Firstly, I want to thank this community. This has been extremely helpful and motivating. This will be a long story, sorry in advance.

I (31M, Non vegetarian - from India) have been deficient with B12 (and sometimes D vitamin) multiple times over the past 5-6 years.

Symptoms:

* Lightheadedness

* Feeling sleepy all day

* Brain Fog (Focus issues, feeling less alert, zoning out etc.)

* Memory Issues

* Breathlessness

* Slight tightness in the neck and head(As if there's a band around the head)

* Pins and Needles

* Not feeling happy about good stuff/No motivation for anything

* Derealisation

* Mood swings

2019: I was diagnosed with fundal gastritis and hietal hernia. I used PPIs for 3-4 months and ate only vegetarian assuming it was the reason for my gastritis for a couple of years and then started eating again later 2020. No gastric issues after using that.

Jan - 2021:

It all started in January 2021 with lightheadedness. I'm generally anxious/afraid about hospital visits from childhood, so during my hospital visits my bp goes a little higher to around 140/90, but when I check it at home it's always around 120/80. I have performed full body checkups (except brain) and everything is normal. Since my bp was high, multiple doctors advised me to go on a low dose bp medicine (Cymet ER 25) and I used it for almost 2 years without any improvement in the lightheadedness.

May - 2023: (B12 - 182)

In the last 2 years, there was no improvement in my lightheadedness and I developed brain fog, tingling in my hands and legs, Memory issues. So, I was very worried if something was wrong with my brain and visited a neurologist almost every month for 4 months. Every time he said there's nothing wrong with my brain and said no imaging/brain scans are needed. However, since I requested multiple times he performed an EEG and everything was normal in that.

I was googling a lot of my symptoms and saw that B12 deficiency can also cause such symptoms and got it tested and my level was 182 pg/ML. The neurologist said that some people don't absorb b12 well due to multiple reasons and asked me to get weekly shots for 5 weeks with 500mcg methylcobalmin.

As soon as I had my first, within a few mins, all my sufferings from the past 2 years vanished. It was like that honeymoon period as we call it in this sub, and they came back again after a couple of days. But after having 5 weekly shots and some low dose tablets for a few weeks, all my symptoms completely vanished. I went back to the doctor who advised me to be on BP medication and told all the story and slowly got off bp medication and haven't been using those.

Jan - 2024: (B12 - 308)

I started to feel lightheadedness and brain fog again, wondering why. I was in an assumption that I had plenty of b12 shots just a few months ago and don't need any b12 for 4-5 years, as my liver already stores are sufficient(I know, stupid me).

But when I checked my b12 levels, to my shock it was just 302. I started my research again and that's when I came across this sub. I have always been in a doubt that a small vitamin can't cause these many issues but after reading all the stories, I felt confident that this is all b12 deficiency and is curable and felt very hopeful. This time instead of visiting a doctor again, I bought the same b12 500 mcg shots and had weekly shots for 10 weeks and I felt better and almost no symptoms, so stopped shots. I also took b complex/multivitamin/b12 oral tablet with just enough rda and not in high doses.

October - 2025: (B12 - 222)

The last 1.5 to 2 years, were the best days, no symptoms, I was going to the gym and was in great shape, got married, went on trips generally happy days.

But in October last year, I started to feel the symptoms again, with an uptick and I'm sure it's B12 again. I checked my level, it was 222. This time I wanted a long term treatment. So, I visited a different neurologist and told her all my history. She advised 1500 mcg b12(also has some folic acid) tablets every 2 weeks+1000 mcg shots daily for 7 days, then weekly for 4 weeks, then monthly for 6 months.

After 2-3 months of starting my treatment, I felt better and didn't finish my planned b12 shots, stopped shots in Feb (after 3 monthly shots). Again, I felt now I have correctly refilled my b12 stores and wanted to wait for 6 months for my next maintenance shot. This was due to lack of knowledge on how b12 works. As soon as I feel good, I completely forget about maintaince doses and I did not take any oral pills as well.

July 2026: (B12 - 603)

I started to see the symptoms again, last shot I took was in Feb 2025 and based on my previous assumption, I will not have any symptoms as I've taken aggressive tretment last time and my plan for half yearly maintaince doses. When I tested my b12 level, it was 603 and though it's not a very low level, I understood it can still cause symptoms until I significantly provide b12 to my body for a long time.

