Member Medication Review: Vitamin B-12

By Merely Me Thursday, April 01, 2010

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Hey everybody!

How is everyone doing this fine spring day?

We are going to continue our member medications reviews...talking about some supplements. We talked about Folic Acid and Deplin and this time we will be discussing Vitamin B-12.

For anyone who suffers from depression one of the first things I would suggest you do is to go get yourself a physical and have some blood work done.

I was doing well with taking my vitamins and then I fell off the wagon when I forgot to go buy some more. Well it made a difference. I had a physical and bloodwork showed that my Vitamin B-12 levels were low. I was struggling more with depression symptoms...neurological symptoms of my MS and...had more fatigue.

Here is a Psychology Today article about the merits of taking a Vitamin B-12 supplement where they say: "Over the past several years, evidence has mounted that B vitamins-B12 and folate in particular-may ward off depression and other mental problems."

And furthermore if you have a Vitamin B-12 deficiency you may have these symptoms: "The symptoms of B12 deficiency may be vague-lethargy, short attention span, reduced motivation. Extreme symptoms can range from mild confusion and irritability to hallucinations, depression, memory loss and paranoia."

If you are a woman who experiences physical and mood problems before your period you may also want to look into Vitamin B-12 supplements. Here is more information from Health Central on Vitamin B-12.

Now how about you?

1. If you are taking a Vitamin B-12 supplement, have you noticed that it has helped your mood and physical well being?

2. Did you hear from a doctor that you had a Vitamin B-12 deficiency?

3. If you have stopped taking Vitamin B-12 supplements what was the reason?

Let us know what you think. You know we love to hear from you!

Seven Ways to Improve Your Mood and Relieve Depression

Comments (15) | Add comment

Rosemarie

4/ 1/10 3:38pm

Hi Merely Me, all, Since I had a total Hysterectomy, it never occured to me that i could be anaemic as Im not losing blood. Anyway, some time ago, a blood test showed me to be quite anaemic. Seemingly my G.P. told me, Rheumatoid arthritis causes it. ~ Now I'm a public patient so blood tests are few and far between. I probably dont eat as well as I should as I live alone and especially when Im Depressed, so, I bought [after reading articles] vit.D. because of the total lack of Sunlight here and lack of real summers; and an Organic Vitamin B supplement with Folic Acid,B6, B12 etc. Anyway, after 3 replacement bottles of both the vitD and the bottle of VitB Complex bottle, I am definitely feeling better. I feel my mood has improved and very interestingly, my hair, fine and blonde, has thickened considerably !!! ~ Merely Me, this isnt Placebo effect ~ I definetely have found an improvement in my Mood. These Meds are expensive but I think you get what you pay for . I think my Hair says alot about my general health too. Ive taken supplements before for hairloss to no avail. Yet Vit12 and Folic Acid and the Dvits have improved it. Surely my GP cant argue with the hair issue even if he thinks the Depression improvement is a placebo effect.

stardust

4/ 1/10 5:43pm

Rosemarie,

Just testing whether this will post. I wrote a second reply and it never posted, either. I'll catch up with you later and we'll try again if this goes through. Gina

Merely Me

4/ 1/10 6:02pm

It went through Gina!

I am now using two browsers at once...one to write...and one to see if what I have written has made it onto the site. I need a chocolate easter bunny to get through this frustration!

stardust

4/ 1/10 6:13pm

Yes, it FINALLY went through! I was so frustrated I went and made chai tea afterward to smooth me out...really works for me. Pssst, I have an addiction to ice cream - won't keep it in the house! (true) Vanilla gets chocolate syrup, and any others have to have some form of chocolate in them, like chocolate chip mint, mmmmm.

Will HealthCentral be the ones that eventually fix this problem? If it keeps happening, I may have to go buy some ice cream. Bye...Gina

Merely Me

4/ 2/10 5:54pm

Hey Gina!

I actually made some ice-cream! We have a soft serve ice cream maker that we used for the first time...it was good!

Yes ice-cream is heavenly....

what were we originally talking about? :>)

stardust

4/ 2/10 7:48pm

Good question, MM! Well, I have to think back through all the sweet goody foods and I think you were congratulating me on finally being able to post after two tries. Well, it wouldn't be so bad, but when my two separate posts were submitted, not only were they not posted, but they were erased! Aggh.

I know you understand - after telling me about having to use two computers. You have sooo many posts because you're thoughtful enough to want to make personal comments to each person, it must be a challenge to keep up with.

I did want originally to make a post in reply to your question about vitamin B-12. A few years ago, a rhuemetologist (sp?) I was seeing gave me B-12 shots to help with my energy, especially with my dx of MS. Well, I didn't seem to notice a difference. Then recently I took some B-12 supplements and wow did I feel a notice in energy. Big increase! So, I didn't understand why now and not then. The difference is that back then I had been prescribed narcotic pain pills, and they really dull everything, so nothing that produced energy would have been noticable. I got rid of my incompetent pain doctor (then) and titrated off the narcotic medicine myself. So I think that's why the recent B-12 supplement was so energizing. It's a good one.

