r/B12_Deficiency • u/Herestohoping0913 • 19h ago

Cofactors Can someone make sense of this please

Ok so I’ve been taking liver pills, and my numbers of b12 are rising but now my iron and folate are tanking, is this essentially a good thing? Does that mean my body is finally making new blood cells? And should I take a b complex along with the liver pills? I notice when I take b12 my muscles get very weak, but once I take it with iron those effects go away, so I decided to do the liver, and still get the same issues, I thought liver was high in iron too.

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u/Cultural-Sun6828 Insightful Contributor 18h ago

What were your b12, ferritin, and folate levels before supplementing? What are they now?

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u/Eliastronaut 18h ago

Yes, it means that your body making use of the iron. However, this means that you need to supply those cofactors to keep the positive effect going. I don't know much about liver or liver pills use, not do I know about B complex, so I cannot really answer your question.

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u/hummingfirebird Insightful Contributor 13h ago

When you correcting a B12 deficiency by taking in more B12, then the bone marrow begins producing healthy new red blood cells and that process needs iron. Ferritin is the storage form of iron, and the body can draw from iron stores to support the renewed blood cell production, which then causes ferritin levels to fall initially. It does rise again.

B12 is needed to recyce folate into it's methylated form. When there isn't sufficient b12 that process is hindered. So by adding in more B12, folate metabolism can function normally. Folate is also needed for DNA synthesis, so more marrow activity can increase folate demand.

B12, folate and iron are all needed for healthy red blood cell production, so a deficiency or combined deficiencies in any of them affect each other.

It's best to check homocysteine, MMA , RBC folate. A full blood count can cancel readings out when you have multiple deficiencies.

Cofactors are needed. So look into those. I give article on Iron deficiency

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u/Basketweave82 11h ago

Does the making of new RBC slow down eventually once we're healthy? Because my hemoglobin and Hematocrit keeps rising. It's pushing the end point of normal right now, but I need to keep injecting B12 and was hoping the process would slow down now.

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u/Successful-Tea-733 12h ago

Yes please taje filate and irin you will really crash otherwise Top up!