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low b12

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Q: question about being low in vitamin b12?
i am 18 and have felt really sick all summer. i just found out my b12 level is very low from taking metformin. could a low b12 level cause chronic stomach pain, especially after i eat, extremely nauseaous in my head and stomach and im extremely tired all the time.
help? please? i leave for college thursday and want to feel better!

A: Seek medical help as you may need Vitamin B12 supplements. Low levels of this vitamin may make you feel tingling in your feet on the long term and other unwanted effects.
Good luck

Q: What is low b12 and RBC a symptom of?
Outside of not eating things with the aforementioned in them. are there any diseases related to this?

A: Nutritional deficiencies ie not eating enough of B12 is rare but it does occur in vegans and what is more common are malabsorption syndromes like celiac disease, Crohn’s, bacterial over-growth, small-bowel lymphoma, history of gastric surgery,fish tapeworm infection or intrinsic factor related problems due to Pernicious anemia. Those with pernicious anemia can have a pale yellow skin tone. There are some false positive (low B12 not deficient states) such as a low folate level and so those two are usually ordered together and Methyl Malonic Acid (MMA) and Serum Homocysteine would be helpful in some clinical situations.

Additional testing is often needed in order to be certain on the cause along with a blood smear evaluation.

Q: I have low platelet for which I’m takeing b12 shots. I have a bruise on my body?
My platelet count went from 84000 to 74000 to 82000 to 68000 to 72000 and now 58000. It’s supposed that the low numbers are associated with low b12 and since it persists and has gotten so low viruses. Any comments? I get each month usually in one spot on my body black and blue bruise marks

A: B12 shots will not affect platelets. They are only good for pernicious anemia. You may have an idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and require a splenectomy. Get a doctor who knows the blood. I am a hematologist. MD

Q: I have Alopecia areata, the Dermatologist I saw last week detected very low B12 and high red cells in my blood
My hair has grown back, white and weak but lots of coverage. I also have onychomycosis, which I have not told my GP about yet! Many off my teeth have broken and I have noticed that I can not stay awake after meals high in Carbohydrates, I am worried to what all of this could mean. Any clues?
I am 36 years of age and no one else in my family has suffered from any thing like this.

A: Take good care of your self.

Q: does low b12 cause the same symptoms as fibromyalgia?
i was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and i have now been told i have low b12 and wa wondering if the low b12 could be whats causing the pain instead of fibromyalgia

A: B12 deficiency is extremely rare. Unless you are a strict vegan who eats no animal products, or you have a problem absorbing B12. People with problems absorbing B12 have problems producing intrinsic factor, or have disease of the small intestine.

Normal body stores last about 3-6 years of deficiency.

B12 deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia, and neurological dysfunction, as it disrupts DNA synthesis. The anemia looks like large red and white blood cells that are immature. This would also have shown up on the blood test too, if you had it.

If it worries you, I would eat more animal products (like milk, meat, cheese, yoghurt, fish) to boost your B12. You can also get a test called the Schilling test to test your absorption of B12

Q: I have a low b12 and ferritin levels and i am so pale what can i do?
I had a normal blood test (FBC) and that showed up i was wondering if anybody knew anything about this? The midwive and dr are on the case but i look so pale and breathless when i walk faster than normal. to top this off i also have cold grrrrrr
oh b12 is not thats sort of iron you cant get it from red meats and veggies and you cant take supplements!!! did a bit of research myself
my HB levels are 13.5 so it is fine it is a different kind of anemia

A: Also, until your levels are up or told otherwise, avoid strenous exercise at all costs…..

Q: Does anyone know how low your b12 level needs to be before it begins to effect you mobility?

A: Hi Vicki

Normal serum B12 levels are between 200 and 900 pg/ml.

You are clinically deficient and will start to develop symptoms when it falls to below 100 pg/ml.

Q: if my B12 is low would myoxygen sats be low?
my oxygen sats have been 99-100 I have a B12 of 119 and iron 8.8 but imvery short of breath, would my oxygen sats still be normal and the low levels still cause the shortness of breath???
I have seen a dr iamon iron and B12 but i want to know if it could cause shortnessof breath and still have normal oxygen sats?

A: Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
The normal blood level of vitamin B12 ranges between 200 and 600 picogram .

Normal Results

Iron: 60-170 mcg/dL
TIBC: 240-450 mcg/dL
Transferrin saturation: 20-50%

Note: mcg/dl = micrograms per deciliter

Lower-than-normal levels may mean:

Chronic gastrointestinal blood loss
Chronic heavy menstrual bleeding
Poor absorption of iron
Not enough dietary iron
Pregnancy

Based on the above normal levels of Vit B12 and Iron, you have Vit B12 ( Megaloblastic anemia) and Iron deficiency anemia.

Anemia refers to a deficiency of red blood cells (RBCs) and/or hemoglobin. This results in a reduced ability of blood to transfer oxygen to the tissues, causing hypoxia and thus shortness of breath. even though, your 02 Sat is WNL. So the doctor is right in putting you on this regimen.

Diet and Anemia – Consumption of food rich in iron is essential to prevention of iron deficiency Anemia; however, the average adult has approximately nine years worth of B12 stored in the liver, and it would take four to five years of an iron-deficient diet to create iron-deficiency Anemia from diet alone.

Iron-rich foods include red meat; green, leafy vegetables; beans; dried apricots, prunes, raisins, and other dried fruits; almonds; seaweeds; parsley; whole grains; and yams. In extreme cases of Anemia, researchers recommend consumption of beef liver, lean meat, oysters, lamb or chicken, or iron drops/tablets may be introduced. Certain foods have been found to interfere with iron absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, and these foods should be avoided. They include tea, coffee, wheat bran, rhubarb, chocolate, soft drinks, red wine, ice cream, and candy bars.. With the exception of milk and eggs, animal sources of iron provide iron with better bioavailability than vegetable sources .

