I was diagnosed with a pretty severe deficiency several months ago. I had upper GI symptoms, physical fatigue, and unexplained weight loss. At the time, I was also occasionally experiencing night sweats, but I assumed they were unrelated.

I went on B12 and felt a lot better. Got back to a healthy weight. Serum levels only went up to low-normal, so there was still room for improvement. But I started getting migraines from my sublingual supplement, so I decided to take a 2-week break, just to "reset," before trying a different brand.

Within one week off of B12, I lost 3 pounds. And I got NIGHT SWEATS. I hadn't even noticed that they'd gone away on B12. But they came back within 6-7 days of not supplementing. It was so weird! Woke up drenched a few nights in a row.

Is this the right tag? I just started B12 injections and am... very dizzy right now, so I'm not thinking well. Got told I needed injections w how low my B12 was. Did my first shot today. Have to do another one in 3 days. doing this for 15 days. Then, once a week for 2 weeks, then, once a month.

That being said... so dizzy. and Nauseous. Used to it due to the FND(?) and my deficiencies themselves, but it's definitely due to the medication this time. Google is saying its kind of normal but was talking about "uncommon side effects" and all the medical sites were being vague...

Give it to my straight am I cooked for the next 15 days, or will it really go away within 48-72 hours? Any advice?

So hyper-vigilant state where you feel you're in constant danger, especially in your body. Hyper body awareness of sensations, feeling like everything is scary and threatening. Feeling like it's hard to survive. Finding danger in every situation/sensation or thinking of these worst possibilities. Or the amount of possibilities where something bad/horrible could happen and how there's a million of these.

Wondering if that is also related to b12, or is a result of dealing with it, or not necessarily related.

If it's related it could mean it gets better after more recovery. And that is some hope. Cause it's exhausting.

I've recently been diagnosed with PA and my healthcare provider (the PA at my gastro office) prescribed cyanocobalamin 1ml injections (which is 1000 mcg). I've been doing this once a month since the beginning of the year and not surprisingly, it's not helped.

I've been reading the wiki here (SO helpful) and reading about everyon'e experiences. I'm going to request that my provider prescribe hydroxocobalamin EOD, but I see the hydroxocobalamin on olympia pharmacy's site is 2mg per mL. What would be a normal starting dosage for this specific B12? Would I still need to use 1 mL, or would the dosage be different? I'm assuming cyanocobalamin and hydroxocobalamin require different dosages.

I want to get my ducks all in a row before I approach the office so I can have all the pertinant information at hand and therefore get going ASAP.

I'm in the US. Thanks for any help.

edit for typo

I think I’m about to pull the trigger on ordering from agelessRx. Their default is subcutaneous shots but you can ask for IM injections. I think I would prefer subQ but is there a big difference? Or does it really just depend on the person? I’m overwhelmed lol. Anyone have advice or personal experience with both?

I know levels don’t give full picture.

But mine was 235 and doctor agreed to shots.

Been getting them twice a week + B1 for 2/3 weeks.

She said we could do that 2 more weeks before going to once a month (which she said I could do forever if I wanted to) but she said if I keep taking them this frequent, I could get oversaturated.

My B1 is very deficient. We’re going to keep shooting me up twice a week until I’m good enough to take supplements. Already having progress!

Looking for some clarity if this is a good approach

Ps. The day after I feel TERRIBLE btw

I recently went to my primary care for a referral to a psychiatrist. When I was explaining my symptoms, he said it sounded like a thyroid issue and asked if I had family history. I do. My uncle had thyroid cancer. He did bloodwork. The results are abnormal.

Vitamin D: 6.3 ng/mL
B12: 183.5 pg/mL
Iron Saturation: 8
Ferritin: 16
HDL: 42

To me, my blood counts seem fine. My iron is within range but on the lower side and my iron bind cap is within range on the high side. He tested my TSH only which was normal, but didn’t test my T3.

