Vitamin b12 deficiency & weight gain

Hi Hayley, the chances of your B12 deficiency correcting itself after a short course of treatment are very slim. Usually we need to be on regular injections for life. Did you have the cyanocobalamin by injection or were you given tablets? A level of 250 isn't high enough to be considered OK. Did they tell you why your B12 was low, often it is because we can't absorb it properly in our digestive system. In Japan anything under 500 is treated, and certainly under 300 seems low.

There are other forms of B12 hydoxycobalamin and methyl cobalamin, and these might be better for you. The numbness is a sign that you have neurological damage and need to get back on some form of treatment. Are you in the UK? If so I would recommend getting in touch with the Pernicious Anaemia Society. It may also be worth asking for a thyroid function test, as both under active thyroid and low B12 often go together. I do hope you will get some help soon, and begin to feel better. Best wishes Marion

I lost weight for no reason, just before being diagnosed, was so tired and fatigued, I thoght I had a thyroid disorder and found out b12 deficiency mimics it. My Thyroid is on the low end but not yet enough to take treatments, I also have 2 Thyroid nodules That are too small to be biopsied at this time . So they check me for those every six months .

So my doctor tested me for the b12 deficiency and I was shown to have Pernicious anemia I take the injections every 3 weeks, But I would like to take it every 2 weeks because I get too tired Waiting for that third injection.

The doctor also checked my vitamin D level and I am low on my vitamin D also and if you look up the low vitamin D You have a lot of the same symptoms as b12 deficiency So I take prescribed 50 in a pill

, once a week and 20 k liquid over the counter every day.every day , I'm still waiting for my next Appointment to find out if my vitamin D level has increased.

After I started taking the b12 injections for about a month I slowly got my appetite back and I did gain five pounds. I would rather have the five pounds weight gain and feel a little better. I think that when we have such a low b12 we're not getting the nutrition that we need, So we lose the weight. A lot of times the weight loss is a reason for the doctor to check you for a low b12 as well.

I think you should have your vitamin D levels checked also, it appears quite a lot of b12 patients also have a low vitamin D level and don't know it.

I lost weight for no reason, just before being diagnosed, was so tired and fatigued, I thoght I had a thyroid disorder and found out b12 deficiency mimics it. My Thyroid is on the low end but not yet enough to take treatments, I also have 2 Thyroid nodules That are too small to be biopsied at this time . So they check me for those every six months .

So my doctor tested me for the b12 deficiency and I was shown to have Pernicious anemia I take the injections every 3 weeks, But I would like to take it every 2 weeks because I get too tired Waiting for that third injection.

The doctor also checked my vitamin D level and I am low on my vitamin D also and if you look up the low vitamin D You have a lot of the same symptoms as b12 deficiency So I take prescribed 50 in a pill

, once a week and 20 k liquid over the counter every day.every day , I'm still waiting for my next Appointment to find out if my vitamin D level has increased.

Maybe also have your thyroid checked Since the symptoms mimic the low b12 deficiency

After I started taking the b12 injections for about a month I slowly got my appetite back and I did gain five pounds. I would rather have the five pounds weight gain and feel a little better. I think that when we have such a low b12 we're not getting the nutrition that we need, So we lose the weight. A lot of times the weight loss is a reason for the doctor to check you for a low b12 as well.

I think you should have your vitamin D levels checked also, it appears quite a lot of b12 patients also have a low vitamin D level and don't know it.

Maybe you should have your thyroid checked as well since pernicious anemia ( Low b12 )deficiency mimics a thyroid condition.good luck.

Hi I have had penisious anemeia for 20 years. I was diagnosed via blood test then had an injection every other day for two weeks then 3 monthly.i was also sent to the hospital  I think it was pathology( was a long time ago) where I had urine tested, this was a 24 or 48 hour collection of urine to see if my body was expelling it,or I was just not eating the correct things.

i was told it was down to the intrinsict factor and it was pernicious anemeia. I can remember a few more visits because it was unusual for some one my age to have this. 

I was told I will need 3 monthly injections for life.im not a saint I miss some or forget.for a time I felt better so I didn't bother. One doctor asked me why I had stopped and I said they never made any difference. She wrote to pathology who again said I need injections for life.

i don't know if you know this but once you have b12 injections you won't ever get a correct blood test as it will always give inaccurate results due to having some b12 in your body at one time. That's how I understood it. Since I changed doctors my notes were delayed I went in for my shot and I was refuse it as there was no notes present.

the nurse called in the Doctor who said well test your blood, he had no idea about that so I asked for the path lab to  be called toconfirm what I said. The  

doctor was told by the path lab I was correct.

im sure the doctor thought he was helping but wasn't aware.

i also told this could be in connection to having glandular fever as a child.

i certainly agree with the others a short term fim isn't the answer, ask why your defeciant and could you see a pathologist or may who may test your urine to see if it's eating or your body rejecting it.

i like yourself have depression and take medication on and off for it. Like a lady on here said it's quite usual for this and thyroid together I havent yet.

hope it helped.

Hi Hayley, what were your levels initially? Have they investigated why they were? Tablets should not be given unless the reason you were low was your diet, otherwise you won't absorb them. 250 is still low. Your doctor doesn't know what he is doing. You should have loading injections- in Uk these are hydroxocobalamin. 6 over 2 weeks.

Are you UK? There are guidelines to be followed. Please give more info.

You also need to know your ferritin, Vit D and thyroid results and lab ranges. 😀

Hi again just to correct the information I gave you. It was hymatoogy department in the hospital not pathology.

Hello,

Maybe you can’t make use of it or metabolize it or lack folate although that’s low and are deficient in that way. I may have a deficiency, but it is 1300, although normal people dispose of excess B12. I had some underlying issues and took a med notorious for causing B12 metabolism issues yet have some schizophrenia that is predated by B12 perhaps. I’m actually grateful that the nerves that were damaged on the right side of my face six years ago from a truck hitting me began to shock me throughout the day because my doctor said that sounded like trigeminal neuralgia and may mean a vitamin B deficiency. Seeing high numbers confused me. My TSH thyroid was 1.92 and the B12 1300ish. I had been complaining how my metabolism worked for me but seemed to stop on some certain medication that was ceased and it caused unusual weight gain and caused weight gain of fat in different places than before where at least I kept a waste and got stronger. This made me just feel weaker and working out twice a day and eating little held it off longer but I couldn’t lose. Some get off it and lose it all, but not me. I feel the metabolism back of my TSH, but wander top if it’s the B12 metabolism making the B12 build up in my system that can’t break my fat down because I usually don’t take in more than I expel when I have a normal metabolism going which is back... so maybe that’ll give some new ideas

hi

i have just had my b12 checked after chest issues- came back as 173 so going to have the test redone in 2 months. is this low? could this be linked to possibly being celiac?

Are you trying hard to lose the weight, different body types react to different workout methods. What i say is try something different. People think that working cardio in the gym lowers weight gain, this is not always true. Sometimes you may need to do it freestyle and run around the park or use free weight and do other exercises so try that. It also depends on what you eat.