Here's something I really want to share with you. I struggle with fatigue from MS and depression and fibromyalgia - fun, fun - Hah. My MS Specialist recommended a supplement to take called "L-Carnatine". It is to help with fatigue, and give you more energy. I just bought a bottle. I'm to take a 500mg tablet with breakfast and a 500mg tablet with lunch. We usually have brunch so I need to change my daily schedule to accommodate the dosing. I will let you know if it is effective for me. I was also VERY pleased that my doctor includes supplements in her efforts to help you. My husband researched it (of course) and said it is a neurostimulant. So that sounds promising. I'm optimistic, anyway. Maybe if anyone else takes it or has taken it they could share their experience with it. Personally, I would love to hear more about it.

Hope everyone has a joyous Easter and don't expect too many chocolate Easter bunnies because Merely Me is eating them all up!!! (only kidding mm) Gina

Merely Me

4/ 5/10 6:02pm

Gina!

I have been eager to tell you...I wrote the name down of that supplement for energy and took it this morning...I am sure it is too early to tell but I felt it made a difference...I am taking the rest of my supplements too...decided that today is the day I start taking care of my physical self. Later...I am going to the gym.

So thank you thank you for telling me about the supplement!

Judy

4/ 1/10 5:12pm

Well, I'm coming at this from a slightly different angle. Because of my gastric bypass surgery, I have to give myself B-12 injections once a month. My sister also does this and she said that one month she forgot to do it and really started feeling weak, etc. I guess the part of the stomach that is bypassed is what processes B-12, that's why we have to have injections (they're not that bad). We also have to take two multiple vitamins a day and extra calcium. Anyway, I know my B-12 is good, but I still get depressed!

I guess low levels of B-12 are quite common in elderly people and can cause them to feel dizzy and lose their balance. My mother-in-law was having this problem so I told her to ask her doctor to check her out, which he did, and sure enough, she was too low and has to have monthly injections, too. Evidently, as you age, that same part of the stomach that is bypassed in me with the surgery, starts working less well.

I'm glad it does work for you and Rosemarie and maybe it does for me, as well, in that I'd be more depressed without it. Chocolate helps, too!

Merely Me

4/ 2/10 5:57pm

That is really something Judy...so you actually give yourself a shot?

I am going to get myself together and take all my supplements starting....Monday! and work out and everything else on my list. uh huh...sure will.

why is it so hard to do things you know are good for you? :>)

Judy

4/ 2/10 6:40pm

Because they usually aren't fun!

simplyme

4/ 1/10 8:49pm

One time I took a B 12 complex vitamin suppliment, probiotics and green superfoods -- I was in the middle of a crisis, knew my eating habits were off and I felt a significant difference. Around the same time, my doctor took blood tests (before I took the vitamins & suppliments) and she said that all my vitamin levels were normal.

In many other countries when low income (or no income) people visit their local 'doctor' the first thing they do is give them Vit B injections. It must do something.

Merely Me

4/ 2/10 6:00pm

Yeah I think it does.

It does have an effect upon mood and neurological functioning. so...I am going to start being good about this.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Donna-1

4/ 2/10 1:44pm

I have a cousin who is into "natural" cures. She considers vitamin supplements as natural, but I don't, because they usually cannot come from food at the same (elevated) level. Anyway, that doesn't matter. She started emailing me about how I really didn't need medication for schizophrenia or depression, that I needed to take B-12 complex vitamins. I didn't stop my meds, but I did add "Super B-Complex" vitamins to see if I could tell any difference. And I really can't. I have also stopped them for a couple of months and couldn't tell any difference. Right now, I am taking them again because I figure it might help, and there's not much chance of it hurting me. She says her husband and son have ADD and can go without their ADD meds as long as they are taking B-12 supplements. But I wouldn't try it w/o asking my doctor first.

I also take an "over 50" multiple vitamin, Vit D, calcium, and fish oil gels. But I don't know that I really need to. Last week I had some blood work done but they didn't check for many of the vitamin levels. Maybe you have to ask for it. I was upset to find out my triclycerides and LDL levels were too high, so I am trying to cut down on saturated fats.

Donna

Merely Me

4/ 2/10 6:20pm

Thank you for this honest appraisal of what you thought of the vitamins...

My general practitioner checked my levels on his own...I didn't ask. I figure I might as well...it can't hurt and it is wise for me to do so anyways as I am taking SAM-e and you are supposed to take Vitamin B-12 and folic acid with it.

I remember someone once telling me that vitamins were just expensive urine because you pee out the excess...lol. But the research seems to say that they are important.

I will let you all know if I think the vitamins help me.

anne1123

4/ 4/10 7:49pm

I take a Centrum Women's multiple vitamin every day and fish oil and osteo biflex. I recently let myself run out and went for over a week without the vitamins. I started to relapse - started getting paranoid. Anyway I increased my Serroquel but I also got my vitamins and I've wondered if I could have skipped increasing the Serroquel if I hadn't stopped taking the vitamins. I can't take a chance and reduce the meds but I for sure am not going to let myself run out of the vitamins again.

Member Medication Review: Vitamin B-12

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