Vitamin B12 injections

[bankside]

It's on all right, but the site is not called "justusdoctors.com" and I'm certain you've already done more research and are probably more educated about the subject matter than 95% of posters to this site. Give this one a few days for people to come out of the woodwork with some answers...

That being said, it is clear that you should be able to get better answers out of the medical system itself, but I don't even know how that is supposed to work in a country without universal health care...

I do wonder how you know that you are not clinically depressed, and I also wonder whether you think that situational depression should be dealt with by using medical or counselling support.

Eating might help too. I like the organic stuff myself, but it is a matter of priorities for me and eating any meat will keep me healthier than eating no meat while holding out for something organic.

But in a rural area are there maybe farmers markets or somewhere to buy a freezer full? Even if not certified organic, you could still probably find grain-fed beef from some traditional farmer who can't be bothered to get certified....

 

[Fire]

http://www.eatwild.com/products/kentucky.html

Buying grass-fed beef halves/quarters takes a big investment all at once, but per pound you'll not be able to get it cheaper, and you can usually find someone to go in on it with you. You're lucky, btw, the Bluegrass state has some of the best grazing country in the world

That said, I think what you really need is to try another doctor, and another until one of them takes you seriously, because although B12 certainly may help, it seems likely that there's an underlying problem that needs to be addressed and none of us here are qualified to make such a diagnosis. My suggestion is, with the next doctor be less-persistent about the B-12 injections and focus more on explaining all your symptoms clearly and concisely, elaborating on personal and family history, what has helped, what makes things worse, etc. Come prepared with all of this written down, and with a list of reasons you think this is not depression/anxiety, but also be open to considering that these may be a factor in your problems.

As for me, I've been suffering from postprandial hypoglycemia since my late teens, causing intense chronic fatigue and serious mood disturbances. A change of diet and the addition of a daily multivitamin was all it took to have a profound impact on my energy and mood (basically a complete turn-around as long as I eat right) but it took a lot of unnecessary blood work and a dozen visits with skeptical doctors to finally be taken seriously.

 

[conroeguy]

My mom and my dad take the injections and it makes a big difference for them.
This may sound a bit strange but here is a home brew solution that you might try. Look for the sublingual b-12, crush up a tab until it is as fine as you can get it, wet your finger and mix it into the powder. Add a small amount of water to create a thick gel like mixture. Once you reach this gel, rub it on the inside of your nostrils. Try just one side at first and do whatever it takes to keep the mixture up high in the nasal cavity. lol, I m not making this up, you can google it, there is some info out there. I thought about this because there was a b12 gel out in the late 80s for a while but it got pulled off the market and is availble by presricption in Canada and elsewhere. Some people crush and snort the powder, I have not tried that. The problem with taking b12 supplements is that very little make it into the blood stream.

what about your iron levels? that could have something to do you feeling better after eating beef

 

[Lostlover]

Um, hello? Is this thing on?

I've had B12 deficiency and the best thing I could do was drink two Powerade Zero's a day. Sounds a little silly but it works. They have an overload of B12 and I haven't needed any of those B12 shots since (they're a pain too getting).

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[bankside]

You know, I've not lectured you, or patronized you. While I will acknowledge that sometimes intention and nuance are difficult to read over the net, it is clear that your reported diagnosis of irritability and tempermentality (if that was actually a word) is accurate, which does not give license for any kind of rude behaviour.

I'm done with this. Good luck.

 

[Lostlover]

Thanks, sir!

Is Powerade like an energy drink? Aw, the B12 shots hurt? I'm more tough than I look so I'm sure I can take them like a man. hehe Besides, I like a little pain.

The one that was given to me was painful.

Powerade is not a caffeine loaded energy drink. It's made for athletes but it's taste takes some getting used to.

I would also suggest taking one sublingual B12 pill a week. It's not too bad if you don't like Powerade Zero.

