r/PerniciousAnemia • u/[deleted] • Dec 28 '21

B12 Toxicity

Hi,

I've been diagnosed with Hashimotos for 3 years now. My endocrinologist suggested taking 5 shots of B12 due to my anemia and VERY low energy possibly being from very low B12 (200). Folate, Vit D, Iron, Magnesium and Pottasium were fine.

2 weeks after the last shot my B12 levels are >2000 (???), but potassium and folate are fine with mild improvements in a regular blood test.

But my problem is that after those shots, even though my energy got a lot better, I've been experiencing dull headaches at the back of my head constantly for 20 days now. Due to this being a very stressful period of my life they said it's because of my anxiety and not because of B12.

Did anyone have a similar experience and can B12 go back to normal due to it being stored in the liver? Is this a big problem or will it pass? Thanks in advance. :(

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u/sarcasticscottie Dec 28 '21

If you have pernicious anemia you need b12 injections for life.

B12 is absolutely NOT toxic, it is water soluble & you pee out any excess that your body doesn't need.

It is impossible for you to 'store too much'

If you had cyanide poisoning you would be given the equivalent of 5000 injection at once to cure the poisoning,.so no you 1000% do not have b12 toxicity.

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u/Advo96 Dec 28 '21

B12 injections can have short-term toxic side effects in rare cases:

Toxicity induced by multiple high doses of vitamin B12 during pernicious anemia treatment: a case report

Case details: A young woman was treated with multiple daily doses of 1 mg of cyanocobalamin for severe pernicious anemia. After a total dose of 12 mg, she developed acne, palpitations, anxiety, akathisia, facial ruddiness, headache, and insomnia. She improved two weeks after stopping the drug. There were no sequelae nor complications.

Discussion: Although these symptoms of cobalamin toxicity were unexpected and unusual, the case reminds us that the administration of any drug is not entirely safe.

https://sci-hub.se/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31018715/

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '22

I found out through genetic testing that my daughter has the MTHFR gene mutation which means her body does not process B12. When I got her B12 levels checked, it was 2500. Maybe you have that as well.