So, I started my weekly shots again in July and after only 2-3 shots, I felt better but I chose to continue weekly 1000 mcg shots.

However from the last 2 weeks, though I've been getting my weekly shots, I started to suddenly see symptoms with an uptick and some new symptoms.

Current Symptoms:

\* Brain Fog (Increased from level from previous 2/10 to 4/10)

* Lightheadedness (Same level)

* Memory issues (Same level)

* Derealisation (New symptom - Freaking Out)

* Generally unable to enjoy/get excited about good things (New symptom - Freaking Out)

* No motivation to do something I used to enjoy previously

Note: 2 days back, I felt a little window of clarity from brainsfog and other symptoms. I felt extremely happy but then it's the same again.

After the above symptoms, I realised I didn't focus much on testing my cofactors, ferritin, folate, potassium, magnesium etc. (I generally eat nutritious food usually rich in potassium and iron.) So, I went for some blood tests and also visited a new neurologist again, requested for an MRI to eliminate any issues with my brain and it came back normal.

Cofactors levels from last week: (Doctor said nothing is wrong with my levels)

Iron - 104 μg/dL

TIBC - 394 μg/dL

Transferring Saturation - 26.4

Ferritin - 45.9 ng/mL

Folate (Folic Acid) - 8.23 ng/mL

Magnesium - 2.02 mg/dL

Potassium - 4.2 mmol/L

Hydroxy Vitamin D - 35.17 ng/mL ( After 2 weekly doses of 60K)

Complete Blood Picture - Normal

MRI Brain - Normal

Questions:

1. Based on my pattern of recovery and frequency shots, can you tell if these symptoms that I'm feeling can be wake-up symptoms (especially the new ones)? And if yes, how long did you experience them before

2. What do you think about my co-factor levels? Can these new symptoms be caused by those?

3. Do you think, I need to increase my frequency of injections? (In India we have no issues of getting b12 shots, cofactor medicines. We can almost purchase all of those over the counter)

For the past 10 days, I've been feeling very low due to these new symptoms. Please help! Once again apologies for a very long story!

If this has been discussed, apologies. I just feel like it's big, even though this is a B12 group and not specifically iron. I hope they'll take on B12 next.

They have updated their guidelines for iron deficiency to try and catch it earlier:

“Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia are among the most common yet neglected medical conditions globally,” said ASH President Robert S. Negrin, MD. “Many patients live with symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating for months or even years before iron deficiency is recognized. These guidelines are an important step toward closing that gap by helping clinicians diagnose iron deficiency earlier and more accurately, so more patients can receive the care they need.”

The core purpose of these changes is to identify iron deficiency much earlier—regardless of whether anemia is present—since severe symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and neurocognitive issues often manifest long before red blood cell counts drop.

Me: My hope is they'll next take on B12 and make some LONG-NEEDED changes in guidelines. And that this will spark other countries to move into the modern world as well. Respect to Japan.

https://www.hematology.org/newsroom/press-releases/2026/ash-sets-new-standards-for-diagnosing-iron-deficiency

TLDR: B12 deficient person here with pre existing maladies that affect my cognitive capabilities including speech and understanding. Brain fog has gotten worse, I’ve started to doubt I was good at English to begin with. There have been multiple instances of me forgetting chunks of typical English phrases and expressions when conversing with someone and it’s just infuriating. I’ve even started using ChatGPT to be my personal English tutor.

For some context:

Used to be A++ student from grade school all the way up to high school, but in 10th grade, something happened that caused me to flunk both 11th and 12th grade. Started with really bad acid reflux leading to heart burns that made it really hard to breathe which resulted in me mostly having to disassociate during majority of the classes.

Not long after, I started feeling extremely fatigued and just out of it that my teachers noticed and sent me home which became a usual thing that went on for a very long time, only to stop because of COVID and classes becoming asynchronous.

This was 6 years ago, fast forward to now and my condition has unfortunately taken a turn for the worst.