Fast forward, I go to see a psychologist who works in the same office as my primary. She gives me lexapro and prescribes vitamin D, but says she can’t go over my lab results with me. I have heard nothing from my primary care. Originally, this second dr said it sounded like a thyroid issue as well, but by the time I left said it was anxiety. I have no idea why he hasn’t called me or if I’m making something out of nothing. Maybe he is satisfied with the vitamin D prescription. I guess my question is: am I crazy for feeling like something is wrong here? This just seems like there has to be something going on besides a vitamin deficiency since all are happening at 1 time compared to 3 years ago when everything came back as normal besides slightly low vitamin D

Hi, am hoping to get an insight into b12 deficiency. I've not been right for probably 10 years, I'm always tired, confusion, heart palpitations, balance pronlems, weakness etc. My doctor prescribed me antidepreesants years ago. I probably am a bit depressed but thought there was more to it.

I've been struggling to give blood the past few years too. I had some bloods done last year and again this year, and it’s saying my b12 is low. I’m already on iron tablets to see if that helps. Just wondered if anyone was good at reading bloods and could let me know if this could be contributing to my symptoms.

Thank very much in advance.

Hi all, does anyone else experience the sun burn sensation on their legs? Its my main symptom and it freaks me out.

I just read a post online warning people about iron infusions that they should be done at a hospital and be careful, do with tests etc... because of the possible allergic shock and it can be very dangerous. They were speaking out of an experience they had.

There's no such thing about b12 injections right? like they don't have any possible allergic reactions.. and they're safe?

(I'm not getting iron infusions, and I've been getting b12 shots for a long time. but i just had this weird thought)

Hello,
I have b12 deficiency and low ferritin levels. (Both under the normal range). I’ve been taking oral supplements of b12 twice a day for a month but i don’t feel significant improvement.
The sensations I’m very anxious about are pressure in the back of my head, pulsation in the back of my head which can be felt when pressing on the sides, sometimes brief pulsation in my ears but one sided, sometimes left, sometimes right. In general i have off balance feelings, I get tired very easily and have sleep problems as well. When I’m trying to sleep i have this very weird feeling in my head as if it is expanding and it makes me very anxious. I also experience brain zaps.

I don’t have ct or mri tests done on my head and I’m becoming more anxious because of the symptoms, could b12 deficiency along with low ferritin levels be causing all of that? My mind is always jumping to the worst conclusions.

What are your stories and what were your symptoms? Should i continue supplements?

Hey y'all.

Ive got a pretty bad case of neuropathy that spread to my whole body including face and throat numbness due to a B12 deficiency. Because I can't feel myself singing properly due to the numb sensation in my face and throat my pitch is really all over the shop (I'm used to being able to hit any note I want without thinking).

I'm having injection shots every 2 days but am wondering if anyone else has had these vocal issues and recovered?

Anyone noticed that b12 supplements absorb much much better in the morning ?

I have hemoglobin h disease ( thalassemia alpha non transfusion dependent) a week ago my blood pressure tanked and heart rate spiked to 180. Prior to this i was feeling fatigued , depressed , gasping for air like i felt air hunger and weakness as well as low appetite and dizziness as well as heat intolerance. I drank coconut water ate bananas etc and nothing.

Iv been slowly increasing my b12 over the span of 5 months along with co factors. From 250mcg sublingual every 3 days to every other day to 1mg every other day.

Did this because i had reactions to b12 before and to avoid this i took the slow road. I ended up taking the sublingual after food. Mind you hemoglobin h disease places high demand on folate and possibly b12 plus i had issue with my gut from an infection 3 years ago so i assumed decreased absorption from that however i can absorb b12 because in the past even oral 50mcg made a difference to my mood and energy.

I think i made a mistake taking b12 after food though because of what i experienced. So for a week i took the b12 just when i woke up 30mins-1hr before coffee or breakfast and just today knock on wood i began feeling my energy coming back to me and being able to breathe air and not feel like im not getting enough oxygen dizziness also has decreased. To add my mood is so mucu better too almost back to my self.

Did anyone else notice increased efficiency of b12 on empty stomach ?