Q: I have low ferritin 3 and heamaglobin is fine B12 is low aslo what does this mean??
my doctor said it was the lowest ferritin count she had ever seen i dont eat a lot of meat but i do sometimes . Can anyone else help explain it. also the b12 is low and eat plenty of food with b12 in it
i do not have anemia, thats why I am asking for info. Anemia is a reduction in your heamaglobin which I dont have. and i have had liver test that was normal

A: Well, the worry with low iron and B12 is anemia. Anemia is basically decreased blood oxygen. Your body needs iron to carry oxygen to your body. When you breath oxygen into your lungs, the iron grabs the oxygen and carries it to all the different tissue in your body. So, if you don’t have enough iron, your body isn’t getting enough oxygen.

Pernicious anemia is related to decreased B12. In order to make Red Blood Cells, the body needs B12. When there isn’t enough B12, the Red Blood Cells are not made.

The iron deficiency could be caused by many things such as not eating enough iron rich foods in your diet or heavy menstrual periods. B12 deficiency can be caused by insufficient absorption– your body isn’t absorbing it in the intestine. Some doctors order B12 injections.

I would just tell you to meet with your doctor again to find out what your options are before you start taking any vitamin suppliments.

Q: I have extremely low B12, I am 16 weeks pregnant is there any risks to my unborn baby?

A: You should be taking pregnancy vitamins right threw the pregnancy, the best ones are called Elevit. The midwife should have told you this.

Q: I have very low vitimin B12, what does that mean?
I have a healthy diet and I’m 27. Do I have to get an injection or something?
Yes I went to the nurse to get a blood test for other things and it got flagged as low. I am a ‘he’ btw.

A: Typically vegans suffer from low B12. I have low B12 levels and I’m not vegan.

I have to get injections every 2 months, but you might need them more often.
I’m sorry to say that the injections aren’t pleasant. The liquid they inject is very syrupy and thick. When you get the injection, ask the nurse to push on the spot she’s going to put it into quite hard before she injections. That’s what my nurses did. It gets the pain receptors ready and doesn’t hurt so much.

EDIT- Answer below, the only way you can find out if you have low B12, is by doing a blood test, so I’m assuming the person asking this has done that. When I was notified about having low B12 the nurse just rung. She didn’t tell me what that’d mean. Maybe the person asking is just wondering in the mean time. I don’t think she should “not listen to answers on here” as some people are helpful and I’ve been through what she’s asking about.

…

Q: Can low b12 be passed down to kids?
Im 17 nhave a terrible amune sistem my mom has low b12n needs needles few times a month would that be why im si sick all the time?

A: It can be definitely. If your mom has to get B12 shots, it’s possible she’s missing intrinsic factor, which is necessary to absorb B12 into your system from the digestive tract – therefore it has to be injected directly. It’s called Pernicious anemia and it’s genetic.

So, yes, it can – you would have to be tested to find out.

Q: I have a low B12 question?
I have a low B12 and have had medical “issues” for years now but have gone mis and undiagnosed… the only thing that I have is a diagnosis of low B12 and lots of other symptoms that all fit under a broad range of illnesses. I have been doing research and was wondering if anyone else has any correlation between a low B12 and the autoimmune diseases.. such as fibromyalgia or MS or even Lupus… looking forward to your reply

A: I also have low b12, well I did until I had the shots. I’m not vegan but apparently some people don’t absorb it as well as others.

I have fibromyalgia as well as chronic fatigue syndrome. I havn’t been tested for MS but my ANA levels were high so it’s likely that I’ll develop Lupus.

I don’t know any correlation between the two, but I have both. See if you can get a referral to a specialist.

Good luck!

…

Q: i was recently told i have very low b12 its at 111,
i have had problems with my legs now for about 2 years where i cannot lift them past a certain point,and past about 5 months have a movement tic
i have been seen by a nuerosurgeon cause they thought was due to spinabifida occulta but full body mri has come back fine
the nuerologist i am seeing now and the local doctor states its more then likely chemical imbalance in my head
is a count of 111 really bad?
should i be having injections instead of tablets?
plus i have been told i do not have a deficiency and by the looks of it there not doing any more testing to see why my b12 is so low
should i be seeking another doctor as the b12 tablets are only 100mg tablets?
after 2 years of having these problems i am still to find what is causing the problems with my legs

A: Get a second opinion. It may be that there is no identifiable cause for your symptoms but it never hurts to have a 2nd opinion. Perhaps get a referral to an immunologist or Haematologist.
But be respectful to your G.P when asking for it. They may have very good reasons to suspect nothing is wrong but you also have valid reasons for suspecting there is.

Q: low b12 and pregnant….any midwives / docs?
hi…ive just found out that my b12 level is 190, im 19 weeks pregnant…is this really low?…i cant get through to my doctor for a couple of days…do u think i would have to have injections?….thanx

A: Have you tried taking B complex or something like that? I, personally would try that before I took an injection. I think that is a fairly low level. When I searched the web, people were talking about 500s as their levels.

Are you anemic? Because B12 affects the utilization of Iron.

Anyway, here are some food sources of B12 that you may want to bring into or include more of in your diet:
soybeans
wheat germ
meat
milk
cheese
fish
whey
brewer’s yeast
almonds
carrots

And, here are some potential depletors of B12 levels:
laxatives
alcohol
antibiotics
aspirin
diuretics
antacids
tobacco
caffeine
estrogen
sleeping pills
contraceptives
intestinal parasites
cooking of foods (removes a lot of vitamins and minerals)

I know you probably aren’t using half of the depletors, but I thought I would list them anyway.

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