B12 loading injection making internal vibrations worse?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hi,

Thanks for reading this post. I am asking on behalf of my wife who is very low in B12.

She has internal termmors (vibrations in feet, back, head etc) and a lot of other symptoms associated with B12 deficiency. She had a loading injection on Monday at the doctor's and after about 5hrs she had some heart palpitations and her internal vibrations and dizziness got worse. This continued through to the next day and the vibrations were a lot worse.

Last night (wed) she had her second injection and the same thing happened again, her dizziness increased and her vibrations got stronger and more intense.

My wife is at breaking point with these sensations and feelings. My question is.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Did your internal tremmors/vibrations get better?

Is this normal for the loading injections? My wife doesent want to do anymore because of the effect it has on her x

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    It is not uncommon to have symptoms similar to those you wife is having after B12 injections and quite often some neurological symptoms appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 starts repairing the damage done to the nervous system caused by the deficiency.

    Do you know what her Folate (Vitamin B9 a.k.a folic acid) level is?

    Having a good healthy level of Folate is essential to process the B12 she is having injected.  The two work together.  You might need to check this with her doctor.

    Do you have any idea why your wife has B12 Deficiency?

    I am not a medically trained person but one who has had Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 Deficiency) for 45 years.

    Come back if you have any more questions.

    • Posted

      Thanks for the reply,

      My wife has gastric issues so can't absorb B12, over a year ago my wife had a blood test and she was low on B12 and they wanted to start the injections for her.

      Unfortunately my wife became very ill with crippling migraines and has been housebound/bed bound for almost 10months now, she is just at the point where she can manage to get out for the brief doctor's appointment for the injections.

      Her symptoms are

      Dizziness and virtigo

      Pins and needles

      Vibrations all over the body (she has a buzzing generator sensation in her brain) she can hear and feel her blood flow through her head.

      Tinnitus which is getting louder and now in both ears.

      Lathargy, low mood, aches and pains etc

      Thanks for your reply smile

    • Posted

      Well the symptoms fit for B12 Deficiency and hopefully the injections will restore her levels back to normal. It is not an overnight cure and a lot will depend on how long your wife has been deficient.

      Treatment of cobalamin deficiency

      "Current clinical practice within the U.K is to treat cobalamin deficiency with hydroxocobalamin in the intramuscular form outlined in the British National Formulary, BNF, 

      Standard initial therapy for patients without neurological involvement is 1000 µg intramuscularly (i.m.) three times a week for two weeks, then every three months. 

      The BNF advises that for Pernicious anaemia and other macrocytic anaemias patients presenting with neurological symptoms should receive 1000 µg i.m. on alternative days until there is no further improvement, then 1 mg every 2 months.

      However, the GWG recommends a pragmatic approach in patients with neurological symptoms by reviewing the need for continuation of alternative day therapy after three weeks of treatment"Note I have highlighted that if your wife finishes the first series of B12 injections but is still suffering with neurological symptoms the every other day injections should continue until there is no further improvement.

      I think it would pay to ask her doctor to check both her Folate and Vitamin D levels as it sounds as though you wife hasn't been out and about in the sun.

      Both Vitamins B12 and D are only sourced naturally by eating animal products - red meats, fish, seafoods, eggs, poultry and dairy produce.  If as you say, your wife has absorption problems she may well be Vitamin D deficient too which has similar symptoms.

       

  • Posted

    Hi there, yes is the answer, the symptoms do get worse before they begin to improve. I had it explained to me as though you have a radio with a weak signal, and have to turn the volume to maximum to hear anything at all. Your body is like that when it is struggling to get maximum benefit from a small amount of B12. Once the injections begin, suddenly it is flooded and everything is "louder", like a radio will suddenly become deafening as the signal improves.

    It will get easier over time if your wife can cope during these early stages of treatment. If she can view it as a sign that her body is beginning to heal, it might help her cope. Has she spoken to her doctor about it?

  • Posted

    Hi, What Clive and Marion has said is very right and correct, and please persevere with the injections, because once your wife settles into a regime she should feel a lot better!

    The only thing I would add is that the migraines could of been down to the B12 issue, because I had a large increase in headaches and migraines before I was diagnosed, so you may find that your wife won't need the migraine medication in the future.

    Good luck!

  • Posted

    Hi Bahney

    Sorry to read about your wife's problems. I didn't have heart palpitations but I did get very dizzy with all my 6 loading injections and my next 1.

    May sound strange but I tried an experiment for my 2nd standard injection where I didn't have any animal products e.g. I followed a strict vegan diet for the week before my injection and I carried this on a few days after - I didn't experience the dizziness or any other side effects.

    Everyone works differently but personally I think my body doesn't like too much B12 and I think the loading doses put my level from 48 to 1500 (my dr's took a second round of bloods after the loading doses) which made me feel very ill until I got back down to a lower level. As I enjoyed being vegan so much, I became vegan only this year.

    Good luck to your wife, I hope she feels better soon as the dizziness is really horrible 😔

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