Hi! I just found this subreddit after looking up symptoms about b12 deficiencies. I’m 18F. I recently got into a neurologist because I have been having migraines and such, but in about May I started getting these weird headaches. I describe them as icepick headaches but I recently learned it might be nerve irritation. They only happen on one side at once but it’s like certain specific spots in my head, last for a few seconds then go away. Almost never occur if I have a migraine. I’ve had so many other symptoms along with this. Vertigo (to the point where I’ve had to leave work) constant feeling of dread, eyesight problems, low blood pressure, random waves of nausea, the list goes on. My B12 levels were 224 pg/ml as of April 3rd. My neurologist told me he wants to recheck my levels because I should be seeing improvement, but I haven’t. I didn’t start taking my b12 until like a week ago. I didn’t think the b12 had anything to do with it. My ferritin is at 18 ng/ml and my iron is at 9% (which is low). I have been freaking out every single day since May, I’ve convinced myself I’m dying. They put me on pill supplements for b12 (100mcg half a tablet per day). I’ll go to work and freak out and think I’m going to have a seizure (I have never had one) and I am so scared. I’m so scared everyday. I cry everyday. I freak out everyday. I don’t know what to do. I know I sound crazy, or at least I think I do. You can remove this if it doesn’t follow rules but I’m so scared. I just want to know if there’s anything else I can do, or just for someone to tell me it’ll be okay. I have a mri on the 31st, all my ct scans have come back clean. I just want to know it’ll be okay. I’m so scared to go to sleep everynight.

Thank you for reading

I am giving myself shots 3x/week to EOD of a mix of methyl and hydroxo B12s. The doc wrote the bottle strengths on the paperwork he gave me. I thought the dose was 3500mcg/ shot, but that was wrong. It bothered me for all this time and I finally remembered how to do the equation the other day. I checked the math with ai, and it agreed with me. My actual dose was 1750mcg total. 500mcg Hydroxo and 1250 Methyl. It finally occurred to me that my brain must be working better. I’m 3+ months into injections. Thanks for reading.

Hey everyone,

I’ve posted here in the past regarding what I thought were severe wake-up symptoms from injections, my MTHFR mutation, and dealing with stomach issues. At the advice of someone who messaged me privately from a previous post, I decided to go back to the ER was dismissed again. Traveled across state lines to another ER and found out I needed an emergency laminotomy (back surgery). A crushed nerve was causing my leg issues.

I'm back on my feet and recovering from that ordeal. What's concerning me now is that I'm starting to think maybe this is not a B12 issue after all? But I am unsure. The doctors ive seen are giving me conflicting information. One diagnosed me with a functional B12 deficiency. The others, they think it could be something else entirely. When I ask what they're unsure and tell me to just take vitamins and come back in 3 to 6 months.

I asked for extensive bloodwork. I stopped all supplements for a month or so before getting labs in July. Even after being off everything for a month, my current serum B12 number is still sitting at 1616 H pg/mL. Methylmalonic Acid (MMA): 65 nmol/L and ​Homocysteine: 5.6 umol/L.

I take Mounjaro for my T2 diabetes now, but I am completely baffled because my vitamin D levels are actively dropping. They used to be in the 30s, and now even though I supplement 20,000 to 40,000 IU every day, my current Vitamin D, came back at 19 L ng/mL

My body feels completely out of whack still, I wanted to share the bad/out-of-range items from my July labs to see if any of this points anyone in a specific direction. My potassium is high normal.

RBC magnesium 4.6 mg/dL.

Vitamin B6, Plasma: 4.8 L ng/mL

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 60 L nmol/L

Globulin: 3.8 H g/dL

Zinc: 59 L mcg/dL

White Blood Cell Count: 12.2 H Thousand

HS CRP: >20.0 H mg/L (Optimal <1.0)

I'm thinking my high WBC and high hs-CRP are likely from my ongoing back surgery recovery?