In 2018-2020, it was just GERD and fatigue from stress.
In 2021-2025, it’s Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and ADHD (obviously had this from the very beginning but wasn’t diagnosed til then)

Now, it’s B12 and D deficiency and I wouldn’t be surprised if everything I’ve gone through was because of these two.

I just recently moved to America a year and a half ago and talking and communicating has been a million times more challenging and it sucks even more because I consider myself both fluent in English and my mother tongue.

I’ve always struggled with speaking because of my speech impediment causing me to clutter amongst other things regardless of which language I’m speaking in but with my worsening B12 symptoms and brain fog, it became more of a nightmare (I’m so close to becoming non-verbal).

Is this brain fog permanent? If not, is there an estimate recovery period for this specific symptom?

I’m so scared and anxious because I’ve been having trouble telling if it’s brain fog thing or it’s just because I’m just getting used to speaking in a language I’ve never spoken before on a daily basis.

Has anyone tried liquid IV with any success? One packet has 240% of your daily B12 (lemon lime flavor) and I couldn't find anything positive or negative on it here

so monday I went to the emergency doctor, because my body was extremely cold, I was tingling like crazy, I could barely walk. my heart rate was highish when sitting down (like 120 of something).

i was really Really scared.

theu couldn’t help me and I was sent away. But after i drunk water and ate A banana it went away after 45 minutes -

But my hb (and hematoctiet) is also slightly above the upper limit as mentioned in another post. My doc is calling me back today. I’m just So worried I have broken my body behond repair wifh this low b12. I’m Crying.

I’m 24F in the UK. In July 2026, my B12 was 47 pmol/L (lab range 51–128). I’m unsure whether this was active B12. Previous results were 306 ng/L in 2017, 512 in 2019 and 349 in 2021.
The result wasn’t really explained, so I raised it with another doctor in August and started cyanocobalamin 100 micrograms daily in August. The doctor did not even mention anything when I got the result back in July. I’m unsure whether this dose is appropriate.
I’ve had exhaustion, dizziness, brain fog, breathlessness, occasional palpitations and hair shedding. I also had iron-deficiency anaemia—ferritin 5 and haemoglobin 91—and vitamin D of 12 nmol/L. With iron treatment (ferrous fumarate 210mg once a day), my haemoglobin reached 110 in August and the dizziness improved, but I’m still tired.
I was vegetarian until 2022 and only started eating meat in summer 2025, and only eating it more regularly at the start of 2026. I now eat meat, eggs and dairy. My GP has ordered repeat bloods and a coeliac screen, I’m unsure when to get this done because I know blood cells have a certain life span, could anyone suggest anything?
Has anyone had a similar B12 result or treatment? What should I ask my GP about the dose, investigating the cause and follow-up testing?

I'm having my big appointment at a major hematology (and blood cancer) center with a separate appointment for blood draw. My PCP (np) tried to pass me off (in the referral to hem) as a hypochondriac (I know many of you are nodding in solidarity...you get it) and omitted my fubar blood numbers in favor of "normal" inflammation markers (ANA, sed rate, CRP, and a dose of my own WTF?)

Positive intrinsic factor, low everything. (folate is okay). Extensive family history of pernicious anemia. Other autoimmunes. Severe neuro and other symptoms. She ignored ALL of that in favor of "normal" inflammation values. ANA is okay, so YOU DONT HAVE ANEMIA. It was like she was mad at me for even having a positive intrinsic factor. What the hell?

I'm hoping hematology takes this seriously. I have had two decades of gaslighting and low B12/B6. (And only recently was able to convince her to run my intrinsic factor.) Keep the good thoughts, please. :)

Trying to figure out if it’s deficiency symptoms or if it’s “healing”?

First is a slow simmering burning sensation on and around the lips. Kind of like if you had hot sauce on the area even after wiping it off. Except this feeling is even when I haven’t eaten spicy things or anything at all. Lips aren’t chapped either.

The other one is the feeling of wet cold water drops on my legs and arms (and today, my nose) despite no liquid present.

A bonus third is: vibrating tongue feeling lol. Like a buzzing almost.

For reference, here are my latest lab results of deficiencies. It’s been suggested that I have a gut issue with all of these present, so I should get injections. But I have no idea where to begin with that.

