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I was wondering if anyone in here has taken/ is taking B12 supplements?

How do they make you feel?
Any side effects or common side effects associated with B12?
What is the difference between B12 and B12 with Folic Acid?

[Daisy Boo]

i am not on any supplements but had some information that may help. has your doctor diagnosed you as deficient?

my understanding with folic acid is that it can help correct anemia which can be caused by B-12 deficiency and i believe both supplements compliment each other and actually depend on one another to work properly - hence why there are B-12 with folic acid vitamins.

folate is part of the B vitamin group. it helps to create and maintain new cells which is especially important during rapid growth such as pregancy and infancy - hence why most pregnant ladies will take a supplement. i used to take folate supplements when i was vegetarian in my early teens and very anemic (boy, how much explaining did i have to do when my younger sister told my friends i was 'bulemic' instead of 'anemic' )

Back to B-12, for vegans it is necessary to get the vitamins from supplements as B-12 is found in animal foods, ie, fish, meats, dairy, eggs, which of course they do not eat.

some side effects of itchy skin and diarreah although it depends on the type of B-12 you are taking.

i hope this helps

[trnsfrmnreplace]

I just feel like i am really tired a lot, and i also can't seem to concentrate these days. My physician suggested B12. I know if i even have a sip of red bull i can concentrate better [its amazing how much of a difference single SIP makes] for hours.

[Daisy Boo]

here is a good info page that might answer some more questions.

B12 Fact Sheet

the vitamin itself seems harmless and there are no chances of toxicity so you can't abuse the vitamin, but there is also the option of fortefied foods if you prefer not to take a supplement form.

perhaps try it in the tablet form for a couple of week - the addition of folate is always good for women as we tend not to hold iron as well as men, especially around mensturation.

if you are anaemic which is probably the reason your doctor would have suggested B12, you can get an idea for it yourself at home. of course, paleness and tiredness, pale lips are also good indicators.

look in the mirror and gently pull down your lower eye lid so you can see inside your lower eye lid essentially. if you are deficient in vitamin b the inner eye lid will be a pale pink as opposed to a more reddish colour.

another way is to have your palm face up towards you - either hand - and with your other hand press down with your thumb on the fleshyness just above your wrist on your little finger side. when you release your thumb (you need to press quite hard) if it takes a while for the whiteness to go and the natural colour of your skin return, you are most likely iron deficient. it should spring back immediately as the surrounding colour.

if you aren't taking any other type of supplement how about looking at an all round womens vitamin? they will have all the goodies you need, including the B vitamins.

info on anaemia

God - i am the anaemia queen!

i suffered from it for a long time and still do. problem is i forget to take my multivitamins

[britomart]

I took a B-12 vitamin for a while... It started keeping me up at night, so I stopped. Maybe that's what you're looking for, though, if you're always exhausted...

[Linds81]

I'm actually supposed to be taking it but I'm too lazy to make my way into the dr for a my shot! I was diagnosed B12 defficient through some blood work that my dr did. I was always tired and lythargic, espcially duing the winter time (i found). Anyways, she recommended trying the suppliments, and then I had to go back and get somemore blood work to see if that was working. It didn't so she put me on the B12 Injections. They worked well. I was going every week to i guess build up my b12 amounts. And then I started going just once a month. But I found it hard to get into the dr cause their hours are stupid and conflicted with work. So anyways, I should be taking it, but I've been feeling fine. Also, now you can get B12 in those strips... kinda like those listerine strips. I tried taking them, but didn't really notice anything as I've been feeling okay. Lol sorry for the lack of the technical jargon... I usually have no clue when it comes to what the heck is going on with my wacko body!

[HAL123]

I have a genetic predisposition to B12 and iron deficiencies. I have to have injections periodically as I am unable to build up my B12 from supplements or diet alone.

When I was diagnosed with the B12 deficiency, I had an EXTREMELY low level of B12 in my system. This caused some small amount of nerve damage that is slowly being reversed, but had I waited longer it would have been reversible. The symptoms I had at the time were constant lethargy, significantly decreased attention span (2 hours down to about 10 mins on a good day) I had a "sore" feeling in my mouth, and my pins and needles due to crappy circulation seemed to occur more frequently. Also I found my general health was very poor and if I drank or got a virus it took me a very long time to recover. I also found I was more susceptible to stress and found I did not get a restful sleep, despite getting up to 12 hours a night at times. If I had not been treated when I was, I could have permanently damaged my nervous system to an extent where these symptoms would continue for the rest of my life.

I was put on a course of daily, then weekly injections. This really helped. I couldn't believe what passed for "life" before them. I also believe that this has helped my weight loss and now I don't need to eat for extra "energy" all the time. I now manage my deficiency myself and when I start to feel tired or if I have a big night out on the town, I go to the doctor and get an injection.

You have to be careful of the oral supplements as there are two forms of B12 used and one is harder to absorb for a normal body than the other, so if your lack of B12 is due to absorption issues, then it won't work. YOu can ensure your diet includes dairy and leafy greens as well as red meat. But mushrooms and sea algea supplements such as spirulina are good sources also.

Personally I have to be careful about extra iron as my body won't store it in my blood but other places (like my spleen) as it can't carry that much. However that said, my aenemia has lessened since the B12 thing got sorted.

I did not have any side effects from the injections or supplements that I have tried, aside from bright yellow pee at times! lol (TMI I know).

I hope this helps
CHeers
NBK

[futuresurferchick]

A friend of mine takes B12 and swears by it--he is always recommending that everyone take it. He says he has experienced increased focus and a better memory (he is a student).

[trnsfrmnreplace]

Thank you so much everyone.