British Expats - Vitamin B12

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)

- The Maple Leaf (https://britishexpats.com/forum/maple-leaf-98/)

- - Vitamin B12 (https://britishexpats.com/forum/maple-leaf-98/vitamin-b12-903339/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DandNHill (Post 12338509)

My mother had a medical encyclopedia so she was qualified dontcha know! ðŸ¤£

The Home Doctor book by any chance? Something like this?

https://pictures.abebooks.com/MWBOOKS2/11358653209.jpg

My B12 is at normal levels at the mo. Been on B12 supplements for almost 2 years now.

We take B12 supplements as a family as we eat a mostly plant based whole grain diet. I have had my B12 blood levels tested and it was normal, and I aced my cholesterol blood work:starsmile:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12338730)

The Home Doctor book by any chance? Something like this?

https://pictures.abebooks.com/MWBOOKS2/11358653209.jpg

I remember it being more colourful but maybe it just had a jacket on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12338730)

The Home Doctor book by any chance? Something like this?

https://pictures.abebooks.com/MWBOOKS2/11358653209.jpg

My MiL swears by that damn book. It's vaguely terrifying but I tend to ignore her when she mentions medical stuff so we're all still alive.:lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by snoopdawg (Post 12338474)

So some basics!
Iron deficiency anemia is NOT the same as B12 deficiency anemia
A celiac will often be low in both. But treated differently

You can be low in B12 for 2 main reasons

Vegans- don't eat meat products. They need to supplement with an oral tablet which they can swallow.

Pernicious anemia- autoimmune- so celiacs often have it as well as being celiac.
Your stomach cannot absorb B12.
It has to be given either by injection IM not IV or sublingually. I used to think injection was better but it seems S/L B12 gives a more even dose. The formulation given IM in the UK was better but is hard to get in Canada and expensive, so here we use the cheap , nasty stuff!!!

As far as I'm aware pernicious anemia is as common in the UK as Canada. Its an important vitamin and can cause extreme tiredness and memory loss so extreme that dementia could be suspected- so should always be checked with memory loss. We had lots of patients popping in to see the nurse for their injections in the UK. We tested as much in the UK as Canada.

Lastly,it became very "trendy" to have B12 infusions at one point- various "stars" had done selfies whilst having their infusion. I doubt there was any good reason and it caused a shortage for quite a while, harming those with genuine need. Fortunately the idiots seemed to have moved on!

Zero reason to take for period pain as far as I know- 1st time I've heard that one!

This post concerns me. My doctor has had me purchasing B12 tablets to "ensure your bloods improve." If it cannot be absorbed by the stomach am I simply adding to my feces and, if so, why is it possible to buy the stuff in tablet form?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Almost Canadian (Post 12338822)

...If it cannot be absorbed by the stomach am I simply adding to my feces and, if so, why is it possible to buy the stuff in tablet form?

Failure to absorb in cases of Pernicious anemia I thought that meant.

I read a study which concluded that taking B12 in tablet form provided just as good outcomes as injections. And of course it's cheaper ...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3922551/

Quote:

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 12338850)

Failure to absorb in cases of Pernicious anemia I thought that meant.

Gotcha

Excess B vitamin comes out in urine - it will turn it bright yellow! That's because it is a water soluble vitamin.
I also recently got tested as my cousin back in uk has been told all the females on my Mum's side of the family could have a deficiency - so heredity! My Aunt, her daughter and her granddaughter are all having b12 injections now. I am on tablets now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Almost Canadian (Post 12338822)

I use the peppermint flavour strips, they melt on ya tongue

My guess - and it's only a guess - is that period pain involves the nerve system - all pain does of course. I started taking b complex on the advice of a neurologist to help with nerve damage from an accident and it certainly seemed to help with the pain. Or maybe it was just fixing the problem! As I said - just a guess!