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PMR...and B12 supplements

Posted , 10 users are following.

Mrs_CJ
Mrs_CJ

I have PMR and am starting my 6th year of prednisone.  Occasionally I see articles about B12, and late this fall I finally took notice and did some googling about it. I came across a good article by the Mayo Clinic (google Mayo Clinic news B12 supplements recommended for older adults) and when I saw that they have a recommendation for this I did a lot more online searching. 

B12 has a long list of symptoms so you need to read about it and sort out if this is for you. It reminds me of prednisone with its 80-ish symptoms....but that no one gets them all. 

I found that most reputable sites say the same thing so I began taking B12. For the first few weeks I had a significant decrease in my fatigue, I am still sleeping more soundly and my periodic muscle twitches have stopped.  (My fatigue has returned because of other things going on but I am hopeful that I can resolve them soon. )

B12 deficiency is common as we get older because our digestive system stops absorbing it. To solve this you need to take a sublingual B12 so it gets absorbed under your tongue. 

There are some contraindications for taking B12 so be sure your medicines are not on that list.....checking with your doctor/pharmacist would be good. 

There are also medications that cause a B12 deficiency (for example PPIs) as they reduce B12 absorption. 

Another significant point from my reading, and confirmed by my GP...the general B12 blood test they give is not accurate and should not be relied on....so be careful if you have this test and it says you are ok.  My GP says they go by indicators in other blood tests (and no, I don’t know what he meant by that).  From my online reading it appears there are new tests to check B12 but my GP didn’t say he would order any for me. At that time I was going to try B12 pills anyway so I wasn’t too bothered by his non-specific response. 

Anyway I just wanted to mention the B12 deficiency issue in case it would help any of you with symptoms. 😊

 

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • erika59785
    erika59785 Mrs_CJ

    Posted

    Yes, B-12  1,000 mcg has helped me for strength during the holidays.
  • Porgi
    Porgi Mrs_CJ

    Posted

    I've now started taking VitB12 sublingual tablets. How long do you think it will take for me to start improving. My GP knows I'm short of it, in fact I have been since well before I got PMR, its something to do with being able to  get it from foods- I've seen a specialist for it before. Anyhow the GP recently tested me again and found I'm still  deficient but has not prescribed anything, so on the advice of this forum I started taking it last week. Is it too early for me to see an improvement? The make I've got is one with good reviews - in case the moderator doesn't like adverts - its starts with S and ends GAR. 

    • EileenH
      EileenH Porgi

      Posted

      Do you mean you have pernicious anaemia? If so, the subligual route may work but you should really check with your doctor. Studies have found that there is little difference in the amount of B12 absorbed directly in the mouth and that absorbed in the stomach and while some is absorbed even in PA patients, injections are a much better way to boost PA patient's B12 levels. You may well find that you are just throwing money away on something that is of no use to you. If you are sufficiently deficient your GP should be prescribing B12 by injection so you should ask him about it.

    • Mrs_CJ
      Mrs_CJ Porgi

      Posted

      In addition to what Eileen’s says......from my reading it says that some people have a digestive system issue and therefore should be able to absorb B12 better with the sublinguals. If you don’t have a digestive issue, then I too have read that there isn’t much difference in absorption. 

      If if you know you are low, please discuss with your doctor. If he says you aren’t low enough for him to treat you, then I suggest you do your own research online to decide if you want to try B12 pills.  There is tons of info about this online and so much of it says the same thing!

    • Porgi
      Porgi EileenH

      Posted

      My doctor knows I'm taking it but hasn't suggested injections even though he knows I can't absorb iron. I don't know why he doesn't but as I've said before he doesn't seem to be bothered about my state of health. Yesterday I saw another consultant and found out that he's given her wrong information regarding tablets I've been on. He seems to have got my records mixed up with my husband's

    • EileenH
      EileenH Porgi

      Posted

      Time for an interview with the practice manager. 
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