Huge Thank You to lyndacarol

[crsticare]

I original posted a post "Am I paranoid? or juming to conclusions on MS" lyndacarol sent me a personal e-mail discussing B12. After 2 and half years of frustration, I talked to my Dr about B12, something we had never discussed. He gave me a shot and I have been feeling great! I know it is still early in the game to know the whole effects of this shot, but all I can say is "I am so thankful for the e-mail"

Thank You so much lyndacarol, I thank you for all the info you have given me and am very glad I found this site. As I thought there are a lot of people on here, that know a lot. It really means a lot! !

Thanks for help!
Christi

[ElliotB]

The importance of vitamins is often overlooked. Many are having great success with vitamins such as B12, D3, and the now popular Biotin (Vitamin H). The body needs many nutrients in order to function as intended, and deficiencies can cause illness. It is important to have all vitamin levels checked regularly Glad you are feeling better! That is fantastic news!

[NHE]

I original posted a post "Am I paranoid? or juming to conclusions on MS" lyndacarol sent me a personal e-mail discussing B12. After 2 and half years of frustration, I talked to my Dr about B12, something we had never discussed. He gave me a shot and I have been feeling great! I know it is still early in the game to know the whole effects of this shot, but all I can say is "I am so thankful for the e-mail"

Hi Christi,
What form of B12 did you get in your shot, e.g., cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin? If you choose to continue with the shots, then you may wish to use the hydroxocobalamin form which is better utilized by the body than the cyanocobalamin form.

NHE

[CureOrBust]

What form of B12 did you get in your shot, e.g., cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin? If you choose to continue with the shots, then you may wish to use the hydroxocobalamin form which is better utilized by the body than the cyanocobalamin form.

I thought Methylcobalamin is always the best choice for B12?
http://centraldrugsrx.com/doctorblog/co ... itamin-b12

[NHE]

What form of B12 did you get in your shot, e.g., cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin? If you choose to continue with the shots, then you may wish to use the hydroxocobalamin form which is better utilized by the body than the cyanocobalamin form.

I thought Methylcobalamin is always the best choice for B12?
http://centraldrugsrx.com/doctorblog/co ... itamin-b12

Thanks for the link. That discussion leaves out adenosylcobalamin which is a cofactor for the methylmalonyl Co-A mutase enzyme. http://www.jbc.org/content/288/19/13186.full.pdf This pathway takes proprionic acid which is a left over from beta-oxidation of odd chain fatty acids (which are found in plants) and converts it to succinate which can then be used in the Krebs cycle. You may have read that methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a marker for B12 deficiency. It's this pathway that gets rid of the MMA. Here's a paper that proposes that MMA may not be the evil doer that it's been thought to be, but that alternate metabolites of proprionic acid are the real toxins that disrupt the mitochondrial Krebs cycle.

http://www.jbc.org/content/278/48/47388.full.pdf+html

However, recently we have demonstrated in striatal neuronal cultures from rat embryos that MMA-induced neuronal damage involves intracellular formation of the competitive complex II inhibitor malonate (MA) and 2-methylcitrate, a compound with multiple inhibitory properties on the tricarboxylic acid cycle (15). Therefore, we suggest that neuronal damage is mainly driven via metabolites that derive from alternative oxidation pathways of propionyl-CoA rather than by MMA itself.

What's relevant about all of this is that hydroxocobalamin is readily converted to both the methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin forms. Alternatively, one could also take a supplement containing both forms such as... http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-429934-su ... 60-tablets

Oh, and the article you referenced states that hydroxocobalamin is not available as a supplement. This is incorrect. I've been able to find at least two different brands of sublingual hydroxocobalamin available.

http://www.iherb.com/Advanced-Orthomole ... =null&ic=1

http://www.vitacost.com/intensive-nutri ... sublingual

[crsticare]

I got the cyanocobalamin shot. Which is not probably what I will choose for the next one. But at the time I was kind of caught off guard when the Dr offered to give to me so quickly. I originally went in to discuss the tests and the option for a shot of B12 and before you knew it he was saying lets give it and see what happens. I was like "uumm OK"

Would any of you have gotten the shot, without an actual test? The logic was, he said if I didn't really care about an official diagnosis and all I care about is feeling better then we could do the shot, he said we could do the test if I wanted an official diagnosis. All I really care about is feeling better.

[lyndacarol]

I got the cyanocobalamin shot. Which is not probably what I will choose for the next one. But at the time I was kind of caught off guard when the Dr offered to give to me so quickly. I originally went in to discuss the tests and the option for a shot of B12 and before you knew it he was saying lets give it and see what happens. I was like "uumm OK"

Would any of you have gotten the shot, without an actual test? The logic was, he said if I didn't really care about an official diagnosis and all I care about is feeling better then we could do the shot, he said we could do the test if I wanted an official diagnosis. All I really care about is feeling better.

In my opinion, your doctor's logic has merit. Testing will establish the degree of B12 insufficiency – whether it is a low level or an absolute deficiency. But a trial therapy of B12 injections can "cut to the chase." B12 is a water-soluble vitamin; any amount that is not needed by the body will be flushed out in urine – it is not harmful, it is not toxic, it has no negative side effects, it is inexpensive. If injections of B12 improve symptoms, it seems logical to me that one could assume there is a B12 deficiency. (However, no improvement in symptoms does not mean there is not a B12 deficiency – a long-term B12 deficiency may have progressed to Subacute Combined Degeneration with its irreversible symptoms.)

I agree with NHE – hydroxo-cobalamin is a better form for B12 injections than cyano-cobalamin or possibly even methyl-cobalamin. In the US, cyano B12 is used for injections given in doctors' offices; it is the cheapest form. The cyano form must be decyanated in the body before it can be used. The hydroxo form converts to both adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin, the two coenzyme forms needed in the cells.

In addition, hydroxo-cobalamin is available at a regular pharmacy, like CVS (a prescription is required for this injectable solution; injections bypass the digestive system where any number of problems can interfere with B12 absorption from food or oral pills); it can be stored at room temperature and must be protected from light. Methyl-cobalamin can be obtained only at compounding pharmacies which have a "clean room."

[crsticare]

Thank you for all the information, it really helps a person out.