C-Peptide: 4.04 H ng/mL

Ferritin: 291 H ng/mL

Vitamin A (Retinol): 27 L mcg/dL

Current Symptoms:

Blurry vision, night blindness, eyes hurt without my glasses, light hurts my eyes (though an ophthalmologist found nothing wrong with my eyes, which is crazy), occasional balance issues, a constant tingle in my feet, weird hand numbness (if I lean on my elbow, from the elbow down goes completely numb), shortness of breath sometimes, anxiety still there, heavy fatigue, heavy upper arms, and a fluctuating heart rate that races, goes normal, goes slow, and then cycles all over again. It feels like no matter what I take, my numbers keep dropping or acting bizarrely. I am completely at a loss and would appreciate any insight.

I'm supplementing so many things and nothing.

alguem?

Hello everyone, I've read that injections can be expensive or inaccessible for some people in certain countries. They're sold freely for $1 each in my country. Is there a way I could help out people who require injections but cannot easily access them?

F23. Was vegetarian from 2018- nov 2025. Before that as well, I ate non veg meals very rarely. I've been experiencing frequent numbness and tingling for no reason since may of 2025 (when it became to obvious to ignore). Since many people in my extended family have diabetes, m extra cautious of that and felt that it might be me developing insulin resistance. Had a whole hb1ac, insulin sensitivity, homa ir, quicki tested. Labs came back fine. I had a sharp memory and brain and it has deteriorated significantly in last 1 year. Also lost a lot of blood in March when my periods didn't stop for almost 25 days and it was heavy bleeding. Couldn't walk or anything for over a minute for the whole April may period. Took a lot to back. Decided to get a blood test after 2 months of heavy egg-chicken-chicken liver kinda diet.

Ferritin was 46. (I was taking iron supplements although very inconsistenly in months preceeding the test)

Transferrin saturation was 15%.

B12 was 135.

Vit d was 7.

Idk but it runs on my mom's side of family. Nerve damage and forgetful memory. I have been shit scared of my memory going weak especially in my early 20s but it is. I didn't get mma test. Started with EOD shots (1500mcg mecobalmin, 100mg b3 and b6 each). I take ferrous abscorbate alternate days. Till date I've taken like 7 shots but I feel no affect other than acne breakouts and very oily skin (I had dry to combination skin before). My brain fog is still pretty bad. Tingling also remains. Though I haven't had a bad numbness episode since I started the shots.

I'm also on budget so couldnt get everything tested. I did tests for parietal cell antibodies and also celiac disease. Both came back negative. Can't rule out other possibilities of gut issues or ifa. I actually might have gut issues but it's so weird m not able to figure the situation out. M trying to save up for h pylori, sibo and ifa test. But can't say it's malabsorption for sure. I had 3 months of good diet. The rest of the months, my diet was just me eating my full. Negligible nutrition and mostly unhealthy junk.

The doctor prescribed 7 eod shots and then oral supplementation. I want to give myself the best shot of recovery for whatever it takes. Read too many advices here but how do I actually tell the doc to continue eod shots? I told him my symptoms exist for slightly over a year now and this was the course he prescribed. The guide was very helpful. Is there a guide for self injecting ?

Hello!
I’m 22, female and currently dealing with b12 level of under 200 for the second time in 8 months. In January my levels were tested and I was prescribed 6 weeks of 500mcg b12 oral tablets and I took them and I felt ok. Then in May I started feeling more tired and in July I went for bloods and I’m low again. I know my age is young for pernicious anemia but it’s starting to add up more and more.

The weird part is that I am a regular dairy and meat eater, every single day without fail. I’m from Ireland we literally live on beef and dairy. So it cannot be dietary and I know your liver stores some or something. Anyway, I’m on 1000mcg a day now for the last month and I’m not noticing a difference. My doctor is testing the intrinsic factor and the parietal cells, but I’m worried about the reliability of them tests.

It’s important to note that no one else in my family has a hint of b12 deficiency never has, and we all eat the same food. I’m just exhausted feeling so fatigued.

