I don't get it..

[Brandy456]

I'm not too sure if I posted this, but I went for bloodwork last week -and ended up passing out-.
I got the results back yesterday but i'm still a bit, iffy.
They were checking my Iron levels, and for mono.
The mono came back negative but it showed I have a REALLY low vitamin B12 count.
Between 200-615 is normal, with 200 being reallllly low. .. i'm at 145.

I read the side effects and all, and I read online that to bring it up, aside from a daily B12 vitamin to drink milk and dairy, and red meat ?

Anyone else have this? I've never heard of it.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Are they going to be testing to find out why you have such low B12? I don't know what your diet is like, but if you consume B12 you shouldn't have this condition. Only a modicum of B12 is needed by the human body and even vegans must go years without any enriched foods or supplements to develop such a deficiency. You may have a malabsorption issue or some kind of underlying medical disorder to blame. Are you anemic? Pernicious anemia is one cause of low b12.

 

[Brandy456]

I honestly have no clue.
They just told me to take vitamins...

 

[Runestonez]

My sis has this but hers is because she had a gatric bypass surgery and her body doesn't absorb B12 fast enough??

She gets an injection every few months to bring her levels back up!
When she starts to get low she gets tired and worn out...

Danielle

 

[Brandy456]

Runestonez wrote:

When she starts to get low she gets tired and worn out...

Danielle

Exactly how I feel

 

[RandomWiktor]

Are you a vegan/strict vegetarian that doesn't take supplements, or do you eat a very poor diet? Because if you eat a reasonably healthy omnivore diet you shouldn't become B12 deficient. If you are deficient for no obvious reason, you should really look for a doctor serious enough to examine what the underlying cause is. Supplements will help in the short term, but finding and if possible curing the cause of the deficiency is best.

 

[Brandy456]

RandomWiktor wrote:

Are you a vegan/strict vegetarian that doesn't take supplements, or do you eat a very poor diet? Because if you eat a reasonably healthy omnivore diet you shouldn't become B12 deficient. If you are deficient for no obvious reason, you should really look for a doctor serious enough to examine what the underlying cause is. Supplements will help in the short term, but finding and if possible curing the cause of the deficiency is best.

I'm neather,
I eat meat, I eat a lot of meat.
My doctor called on monday to give me my results and that was it. Didn't ask to see me or anything

 

[RandomWiktor]

Yeah... I would maybe talk to another doctor, or press the current one. You shouldn't have a significant B12 deficiency for no reason whatsoever. That throws up a red flag for an underlying health condition, IMO.

 

[missyscove]

I would definitely talk to your doctor about it. You may be able to easily fix the symptom with a supplement, but I'd be more concerned about the cause. Vitamin B12 is only found in animal source foods (meat, milk & eggs), not plants. B12 deficiency is a real concern with vegans because there is no way for them to get it except from supplements (I'm not sure where the B12 in the supplements comes from that would make it vegan though...)
It's water soluble which means it's safe to consume a whole lot of (you just pee out what you don't need), and it's considered non-toxic as no animals (including humans) have had a B12 toxicity (adverse reaction to too much of it).

 

[undergunfire]

I'd being going crazy out of control with such a lack of B12. I'd be having major panic & anxiety attacks! I take a daily vitamin and also a separate B12 vitamin, along with all natural panic/anxiety pills...LOL!

 

[Jessyka]

undergunfire wrote:

along with all natural panic/anxiety pills...LOL!

?

 

[RandomWiktor]

B12 is actually only produced by bacteria found in the soil; the reason it is present in animal products is because grazing and foraging animals inevitably consume dirt while consuming grasses and other plants, and in doing so, integrate & modify the B12 found there into their tissues. Our bunnies modify dietary sources of B12 into more usable forms in their gut, but can't absorb it properly until it is reinjested in their caecotrophs, in fact! Humans also used to get some of their B12 from unwashed vegetation, especially root veggies like potatoes and carrots, back when meat was less available and food hygene wasn't so stringent.

At any rate, vegan sources of B12 are derived from bacterial activity or are synthetically produced rather than derivedfrom animal products.

 

[undergunfire]

Jessyka wrote:

undergunfire wrote:

along with all natural panic/anxiety pills...LOL!

?

:?

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

I think you should definitely either insist that your current doctor follow up on this, or find one that will. When I was merely anemic, my doc was on top of it. You can get B12 injections to bring the levels back up, but, as others have said, if it's an absorption issue, that's only going to be a temporary fix. Let us know how you make out.

 

[pamnock]

I agree with everyone that diet doesn't appear to be the issue - absorption does (malabsorption can have many causes). I'd follow up with the doctor.



more info http://www.vitaminherbuniversity.com/topic.asp?categoryid=1&topicid=1004

 

[Brandy456]

I got told to take some B12 vitamins also some Multi-vitamins.
I started them today

 

[Hazel-Mom]

RandomWiktor wrote:

Are they going to be testing to find out why you have such low B12? I don't know what your diet is like, but if you consume B12 you shouldn't have this condition. Only a modicum of B12 is needed by the human body and even vegans must go years without any enriched foods or supplements to develop such a deficiency. You may have a malabsorption issue or some kind of underlying medical disorder to blame. Are you anemic? Pernicious anemia is one cause of low b12.

No, low b12 is the cause of pernicious anemia, not the other way round.
You get anemia because you don't absorb enough b12, either because your diet is deficient in it (which does not seem to be the case), or because your body just cannot absorb the b12 out of the food you eat. This occurs when, for some reason, your stomach does not produce enough of the protein that binds with the b12 so that your body can absorb and use it.

I agree with others that you should press your doctor, or find another one. Is there a specialist you can go see?
You really need to find out what causes such low B12 levels, because there can be several reasons why your body can't make enough of the protein. some possible causes are Crohn's disease, celiac disease, or even intestinal parasites, or infection in the small intestines (where the b12 normally gets absorbed).

Also, you really need to start with b12 injections when your level is that low. just taking b12 pills won't do it, especially if your body can't even use what you're taking.

(I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia myself. After several months of injections, I have it sufficiently under control, so I can do with taking vitamins, folic acid, and iron.)

 

[Brandy456]

It was my Psychiatrist who sent me for blood work to see my iron levels and this came back
I see her next friday, so i'll see what she says. She's not hardpressed to see me, so.. idk.

 

[Hazel-Mom]

oh, I see. Ask your psychiatrist if she can refer you to a specialist then. Or see your family doctor, and ask them. You really need this looked at better, get the right diagnosis as to what's causing the low B12, so you can get the right treatment.
Impressive that your psychiatrist thought of this though.

 

[Brandy456]

Hazel-Mom wrote:

oh, I see. Ask your psychiatrist if she can refer you to a specialist then. Or see your family doctor, and ask them. You really need this looked at better, get the right diagnosis as to what's causing the low B12, so you can get the right treatment.
Impressive that your psychiatrist thought of this though.

She was thinking the possible low iron was causing mood swings.
Heh, guess not