b12 deficiency

I got 5 injections in 5 weeks.. The next one is April 8th.. I'm in Ireland and trying to find sublingual b12.. I phoned the doctor I told him he said no to getting monthly injections and it probably peri menopause causing me to be lightheaded.. he said my iron was fine.. im taking centrum for women multivitamin..

Hi Martina, there is another online forum called Health Unlocked, and a lot of the people on there are more knowledgable than me. My own deficiency didn't strike till I was well past the menopause, but I can well imagine the two lots of symptoms combined must be hellish! Do you have health food shops in Ireland? They are a good source of supplements, and I believe Amazon have some. Best wishes Marion

Yes there is herbal shop.. can I take sublingual spray and my injections every 3 months is it safe.. I phoned the herb shop she will have sublingual spray next Thursday and menopause stuff she has now.. I've to bring my centrum with me so she can look at them to.. there is lots of vitamins she said in the peri menopause tablets..

My folic acid is 6.0

Hi Martina, it sounds as though the lady at the herbal shop will be able to offer you some good advice. I've never been told my own folic acid level. GP's seem to like to keep this sort of information to themselves. I understand,from others who have posted, that we are perfectly entitiled to ask for a printout of our test results. We may be asked for a contribution towards paper and printing expenses by the surgery though. I fully intend to do this when I get my next blood test done. They are supposed to be testing B12 and Thyroid, so I'll see how that goes. Do hope you will begin to feel better soon. Marion

Hi Marion I am going to the doctor tomorrow at 10 past 3.. I think that's the best thing to do first...

That sounds a sensible plan Martina. I hope you have a positive appointment, let me know how it goes. Marion

I will Marion thank you..

Hello Martina,

I too live in Ireland and have recently found out I have a B12 deficiency. I am sorry you are feeling so bad. Going through the menopause itself can be hell but with your other problems it must be very difficult.  I have had 2 injections now, the last today and I have high hopes for them! After the course of B12 injections and the follow up blood test I intend to use a supplement myself

Sorry Martina I pressed the wrong key, I meant to say a B12 supplement, either oils, patches or sublingually. There are lots of options under Vit B12 on the net if you google it. I take a multivitamin as well but it's easy to forget. I live in Co. Donegal and we have a very helpful Health Food shop in the nearest town and they will order in for you, problem being they charge high prices and things are so much cheaper online. I would order from a reputable source though. You need to do your research and take some brand names into a local health shop if you take that route. Of course things are cheaper in Northern Ireland and more shops there. I am a bit older than you and it must be bad to have to deal with the two things at once. I do hope you feel better soon. Very best wishes.

Hi Bigsby.. lovely to hear from you.. I have Google.. Under everything I can think of. .. im also taking centrum for women multivitamin.. I live in carlow there us herbal shops to.. The things in the herbal shop is way more expensive than in a chemist.. im glad you text.. sometimes you feel you are the only irish person going through this but I'm not.. what was your b12 reading? Mine was 160 in December

Hi Marion my ears were so blocked with wax.. The doctor syringed my ears.. I'm not as lightheaded now.. Thank god.. Blood pressure fine lungs fine eye sight fine..

Hi Martina, really pleased to hear you've got some positive things out of your GP visit. It just shows we shouldn't always assume every symptom is caused by our low B12!  Also glad to see you two Irish ladies have found each other on this forum. It really does help knowing we're not alone. Marion

Hi Martina, so glad you had a good Drs visit and he/she was able to sort one big problem for you. You were asking about my B12 reading, it was either 106 or 126 two weeks ago, so it was down in my boots.I read in another post that you had sourced a supply of sublingual B12. Good for you, please let me know how you get on with it. Take care.

Hi Marion, the people in Herbal/Health shops here in Ireland are really very helpful but it helps to have done research before asking them to order. I, myself use the internet a lot to shop now I am living in Ireland, I found that I could source things easily in England living in the West Midlands near Birmingham. Out in the sticks here! I will be buying some of the oils after I get my blood test  at the end of the injections. Did you buy the combined vial of the two cobalamins? I am  still getting a lot of symptoms but early days yet! Best wishes.

Hi Marion I'm still lightheaded.. I hoped when I got up this morning it would be gone but it's not....

Hi Bigsby I was hoping when I woke this morning the lightheaded would be gone but it's not it's still there..

What should b12 be in ireland Bigsby?

Hello Martina43,I am sorry that you are still feeling poorly, as the other posters on this thread have told me "It takes a long time", and it is very hard, that is of course if the cause of the problem is B12 deficiency

You ask what is B12 in Ireland, I am not sure quite what you mean. Vitamin B12 is the same wherever you are, there are various branded versions and then what is called a "Generic" name which is the unbranded drug name. There are also a lot of formulations of B12 as well as various forms of the drug. The injections that  you know are branded, the doctors and chemists in Ireland generally use the branded versions of a drug. There are tablets and a liquid known as Cytacon or Cobalin. VitB12 is some form of Cobalamin. A lot of people advise taking  sublingual, dissolving under the tongue, preparations which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream available as a quick dissolving tablet or a spray and this is thought to be better. The chemists in Ireland or elsewhere would generally supply  the oral tabs and liquid taken by mouth, ie. Cytacon, and most of the other preps are available through health shops or on line via Ebay or Googled suppliers. To sum up all preps are some form of cobalamin, just enter Vit12 on ebay and you will get a long list of product names there to order or just for reference, then you can Google the names to find out more. As the other posters have said though you need IF, intrinsic factor, in your stomach to absorb the B12 if you take it orally, some people do not have this factor and oral preparations are not much use to them. All quite complicated and I'm not sure if this post will be allowed.

Thanks bigsby.. my b12 was 160 in ireland what should it be.. like Japan like it at 500.. I'm also peri menopause. Could the lightheaded be that..

Hi Martina, sorry to hear you still feel lightheaded. Do you think it might take a day or two to settle after the ear syringing? Have you ever had any ear problems in the past, infections, labyrinthitis, menieres, etc.... All these can have an effect on balance. Of course, low B12 can upset our balance too. On the pernicious anaemia site they talk about "shoulder bumps" being a symptom. I had this before diagnosis, particularly, just after getting up. For example, in the night, going across to the bathroom, I would find myself heading sideways into the wall. I always thought it was because I wasn't properly awake. Since having the B12 injections this doesn't happen much at all. Marion

Hi Marion yes I have always had ear problems.. my doctor checked my ears a few years ago and said I had holes in the ear drums.. I must have been born this way.. I was at a hospital when I was a little girl.. I couldn't hear the teacher.. my mum was told i had bad hearing so I had to sit in the front of the class room.. funny thing is my eyesight is funny so I put my glasses on the lightheaded is not as bad.. I'm thinking I might need my eyes tested again.. This is not the first time I've had my ears syringed either..inside my ears are ichy to..

I suggest, if it persists, you see your GP again. One of my friends suffers quite a bit with her ears and balance. She was referred to the hospital, where they did a sort of sudden movement treatment. Moving her head from side to side, to try and re-balance the fluid in the inner ear (I think). They also gave her some exercises to do herself at home. She says this has helped. Meanwhile, if your glasses help, then wear those if possible. Best wishes Marion

I will Marion... my glasses seem to be helping or maybe the lightheaded is just stopping anyways.. maybe your right and it would take a few days after getting them syringed.. If it stops I'm going to get my eyes checked might need different glasses.. If I get lightheaded again I'll see the doctor again he told me to come back if it continues

Hope it settles down for you. Wishing you well. Marion

Wish you all the best to Marion..