low B12 :(

[Emily1]

I just got back results from blood test and was shocked to find my B12 is low. I have always taken 1,000mcg methylcobalin every week. Doctor is against vegan diet (been vegan for a year was vegetarian for 20yrs) and thats why he wanted to test. My results are 149 but should be 200+ and apparently this could be causing me some serious health problems

[CindyD]

Emily, so sorry to hear that. No chance you could find a doctor who understands a vegan diet? That must be very disheartening that your doctor doesn't approve of your healthy lifestyle.

As for the B12, I am no doctor but my understanding has always been to take it more often than weekly. If not daily, then at least a few times a week?

You probably know this but B12 is a problem for non-vegans, too. Animals don't produce this vitamin, it comes from bacteria in the soil. So, sometimes animals eat it (or animal products are fortified with it), but since we have a somewhat more sterile food environment these days (less dirt in food), it can be a problem for people on any kind of diet.

Some nutritional yeast, plant milk, and other vegan foods are fortified with B12, too.

[MINNIE]

Hi Emily.
Is the doctor unwilling to prescribe or discuss B-12 injections or supplements?

You can try supplementing daily on your own, and maybe look for a more informed doctor too.
I get B-12 tests once a year, as my insurance covers this and my primary care recommends it..

Personal Anecdote (not advice).
My B-12 was low for quite a while after going vegan, although I did take a weekly B-12 pill. My doctor advised daily supplements, which helped get my levels up to where they should be. One thing I learned was that the amount of B-12 you take may not reflect how much you actually absorb. Age and other health factors can affect absorption. That's why a doctor who isn't attuned to this isn't going to be able to help much. Since most MD's are not trained in nutrition, they may be unaware of the importance of B-12.

Personally, I don't rely on tests alone,as they can be unreliable. But I had symptoms that I believed could be related to low B-12 (mostly skin and hair problems, but unexplained constipation as well). This all resolved after I started using daily doses. (I won't mention what dose or products I used, because this should be your decision based on your needs).

I don't see any downside to doing this, as the amount of B-12 you would have to take to get to a harmful level is so high it's not likely to happen.

Here is some info from the National Institutes of Health Regarding safe use of B12 supplements.

It's worth reading this all the way through, as it is very informative.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitam ... fessional/

Best wishes, and I hope you will find a more open-minded doctor!

[Emily1]

thnx so much for responding

Emily, so sorry to hear that. No chance you could find a doctor who understands a vegan diet? That must be very disheartening that your doctor doesn't approve of your healthy lifestyle.

As for the B12, I am no doctor but my understanding has always been to take it more often than weekly. If not daily, then at least a few times a week?

You probably know this but B12 is a problem for non-vegans, too. Animals don't produce this vitamin, it comes from bacteria in the soil. So, sometimes animals eat it (or animal products are fortified with it), but since we have a somewhat more sterile food environment these days (less dirt in food), it can be a problem for people on any kind of diet.

Some nutritional yeast, plant milk, and other vegan foods are fortified with B12, too.

[Emily1]

thnx for response, spoke with dr today and he agreed taking 1,000.mcg daily is a good idea and will recheck in 3mths. Just hoping it hasn't caused any harm being too low, will now insist on yearly check on it. All other results were good btw (homocysteine etc)

Hi Emily.
Is the doctor unwilling to prescribe or discuss B-12 injections or supplements?

You can try supplementing daily on your own, and maybe look for a more informed doctor too.
I get B-12 tests once a year, as my insurance covers this and my primary care recommends it..

Personal Anecdote (not advice).
My B-12 was low for quite a while after going vegan, although I did take a weekly B-12 pill. My doctor advised daily supplements, which helped get my levels up to where they should be. One thing I learned was that the amount of B-12 you take may not reflect how much you actually absorb. Age and other health factors can affect absorption. That's why a doctor who isn't attuned to this isn't going to be able to help much. Since most MD's are not trained in nutrition, they may be unaware of the importance of B-12.

Personally, I don't rely on tests alone,as they can be unreliable. But I had symptoms that I believed could be related to low B-12 (mostly skin and hair problems, but unexplained constipation as well). This all resolved after I started using daily doses. (I won't mention what dose or products I used, because this should be your decision based on your needs).

I don't see any downside to doing this, as the amount of B-12 you would have to take to get to a harmful level is so high it's not likely to happen.

Here is some info from the National Institutes of Health Regarding safe use of B12 supplements.

It's worth reading this all the way through, as it is very informative.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitam ... fessional/

Best wishes, and I hope you will find a more open-minded doctor!

[Vegankit]

I had very low B12 before I went on this way of eating. I was eating lots of meat, too much meat.

I had serious neurological issues. Luckily taking mega doses got me back to normal. Very low B12 is serious and needs to be resolved or you can have permanent neurological damage. My neurologist specified I should use methycobalamin.

I originally was having to inject B12, but found research done by Cochran Collaborative showing that taking pills was just as effective as injections. My doctor agreed for me to switch to pills and retested me so be sure I was absorbing it.

I get tested annually because of my history.

Currently I use Costco brand Kirkland Methylcobalamin B 12. In the past I’ve used Jarrow and Solgar and was able to absorb those products too. I do take it daily which is not the recommended amount but I’m not absorbing it like a normal person. You may need to take it more often, you can work with your doctor to figure out how often.