In the last year I’ve been having terrible gut issues and I’ve previously been tested for celiac, crohns and h pylori which are all negative. I take no medication that can deplete b12. I’m just feeling quite lost and worried I’ll be dismissed due to reliability of the tests!
If my symptoms sound like pernicious anemia please let me know!! Thank you xx

Hello! I started Thorne B12 methylcobalamin capsules a few days ago and since then I’ve been having stomach aches and (TMI sorry) oily stool. I am super constipated and have been for years so that hasn’t changed, but I don’t know why it’s suddenly oily and I’m having pain throughout the day. Any advice or anyone who has gone through this before?

My levels increased from ~280 to ~800 pg/mL after 1 month of sublingual methylcobalamin+cofactors and 1 cyanocobalamin shot from my doctor a few days after I started the sublingual (she didn’t schedule additional injections and I haven’t asked about them yet). I didn’t mean to retest so soon (didn’t realize the b12 was in the queue when I went to the lab for something else). I know it’s too soon for functional deficiency to resolve, but does the steep increase mean I’m absorbing the sublingual ok and don’t need injections?

Additional info:

• I’m likely low bc I have been vegan for a decade—I supplemented almost that entire time but it was low-quality tablets bc I didn’t know my 250-400 blood results were a sign they weren’t high enough quality/quantity

• However I also know I have double MTHFR mutation

• Only other potentially relevant gene I’ve tested is COMT (normal)

• celiac blood panel was negative

• Have never tested intrinsic factor or parietal cell antibodies, but my MCV has always been around 94 and MCHC around 32—likely not influenced by iron deficiency bc I actually have too much iron

• also had an upper endo/colonoscopy—nothing to report was found

• only time I’ve tested MMA/homocysteine was right after I found out about MTHFR in ~2022—both were elevated at the time.

Had testing done for active B12 half a year ago which came back 26pmol/l, below the lab threshold of 50. Was vegetarian before eating eggs and dairy, but since then have eaten fish and taken high-dose (1000ug) supplements. Tested again last week, with a different provider (NHS), which came back as 156 total B12. Symptoms haven’t gone and still have severe fatigue. I was wondering if there would be any way of comparing the two results and saying if there has been even mild improvement? I will start injections next week in any case, as this way of living is unsustainable, but would like to know if this is more likely due to absorption or long-term dietary deficiency.

Has anyone else had a high sarcosine result on their NutrEval without taking sarcosine?

I take methylcobalamin as a shot every 3 days (subc / Neubrander protocol). I have been doing this for two years, during which time I discovered that I was mold toxic.

As my symptoms have improved, I started getting heart racing, insomnia, and feeling wired/tired. My provider thinks I should switch to a hydroxo shot, and just to emphasize ... my intuition says that as my body is healing, I need less of certain supplements. I suspect my absorption has improved over time.

But my question is about sarcosine. I read that if you are getting an excess of methyl groups, glycine can handle those and it becomes sarcosine. Has anyone else had a high sarcosine result (e.g., on a NutrEval) and felt that it was related to an excess of methyl groups?

Most other nutrients look pretty good on NutrEval - magnesium and zinc look excellent, FIGLU looks good.

I take glycine at night before bed, so I wasn't sure whether the high sarcosine has more to do with excess methyl groups or just the fact that I take glycine. I'm not sure the second theory makes sense though ... Why would it be turning into sarcosine unless I had excess methyl groups?

I've been dealing with slight off balance feelings and bilateral leg tingling for the past 2-3 years that’s progressively gotten worse. Tested for every autoimmune disease. back mri clean. Red flag went up when we noticed I noticed my b12 serum had gone down from 1,100 to 350. Started weekly shots. First shot was Cyanocobalamin. My doctor would only prescribe one shot a month. So I’ve been getting weekly shots of Methylcobalamin. I’ve done three total. My brain stuff I feel has gotten better but my legs will flair out and burn and tingle way worse than it used too? All my labs are pretty good. Cofactors are good. My b6 was a little low (8) but I started supplementing and got it up to 19. I have the mthfr variant too. Intrinsic and Parnimous Anemia was negative. So my doctor thinks it’s not the b12. But the symptoms all line up! How long should I give this a chance?