Question about b12 supplementation

Hi guys. Haven’t updated in a second but I’m still dealing with a bunch of symptoms from quitting four months ago.
I went to the doctor and my b12 is at the bottom of the range and he wants me to take b12 1000mcg once a day.
I know people have had bad reactions to b12 but I also know b12 deficiencies can cause permanent damage to the body.
Is there a safe way to go about taking this or a certain type or brand that is more safe than others?
I looked through other posts but couldn’t find a consensus on this.

1 Like

Nobody can assure you :/. You wont find a consensus

I think that the safest way is try to get those vitamins from food.

Maybe you’re not absorbing well the nutrients and vitamins due gut issues. You could also try adressing this.

If im not wrong, the methyl one are dangerous for pfs sufferers, but there are other versions of B12 (that could be also bad, idk).

2 Likes

What surprises me with B12 supplements is that they’ll say they have such high percentages of daily value. The tablets I have say each one has 20,833% of daily value in them. I just don’t know enough about vitamins to know if that makes sense. It does seem like I could break those pills into 1/20ths and that would be fine. I have zero idea if it helps/hurts/is irrelevant to pfs.

1 Like

It’s because healthy people only need a small amount of B12, there’s a protein (IF) that regulates how much B12 is absorbed.

This protein decrease as you age so elderly sometimes can’t absorb enough B12 from a normal diet. But if you megadose it some will get absorbed anyway.

So that’s why the dosage is so high in most supps.

Also majority of B12 stored is hydrocobalamin in humans, so it might be smarter to use that than methyl version. Although it’s just a theory and maybe it will be just as bad so be careful.

3 Likes

Repeating what some others have said — stay away from the B12 supplementation. It has caused worsenings in many.

1 Like

Apologies to add a countervailing view.

Personally I only ever benefited from B12 supplementation. I take it as methylcobalamin transdermal spray. Improves my mental clarity and energy. I’ve been taking it for years consistently.

I have also tried injecting B12 but noted no improvements through this method.

1 Like

Thank you for the replies. I’m definitely nervous about trying it but I feel like I don’t have a choice given the fact that I am b12 deficient and that results in permanent nerve damage if untreated.

1 Like

Could you try eating more B12 rich foods instead? Is that an option for you?

FWIW, i started taking hydroxycobalamin, and then moved to methylcobalamin, and didn’t have problems, but plenty of people have gotten worse from B12, so be really careful.

1 Like