player) and haven't been able to play without symptoms (burning/numbness in hand usually within a few minutes) for over 3 years. needless to say, this has been devastating.

i've had numerous tests (NCV/EMG, MRI, etc.)...the MRI from 11/07 found a 3 disc bulge at C5-C6 (mild stenosis) and a 2mm bulge at C4-C5. the NCV found bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome.

my new doc doesn't think these are enough to explain my complex symptoms and decided to test my B12 level. i am at 318 (the normal range on my test is 211-911). so, yes, it looks low. my doc told me to start on 1000mcg, but after reading many things about B12, i am confused and concerned.

-seems that methylcobalamin is the preferred variant; however, i've read numerous articles about potential dangers of taking this if you have mercury amalgam (dental fillings), which i have several of...mostly from childhood. has anyone else read about or heard of this?

-cyanocobalamin appears to be much more readily available in vitamin stores. yet another wonderful thing i've been reading about is the concern over "cyanide toxicity" due to the dosage and the way cyanocobalamin metabolizes in the body. again, i'm curious to hear people's thoughts regarding this.

i'm trying to take this information with a grain of salt and truly understand (and separate) what is accurate vs. overhyped paranoia. which is why i'm here (among other places).

i am currently taking solgar B12 1000mcg sublingual (just says "cobalamin", no variant)...

i couldn't find an edit message function on the board, so my apologies for the quick reply addition.

one important detail i left out is that i've been a vegetarian for over 10 years...but my diet does include dairy (esp. cheese) and eggs (my only known sources of B12 from food). thought it might be important to factor in with my original post.

Actually the methyl version is the preferred one for those suspected of mercury issue.

Well, I don't know where to start. About a year ago I put my beloved Maggie Mae (Dog) down...it was the day after Thanksgiving. I thought I was feeling depressed and this was normal because of the death. It got much worse. I thought then it was winter blues. It got much worse...I was thinking of which way to end my life. Had a routine Doctors visit and found my B12 was 74!!! Did you read that? 74! It wasn't this low or even close to that the year before. So, I do home injections now, I did 1000 mc per day for a week then once a week for a monthe now I am once a month forever. Well, so I thought. Just did the repeat of the labs... 168. I am low on Iron as well, you know, HGB, HCV, I don't have the paper in front of me but there were like anout 8 things low and two high one of which was chloride. Any ideas on what or where to go from here? The Doctors aren't really as concerned as I am.

I think you should be on oral daily therapy.

You may not be converting cyanocobalamin properly either, so use
methylcobalamin orally 5mg a day on an empty stomach.

This product is available online from some discount suppliers.
It is less common in local stores. Most here use iherb.com

We have had members here test over 1000 after a few months on this, and some test over 2000!

This is an informational thread with links:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

I'd get tested for Vit D as well. Depression can improve if you are low in D and fix that.

Thank you I will try this... anything to get out of this funk and my vitamin issue under control.

Buck,

Have you been tested for celiac disease/ gluten sensitivity?

Check out the link in my signature... and scan the right bar for the page on diagnostics (near the top) and iron deficiency (near the bottom). There are also some good overview articles linked at the bottom of the main page.

B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, and other nutritional deficiency are common in celiac disease/gluten sensitivity, as is depression.

So sorry about the loss of you beloved Maggie. It took me a long while to readjust after losing my dog, too.

Cara

I went to the doctor for extreme dizziness and low blood pressure they diagnosed me with vertigo. Come to find out I have an extremely low B-12 level. I am wondering if I should do the shots or the sublingual drops.

What does your doctor advise you to do?

--with that low a level, I'd still do the daily megdosing, sublingual or otherwise, probably in the neighborhood of 3000-5000mcg daily to start, and methylcobalamin (rather than cyanocobalamin--and you'd want that in shots, as well). Easy enough to get on-line, and even in some stores now, and not expensive.