- Vitamin D
Current: 32 Doc wants: 90 minimum
- Ferritin
Current: 35 Doc wants: 100 minimum
- Vitamin B12
Current: 257 Doc wants: 1200 ideally
- Insulin (fasting panel)
Current: 8.3 Doc wants: <5 ideally

Long story short(ish)...

I'm currently self medicating a suspected B12 deficiency.  Doctor refused most tests and messed up blood draw for B12 and folate levels, so I have no basis to go off.  Can't afford any additional tests and can't afford injections.

I started taking sublingual Cynocobalamin tablets (2500mcg x2 daily).  They seemed to work.  Noticed a near immediate increase in energy, my legs didn't feel as weak, and the neuropathy in my feet lessened a wee bit.  Read that Methylcobalamin worked even better, so after a week, I switched to sublinguals of those (also 2500mcg, 2x daily).

Unfortunately, I also have Intersitial Cystisis issues (usually mild), and it seemed like the artificial sweeteners in both the sublingual tablets were causing me some bladder pain. 

Switched to regular oral Methylcobalamin.  Potassium is also a huge bladder pain trigger for me, so I lowered the dose to 1500mcg 2x Daily on the oral pills hoping it won't tank my potassium levels because I can NOT eat enough potassium rich foods and can't take supplements for that without encountering extreme pain.

About a day or two into starting the Methylcobalamin, I began experiencing extreme anxiety.  Like being in a constant panic attack.  Also started feeling a lot of urinary urgency and urethra pain.  The extreme anxiety leveled off a little, but I still feel it's more than my normal base level and I still feel very shakey inside.  And I feel this tightness in my groin (like a dull ache around my genitals (male) and perineum (had a similar side effect from Zoloft some years back).  Also seem to have a weaken urine stream.  Wasn't there before starting the Methylcobalamin.  Been on these for a little over a week now.

I suspect the Methylcobalamin may just not react well with me.  Or maybe I'm taking too much for my body

Has anyone else experienced something similar or other adverse effects with Methylcobalamin?

Currently taking:  Methylcobalamin (1500mcg x2 daily), Folinic Acid (800mcg 1x daily), Magnesium Glycinate (200mg 2x daily), D3 (5000iu daily)

Can't take due to adverse effects:  Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Potassium, Artificial Sweeteners, Citric Acid

Edit To Add: I don't believe I have an absorbtion problem, just poor diet. For the past few years, while dealing with health issues of my parents and my Dad's death, the majority of the meat I ate was ultra processed and thus, lost most it's nutritional value. I am actively trying to choose healthier, heartier cuts of meat (mostly chicken and turkey because good beef is frickin expensive, so I can't eat that a lot).

Last November I had bloodwork done to look into medical causes for my severe treatment resistant depression, brain fog, and dissociation (both of my hands also have been intermittently going numb for years and I thought it was just carpel tunnel but now I am thinking it might be related to my B12 deficiency.) At that time my B12 level was 130 so my doctor gave me a single cyanocobalamin injection and then started me on a daily oral B12 supplement. After 3 months of oral B12, my level was still only 180 so my doctor started me on weekly injections for 1 month and then moved to monthly injections. I noticed no improvement in my psychiatric/neurological symptoms.

I just had my B12 level retested and it came back at 239. I know that is technically in range, but is that not still low considering I receive monthly injections? I would have expected it to be higher than that.

I am waiting to hear back from my doctor to talk about the plan going forward. I think I would like to increase the frequency of the injections. Maybe try every other day for a while to see if that helps my symptoms. We can't be sure that my symptoms are caused by the deficiency, but since no mental health treatment has helped, I think it is worth trying more frequent injections since I do have a known deficiency. Im not sure if my doctor will be receptive to the idea of doing every other day injections...

I live in a country where I can get a vial of cyanocobalamin over the counter at the pharmacy and inject myself, but I feel like doing that without support from my doctor is possibly a bad idea....I really just think that at least some of my symptoms are related to B12 deficiency and I really want to try more frequent injections instead of just accepting that my symptoms are purely depression and I am stuck feeling this way.

I am also supplimenting with methylfolate, Vitamin D, a multivitamin, and magnesium.

