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after reading the old blogs I decided to look up B12 deficiency so that if my the mri I took on monday comes up normal I have a new suggestion for what is causing these symptoms. one must be proactive with vegas doctors cuz I swear they must have all been C students in med school. wow it sure has similar symptoms. I have a few questions about this. I had blood tests 5 years ago with my first go around with the symptoms I am experiencing but not this time. Is B12 deficiency one of the things they typically look at in these blood tests? are the b12 symptoms a linear progression or does it wax and wain? Is there pain associated with it?

hi tara -

b12 deficiency is something they must rule out before proceeding with an ms diagnosis. there are big similarities between b12 deficiency and ms.

if you have one deficiency, you could have other related deficiencies but the neuros don't seem to be trained to know what those might be, or test for them.

my first symptoms were numbness in my feet, sometimes a severe weakness in my grip, and a lack of control over my leg movements - knees might just give suddenly. i was a vegan so i suspected a b12 problem and mentioned it to the doc. tests confirmed i was b12 deficient.

my symptoms waxed and waned depending on whether i took a b12 supplement or not. it wouldn't have varied based on my diet because my diet had zero b12.

for years i had been convinced i could get adequate b12 intake from food, even though i was vegan. once i started getting tested i knew it was time for supplements, but i was reluctant. most of the time i put up with the numbness but when my legs started to give way i would take b12 for a few days.

i also took b12 before i had to go in for bloodwork, because i didn't want my result to come back deficient again. i had no idea at the time that the consequences were spinal cord damage.

tara do you think you are likely to be b12 deficient? it is definitely an angle to follow up with the docs if they have not checked already.

if they tell you it's 'normal' that's not good enough. try to ensure your b12 is at least 500 nmol/L. the way they test for deficiency is by looking for the amount that's in your blood, and also to see if the blood cells are changing shape. you can suffer cognitive symptoms from suboptimal b12 long before you get down to a level where your blood cells are visibly altered.

HTH
JL

that was funny about vegas doctors....either that or they like to gamble.

had optic neuritis years ago, to point of temporary blindness--many ills inbetween--was given b12 cyano injections, once a month for a short time about 10 years ago--appears this was not enough to help, but drs did not want to overdo.

2 1/2 years ago started b12 cyano daily injections--after a month, could see things i could never see before-such as bus marquee from a block away--all got clearer, and colors vibrant. And increased energy. Then switched to cyano sublingual, and all improvement slowly vanished.
Now take methyl injections, 1000 mcg daily--self inject, subcutaneous. When try to alternate with sublingual methyl, start to regress. Sometimes do alternate by taking 3 of the sublinguals thru the day instead of the injection of 1000--but best protocol is definitely the injections.

I was diagnosed with MS way back in 1991 and the neurologist checked my B12 level way back then and found a deficiency. Since then, I have used an inexpensive B12 supplement from Nature Made. I buy the lowest dosage available and need to take only one or two tablets each week to keep my B12 level at the high end of the normal range. I have my B12 level checked once a year and it is always great.

I have checked the published studies on sublingual v. oral B12. This research shows that B12 taken orally works as well as sublingual B12. A few people do need injections of B12 because their intestines cannot properly handle B12. This does not apply to most of us, however.

The research reflects my own experience. The inexpensive B12 works great!

Curious if anyone has tried IM B12 shots and if they helped?

hi there, have not tried those myself. was going to, found out it was only available in cyano form. sublinguals have worked fine for me. not so for you? have u had levels done lately?

Selmahope,
I give myself B12 injections, methylcobalamin--I don't like to do the longer needle that would make it IM injection, so use the 29 Gauge 1/2 " needles, injected them straight in in the upper quadrant of G Maximus.
Dr and pharmacist say result is same. I find these shots invaluable (the sublingual doesn't work for me)--better thinking, colors go from gray(if no shot for a while) to vibrant, see clearer, sharper, more energy, from depression to okay mood, etc etc
My blood levels WAY above the norm, yet still it makes a difference for the better when I take it.

(word of caution--I would not recommend the Cyanocobalamin injectible form--unfortunately used it for quite some time, until realized it has aluminum in it, used in its preparation)

I get these injections at least once a month. My doctor's office does it for me. I also have some at home to do myself if I can't make it to his office. I find it invaluable. It really helps me with fatigue.

Today, I got my Vitamin B12 level checked through a blood test. It came out to be 363 pg/ml. Normal range is 180-710 pg/ml. I was just wondering is it normal. Please see that I have been taking Multivitamin B Complex for the last two years since my diagnosis.

hi t, personally i like to keep my levels over 500 pmol/L. that works out to around 675 pg/mL. that 180 low end is relevant for hematologic criteria not cognitive. IIMA, what is the amount in mg or mcg or whatever, of each component of your B-complex supplement?

Sorry for belated reply. It is:
Vits B1 15mg, B2 15mg, B6 10mg, B12 10mcg, calcium panto thenate 25mg, nicotinamide 50mg; C 300mg

As advised, I will now try to maintain my B12 levels at above 500. Perhaps taking lot of anti acidic tablets and maintaining a sought of pure Veg diet in order to loose weight has resulted into this. Thanks Jimmy for your prompt reply

hey there no worries. you can look for a B50 or B100 complex. take no more than one B100 complex per day in the long term. that should keep you in better shape!

I want to take a B12 supplement and the tablet I have is MECOBALAMIN (methycobal) 500 mcg, I have the following questions :-

a) is methycobal 500mcg suitable?
b) is this the same as Vitamin B12?
c) is it the same as methylcobal? (note the L)
d) is it too much/too little?
e) can I take it daily (and for how long is recommended)?
f) what are the side effects?
g) what is 500mcg in iu? (it doesnt say on the packet)

My local doctor is in the process of moving his practice therefore I cant take a test to see my Vit B12 levels, but I will get this test dome as soon as he is up and running.

Thanks in advance for your help.
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i have never heard 'mecobalamin' or 'methycobal' before.

vitamin b12 is cobalamin. there are diff forms eg cyanocobalamin (common, longer shelf life) or methylcobalamin (biologically active form, shorter shelf life).

my b-complex is a good one it has methylcobalamin. this particular b-complex costs more than other standard ones which use cyanocobalamin.

500mcg is fine daily, no particular risk short or long term.

don't take more than say 1000mcg in the morning (it will keep you up at night)

take it at lunch or dinner. some people take as much as 2000 mcg per day but if you did that at breakfast say good bye to a good night's sleep!

i found this conversion factor for b12 (just on answers.com): 1000 mcg per 100 IU