Hi,

One of my female relatives has been diagnosed with B-12 deficiency...after a long time of suffering ( blood report stated a level of 205) and low haemoglobin content(11.1).
Doctor has advised to take 1000mcg of B-12 and 400mcg of Folic Acid .
I have been studying a lot about B-12 deficiency and looks like her symptoms are because of that ( fatigue,sleeplessness, irritability, general weakness, long/heavy periods etc...)
For now she is taking 1000mcg of cyanocobalamin(timed release) and folic acid.One each daily .

My question is -
- Should she take methylcobalamin instead of cyano , will that be better ?
- Or can both cyano and methyl be taken at same time ( 500mcg of each ? )
- B-12 tablet label says it is timed release tablet , is that helpful in her case or no ? Roses's website says it does not .Any particular reason for that ?

Your help /inputs are much appreciated . This forum is extremely useful.Thanks.

Would like to add to above thread , that she is suffering from Hypothyroidism. following questions , can someone relate to it or have heard anything about it :

Does B-12 deficiency cause :
- long/heavy periods ?
- Does it relate to irritability , sleep troubles?
- Severe back ache .

Is there anything else that can be taken apart from 1000mcg of methyl B-12 and 400mcg of folic acid ?
Too many questions , but any help is much appreciated . Thanks.

I would take at least 1000 mcg all at once. I would take the cyanocobalamin until able to get the methylcobalamin, and then switch entirely to methylcobalamin. Then, after a while on the methylcobalamin, if she wants to use up the cyano, fine.

Could use a combo of the two. The methylcobalamin right away would just cover some of the rarer reasons she might benefit more from that form.

Timed release is a very bad idea because if she malabsorbs severely she will get nothing from it. And even if she doesn't malabsorb severely now, it could be worsening and move to that, in which case she would get less and less, until eventually zero.

Yes, B12 deficiency can cause those things. It affects individuals in many different ways, and those are on the very long list of possibilities.

rose

Thanks Rose.

Since then she has started taking methyl b-12 (jarrows...as suggested in other threads) .
In everybody's experience reading this , how much time it takes for body to recover to significant extent ,if not fully ? Should she start feeling "energized" let's say after a month under normal circumstances.( if she had b-12 level of 205 in her blood test) .
Are there any "signs" of body recovering ?

By the way , there was no improvement after taking methyl b-12 after week or so.

I don't know if this is the right forum , but in her MRI report one of the sentences said - " mild ethmoid sinus mucosal thickening" . what does this mean ? Any ideas? .
Thanks.

There is no answer to that question. Depending on the extent and type of damage, and the individual's ability to repair, substantial improvement can occur within weeks or years. It is rather common for a response to be noticed within a couple of weeks, but some people go for many months before seeing the improvement their bodies have been working on without their knowledge.

Do check out my website. There is a page on repairs and the often weird and long process.
rose

Read "repair" page on your website.Yes,it answers the question but does not address my anxiety of seeing her getting cured fast
Thanks for all your research into this .
Can I ask your experience with deficiency , how long you were affected by it and how was the recovery ? Just to want to listen/read other's experiences .
If you already have answered this question someplace else , then just point to that URL.

My recovery has been extremely long and difficult. My motor function was affected severely (and that is probably least likely to recover), as well as mental ability, vision, and too many other important things to list in a moment.

I had posted extensive information over years on the old braintalk forums, but most of that was lost in the big crash. I was damaged subtly for a long while, and then when my motor function began to deteriorate fast I went to doctors. They fiddled around and allowed my central nervous system to continue damage for well over a year longer. By the time I was diagnosed every system had been affected to one degree or another.

I have seen people with very little damage repair and resume their old life within weeks. However, even those often take a few to many months. Plan on slow going, and if it is fast you will both be thrilled.

But those of us who had central nervous damage and were damaged much more severely get what we get, and the going is very slow. Lots of ups and downs, much weirdness, and no guarantee of recovery, although most people do recover at least some.

rose

Hi,
I had hyperthyroidism due to Grave's Disease. They "nuked" my thyroid and I now have hypothryroidism. My periods went from very light to extremely heavy. Definately know it's linked. It also causes tiredness, so if she can't sleep it might be the back pain. As far as the B12 goes- I'm borderline anemic if I don't take high doses of it. My doc told me that people with autoimmune disease often have low B12 levels. Is her hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's Syndrome. It a very common cause of it and it is a autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune malfunction causes much if not most malabsorption of B12.

rose

Sarahin, thanks for sharing the info. She has hypothyroidism , but I am not sure what is the cause of the disease , will ask doc in our next visit.
So what did you do for heavy periods , is there any medication to help reduce that ??That is major cause of weakness .

Rose, yes you are right I read about that too autoimmune disease leading to malabsorption of b12.

By the way, in latest test B12 level increased from 205 to 322 , is that a good increase in one months period ? will it be considered that she is not suffering from malabsorption???

Thanks.