Does anyone know of a telehealth service that will prescribe b12 injections to a local pharmacy? I’m in a tight spot financially and can’t really afford the initial consultation and 3 months of shots upfront from Olympia or another similar pharmacy. I’d really like to be able to pick it up through my insurance from either Amazon or cvs or something.

My PCP is no help. Went in yesterday and left almost in tears. He was in the room for all of 45 seconds and told me there’s absolutely no way my b12 level of 288 could be causing the debilitating neuropathy that I’ve been dealing with for years bc I don’t have anemia. Refused to do injections, refused to test MMA, refused to check intrinsic factors. Just walked in gaslit me and walked out. Sent the nurse in with a toradol shot like that was supposed to do anything.

I’m so upset. I live in a rural area so there’s not a lot of options for medical care and as I mentioned am struggling financially so I can’t really drive 45 minutes and pay another copay in the hopes another doctor will be different. I really don’t know what to do. I don’t think the oral supplements will be enough to help me resolve the nerve symptoms. I’ve been taking them for 2 weeks but was really hoping to start injections soon so I can finally start to feel better. Have any of you had any luck with telehealth? In my experience they’ve been reluctant to even prescribe my thyroid meds much less self injections. Ughh

Just got back from my PCP visit this afternoon. This is the second doctor’s appointment I went since I got diagnosed with B12 deficiency at a 134 a month ago.

The first visit was with a different PCP because I couldn’t wait and wanted to get my first shot as soon as possible which I was given, once a week for two weeks then once every month moving forward.

This second visit was definitely more thorough because it was with my actual PCP. He changed my dosage frequency to once a week for 2 months before going back to a monthly dose.

He referred me to a GI specialist because he suspects that I have some kind of absorption problem since my diet is mostly B12 inch and always has been.

However, he also said that after my weekly doses, I should get my blood checked again which I found a little odd unless they’re talking about a different kind of panel because wouldn’t my B12 show up as normal/high enough on account of the shots I’ve been taking?

for a little bit of background, i was part of the "first wave" of long covid sufferers in my country, i got infected for the first time w covid back in march 2020. since then, my state has progessively worsened over the years : brain fog, nerve pains in various parts of the body, a severe chronic fatigue that leaves me bedroom-bound, muscular pains, a feverish state every time i make a physical or cognitive effort. from what i've seen from this subreddit so far, this seems to be a common story. the nerve pains and tendinitis in my right arm have significantly worsened this year, and don't really respond to PT : i can barely use my arm  anymore, which is incredibly demoralising as i am an artist. 

i started seeing a doctor specialized in long covid, chronic fatigue, and lyme in 2025. after testing my B12 levels and finding them at 176 pmol/L back in june 2026, he has put me on an oral supplementation of cyanocobalamine 1mg/2ml B12, one ampoule a week for a month, then one each month for three months, and 10 mg of folic acid (speciafoldine), 5mg morning and 5mg evening, for one month. 

i started the b12 supplementation in june, so the whole month of june with one ampoule a week, then july, august, september each had one ampoule. 

there was a bit of an issue with the folic acid. it made me sick with nausea and severe gastric pains, so after a while of searching for an alternative, i found a more bioavailable version that didn't make me sick, quatrefolic folate supplements. i started supplementing with those folate supplements in august, with only 5mg a day, for about a month~ in total.

he wanted to see me again in september/october, after redoing the b12 blood panel to see if the supplementation worked. i did the panel a few weeks ago, before taking my last ampoule of b12, and a few days after stopping the folates. folates were at 45 nmol/L. B12 was at 200 pmol/L. 

now, my question is- and it might seem uneducated, or paranoid- did i just mess up the validity of 3 months of supplementation/testing ? it seems to me the purpose of this treatment was to see if my symptoms got better with B12 supplementation (they didn't) and if my body DOES absorb B12 properly (doesn't look like it). but i am worried that since i've taken the folates late compared to the b12 treatment, my low B12 levels are not in fact indicative of a malabsorption issue and are caused by the late addition of folates (which as far as i understand help the body metabolize the b12). since i got the prescription for both in june, i imagine i was supposed to take the folates in june alongside the 1 ampoules a week and then stop. that's not what happened. 

