I know that if you experience heart palpitaions B vitamins (i think b6) is suppose to help. I seem to have the opposite happen to me. I maybe wrong, but it seems every time I take B I get heart palpitaions. It's like a flip or a kind of flutter in my chest but it also takes my breath away and makes me cough. I have had it checked out by a doctor. He did an EEG witch did show an irregular rythem. He then had me where a 24 hour haulter and did a echo of my heart. Both came back normal. Once I stopped the B it went away. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

Hi cat

i havent had palpitations but I cannot take any form of B complex solid vitamins and even have to be careful on some of the single Bs too. It makes me feel just yuck

I get my supplemental Bs from Royal Jelly and one of those sublingual liquid B drops

dont know if that applies to what you are experiencing from the Bs tho

I haven't studied B1, but I wonder whether since too little of it can cause wet berri berri (resulting in heart failure) or dry berri berri (resulting in nerve problems, which can also affect heart function) whether you might not be experiencing the beginnings of a positive adjustment when you get what you may need badly.

rose

I have copies of blood work from all the way back to 1990. The first time I had a b12 level checked was in 2005 it was 239 folate 10.8 (I never checked it until now because I was told it was normal. I had it checked in June 2007, (I was at the endo. complaining of memory loss, extream fatigue, getting dizzy when I stand up, and hair loss) He checked b12 and it was 209, folate 13.0. My GP checked it again in July ( I think just to make me leave him alone) and it was 293, folate 24.0, mma 109, homocysteine (nutritional) 5.6 and I.F. Block AB negative. He did not have me fast for these tests. One other thing, since 1990 until now my MVC has never been under 93 Highest being 99, my TIBC has always been around 490 and my transferren sat. any where from 11% to 25%. I think have been boarder line anemic most of my life. My mother jus told my when I was 3 yr.old she took me to the doctor because she kept finding me in bed and normally I was a very active toddler. She just remembers them saying "well she does not have luckemia". Iam 42 years old now, Irish, Dark hair (well used to be I had to start coloring it at the age of 27, now Iam mostly gary) blue eyes that keep getting turing grayer and grayer. Iam a mess. Sorry, but right at this moment I just feel like crying!! Iam going to see a hemotologist on Thursday. After that blood test Iam going to start taking methyl b12 under the tongue. I just cant take this anymore.
Thanks for everyones insite and for listening .

Cat

Cat,

I'm glad you will be taking methylcobalamin. You may need B12, and even if not, you may benefit from the extra methylcobalamin.

You could have an MCV like that and be low in iron and B12.

Abnormal heart function can be a result of deficiency of some of the B vitamins. A really good B complex (with the p-5-p B6 instead of pyridoxine), and the methylcobalamin at a different time of day is what I would do. Besides of course a good diet and possibly other carefully chosen supplements. If you do not eat fatty fish regularly, I would also take a good fish oil with extra DHA and EPA. I would also take a good digestive enzyme supplement with meals.

You sound like a very good candidate for autoimmune problems. B12 may be part of the solution, possibly even the solution, but I'm guessing more likely part. http://thyroid.about.com/mbiopage.htm

I hope you can get to the bottom of this and feel much better! I can relate, as my serious problems began in my 40s, and two of my kids were entering a life-threatening state in their 30s.

Had you taken any B vitamins before the later tests (even in a multi vitamin)? If so, what, what dose, and for how long?


Best wishes,

rose

Hi Rose, Thank you so much for answering me.
I have been on 50mcg of synthroid for about 3 years now. Doc said my levels are fine. For about 3-4 months I have been taking R-Lipoic Acid 100mg 2 X a day (it also has 150mcg of biotin in it I did not realize that) and Magnesium Taurate 125mg 2 X a day. For about 1 month before the last test I started taking a multi by Pure Esssence "One n Only" it contains:
B1 22.5mg
B2 25.5mg
B3 25mg
B5 30mg
B6 30mg
Folate 400mch
B12 (methylcobolamin) 100mcg
I also took a separte 1mg Biotin, I was told it would help my hair grow back.
I don't like Fish but I do eat plenty of eggs, cheese, chicken,a little beef and veggies. Do you think those vitamins could have given false results? My mother also has hypothyroid but I do not know of any anemia in my family. However, my dad, my sister and my brother have similar symptms as me. Mostly my dad may siblings are not as bad.

Aha!

It looks like you cannot absorb B12 from food, but can absorb from supplements. That is malabsorption, but not severe malabsorption. Malabsorption from food is probably the most common cause of deficiency (except in people who have been vegans for years and do not supplement). You probably could eat a steak at every meal and get NO B12.

If you malabsorb, but not severely, you would be getting lots of B12 from that 100 mcg dose. In fact, you would be getting more than a person who malabsorbs severely gets from a 1000 mcg dose.

If that is the case, that is probably why both your MMA and Hcy were normal. If one of those was high before your month of treatment, it is likely that your B12 was actually a lot lower than that first test result showed, and it has been coming up. It would be good to get it coming up faster.

It looks even more like you have an autoimmune problem. You and your family would be even more likely than many to have an autoimmune problem, since you originate in the part of the world you do, and since you have similar problems.

Also, it is likely that you and your family would benefit from lots of B12 and some enzymes. And it would be a very good idea if you all took at least 1000 mcg per day B12, because it is very possible that at least some of you will progress to severe B12 malabsorption, and if you do you will get nothing to nearly nothing out of the 100 mcg.

It is not necessary to show any sign of anemia when a B12 deficiency problem (and even iron problem) is present. That is why so many of us are not diagnosed as we should be.

rose

Regarding the fish, I do hope you all will take fish oil. It comes in capsules and you take it with a meal. Your ancestors probably got plenty of Omega 3 oils, and if you probably don't.

rose

What kinds of autoimmune problems are indicitive to my symptoms? I do have a hypothyriod. When I firts went to the endo. he listened more to my symptoms rather then just going by my blood work. According to the reference range, technically, I was considerd normal. He had me try the lowest amount of synthryroid and after 2 weeks I had more energy. My hair stopped falling out and my eyebrows grew back (I didn't even realize how thin a sparse they were until they started to grow back).

Cat,

Good for that doc! That's a rare one. Congratulations on getting help with your hypothyroid.

Your heritage, your grey hair, your likely B12 malabsorption, your family history...these all together strongly suggest an autoimmune problem. I'm willing to bet there are other more subtle signs in you and your family too, not sure, but a very good bet.

Everyone is different, but my thyroid began having difficulty as my B12 deficiency progressed. Eventually, as my B12 was brought up and kept up good and strong, my thyroid recovered. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't.

Of course the thyroid problem and B12 problem do not always occur together or one after the other. But it frequently does happen, and many of the symptoms overlap (I wonder whether some of those symptom overlaps are due to failure to diagnose an accompanying thyroid problem).

rose