I got this from Wikipedia:

Natural food sources of B-12
Vitamin B12 is found in foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products.[29] One half chicken breast, provides some .3 µg per serving or 6.0% of your daily value, (DV) 3 ounces of beef, 2.4 µg, or 40% of your DV, one slice of liver 47.9 µg or 780% of your DV, and 3 ounces of Molluscs 84.1 µg, or 1,400 % of your DV, while one egg provides .6 µg or 10% of your DV. Vegans may have a challenge to ensure that they meet their daily allowance for B-12.

 

[bostonboy20]

I have chron's disease so I don't absorb b12 from foods. I was getting the shots every time I saw my gastro doc...but that was only every 6 months so it wasn't really doing much for me. He said that there was a nasal spray that I do once a week that he could prescribe. I used it for quite sometime and it helped a lot my levels were fantastic next time I got blood work done. Unfortunately It's a bit expensive and with me not having health insurance at the moment I can't get another prescription right now. But honestly if you're grandmother had Chron's I would have your doc check for it. Before I was diagnosed I lost a LOT of weight and it was due to a blockage forming in my small intestine. I was really sick and didn't know it until a horrible night of vomiting. So I suggest getting checked for that.

 

[Nephelauxetic]

I'd try to convince your doctor by presenting him some real scientific articles. You can search them through Entrez pubmed (google for it, I can't post URLS yet).
I quickly searched but didn't find anything useful. There is a lot of shit on the Internet on these topics and the fact that a woman who does every hype (Madonna) is doing it doesn't really convince me I'm afraid. This is an alarm sign...

On the other hand if you have many symptoms of a depression, why not try the antidepressants. There are several illnesses that are not depression related that can also be treated by these drugs (e.g. shingles). So don't get confused by the name.

Get well soon!

 

[conroeguy]

How often do your parents get the injections? As far as I know, my iron levels are normal which kind of contradicts my symptoms but anemia is a complex thing. I do feel better when eating animal protein though, especially red meat and chicken and if I don't have it, I get bitchy. I can have what I like to call my "Patti LaBelle" moments and want to hurt someone. haha

Interesting suggestions! I'll keep that in mind, as unorthodox as it sounds. haha Why was the B12 gel removed from the market?

I couldn't find any info as to why the nasal gel was removed from the market, although it was done by the FDA. lol, it does sound a bit strange, but it is a legit way to absorb substances into the blood stream. All you have to do is ask a coke-head.
You may not be anemic, but your iron could still be a bit low for you. Or it could be a protien problem (there is no iron in chicken fyi), is your diet normally low in protien? I don't understand why your doctor is not willing to try it, you might need a new doc.

CALOMIST is the name of a prescription nasal spray for b12

 

[Lostlover]

I've been taking sublingual B12 for several months. I couldn't find the Powerade ingredients on the official website but found a list on Wikipedia.

Powerade ingredients:

Water
High fructose corn syrup
Salt
Potassium citrate
Phenylalanine
Sucralose
Sodium Citrate
Malic Acid
Potassium phosphate
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B2

Not too healthy. High fructose corn syrup/refined sugar is not good and there's more potassium in a cup of strawberries or a banana than a serving of that drink. Thanks but no thanks! I don't do most commercial brands anyway. I think I'll just get the shot in the ass. haha

Powerade Zero, which I was talking about, has zero high fructose syrup, zero calories and zero carbs ( = and zero sugar). It's made with Splenda. It also has no caffeine either.

 

[bostonboy20]

I couldn't find any info as to why the nasal gel was removed from the market, although it was done by the FDA. lol, it does sound a bit strange, but it is a legit way to absorb substances into the blood stream. All you have to do is ask a coke-head.
You may not be anemic, but your iron could still be a bit low for you. Or it could be a protien problem (there is no iron in chicken fyi), is your diet normally low in protien? I don't understand why your doctor is not willing to try it, you might need a new doc.

CALOMIST is the name of a prescription nasal spray for b12

the nasal spray I use is called Nascobal