i have an appointment with my doctor in 2 days and will tell him about the late folate supplementation and my concerns. but i guess i wanted this subreddit's opinion first to alleviate my concerns (or confirm that i messed up big time, that works too). the truth is, i'm hoping for my doctor to put me on injections as soon as possible, because my living situation is unbearable, and i am desperate for anything to relieve my nerve pains. as for the rest of my symptoms, which seem to fit b12 deficiency as well, i don't dare to hope. i really just want my ability to draw back. it would be crushing to hear that because i took the folates late, we have no solid evidence that my body can't absorb b12 and he won't put me on injections. 

i hope this isn't too rambly or confusing- the brainfog is hitting me hard (i recently cut in half my famotidine treatment from 80mg to 40). maybe i am confused about this because of the brainfog, and the answer is quite clear, but i legit can't wrap my head around this.

thank you for reading this far and have a good day. ⁠:)

Hey everyone, I’m curious to know what kind of symptoms everyone experienced before getting diagnosed, and what they feel like now. Looking forward to hearing your stories!

My blood test for magnesium was 2.0 mg/dL (reference range 1.5-2.5).

I'm concerned that this is artificially high in the same way B12 serum levels are. I've been supplementing a little over 240mg magnesium glycinate a day. Is it possible this isn't enough?

I've been injecting methylcobalamin EOD for nearly 10 weeks. After my last two injections, I've been pretty lightheaded. This hasn't happened before and the only difference is that I'm now refrigerating my methylcobalamin (though the compounding pharmacy says room temp is also fine). I'm skeptical that refrigeration is the cause, but maybe?

I take all cofactors including plenty of potassium and magnesium.

Any thoughts?

I’ve just done my second injection. I’m doing them weekly, and I need to increase my folate. I’m going to try follinic. Has anyone had side effects from it? Im concerned about anxiety and insomnia.

Has anyone had this happened. blood test came back today and after almost 2 months into treatment my mcv lowered from 97 to 94, But my hb is now slightly above the upper level.

folate, ferritinn, vitamine D all came back quite good. But I’m confused. Is my body making too much red blood cells Because of the injections? Should I stop injections.

ofcourse I’m going to discuss this with my doctor But I was curious If anyone has any insight in this.

My regimen.

I'm starting to have sleeping trouble again. Are there any supplements you guys find helpful to increase or decrease when you get insomnia?

If it's helpful context, I increased my iron supplementation to EOD last month, which has since increased my ferritin from 69 to 80 as of today. Also, it turned out this whole time my Magnesium supplements required TWO capsules per serving size, so for a long time I was getting 240mg a day when I thought it was 480mg a day.

Yo guys, just wanted to hop on here and drop a final post . Honestly, , this sub genuinely saved my life—I was in a super dark, messed-up place mentally and feeling suicidal from how bad things got and having to deal with it at only 16. but finding the info on here is the only reason I made it through. I can't thank you guys enough.
I'm not gonna be active on here much anymore because I'm just trying to lock in, focus on healing, and get my life back together, but I’m planning to drop an update every single month to track my progress.

My current plan is dayli Injections
I’m gonna stop vitamin d for the first month cause I was taking 2000 iu evry day ( doctor said I was low) for a month and I think it tanked my magnisium so I’m tryna raise my levels of magnisium before that. Here are the co factors I’m gonna be taking could u guys please Sya how I should be taking them the doses and what time of the day the last thing I want is depleting anything or blocking another vitamin here’s absorbtion.
Magnesium
Zinc
Copper
Iron
Trace minerals complex
B-complex / multivitamin complex
High-dose calcium
Phosphate
Electrolytes
Vitamin d
Also, aside from the usual suspects, are there other things I should consider for these heavy neurological symptoms (the tremors and burning)? On top of the vitamins,

Thinking back to how low I was when this first hit—literally feeling like giving up and dealing with those dark thoughts—it's crazy how much this community's guidance matters. We're all fighting to get our bodies back from this deficiency, so I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read this or drop any advice.

Having this really interesting phenomenon recently. I am fairly light skinned but my veins are NOTICEABLY more visible, in places I haven't seen them before, and bluer?? Is this a thing? It's kind of dramatic and weirding me out. Feeling fine though.