How much vitamin b12 in pill form is given to people with b12 deficiency?

Question

I am always tired and think I may have this. I do not have a doctor appointment till dec 17 and was wondering if until then it would be safe to just eat a pill that is normally given to someone with b12 deficiency. Also is it safe to do the same thing for iron deficiency and how much of that is perscribed to patients?

Answer 1

b12 comes in all different values. From micrograms to miligrams. It is all over the counter. Look at the bottle.pp

Answer 2

Hi Mark. Sadly, you received several poor answers to your question.

First, high doses of B12 supplements can overcome deficiency of intrinsic factor that causes pernicious anemia. So, the first answerer had this wrong - I gave him a thumbs down.

Second, Centrum and other cheap products are literally the 'junk food supplements' of the vitamin world. So, I gave this response a thumbs down.

Third, the stuff about injections was not an answer to your question, but I did not give a thumbs down to it.

To answer your question, 1000 to 5000 microgram (ug) doses of B12 are used in oral supplements for treatment of B12 deficiency. There is no risk of toxicity with these high doses and scientific research has shown them to be successful clinically.

Iron supplements should not be taken without evidence of a true iron deficiency. And, if there is an iron deficiency, a serious effort should be made to determine the reason for the deficiency (e.g. poor dietary intake, malabsorption from common conditions such as Celiac Disease, or chronic blood loss from things such as a bleeding ulcer, excessive menstruation, or bowel cancer).

A final thought. It may we wise to wait the few weeks until you have your appointment where you can get proper testing. If you try to treat your condition on your own, you may cover up some of the causes and thus never be quite sure what is going wrong in your body.

Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 3

If you are unsure of a diagnosis, taking vitamins in dosages used to treat illnesses can cause moderate to severe side effects (nause/vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, etc.). If you are not already taking a daily mulit vitamin I would suggest starting with that, (one a day or centrum are good choices) or even though it will sound strange, an over the counter prenatal vitamin is high in iron supplements and vitamin b12 as well. As far as if your doctor prescribes it, a serious deficiency might be treated with injectable forms of b12,iron or both, but he/she will perform lab tests to find out if that is what your body needs.

Answer 4

None. Pernicious anemia is caused by a lack of the intrinsic factor needed to absorb B12 from the gut, so the amount given wouldn't matter; no matter the amount, it'll never get into the system. It's given in a shot, 1 ml (1 mg) is often given weekly initially on diagnosis, and monthly for maintenance. Treating yourself is only going to cloud the issue diagnostically, so it's better to leave well enough alone or try to move up the appointment.

Answer 5

Dear Asker!

Here is an approach to treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency

A. Consider treatment for patients who have:
Serum B12 level of less than 200 pg/mL
Serum B12 level greater than 200 pg/mL but less than 400 pg/mL plus elevated methylmalonic acid or homocysteine level, or both

B. Initiate treatment with vitamin B12, 1,000 micrograms intramuscularly given daily for 3 to 7 days, then weekly for 4 weeks

C. Begin maintenance therapy with one of the following:
Monthly intramuscular injections of 100 to 1,000 micrograms
Quarterly intramuscular injections of 1,000 micrograms
Weekly intranasal administration of 500 micrograms
Daily oral administration of 1,000 micrograms

D. Continue maintenance therapy for life. Further screening is not needed if a healthcare provider administers therapy. Annual screening is needed if patient self-administers therapy

Hope that may help you!
Good luck!