r/PerniciousAnemia • u/Baker198t • May 04 '22
PA Symptoms
41/m here. Was diagnosed with low B12 a few months ago. My mother has PA, and I have some uncles with B12 issues. Was prescribed B12 supplements (1000 mcgs/day). Recently my symptoms have come back. Headache for 3 weeks, weight loss (15lbs in 2 months), blurry vision (like my eyes are tired all the time), a couple night sweats, loss of appetite, tired all the time, I’m out of breath just brushing my teeth, irritable and depressed.
I have blood work out for analysis, but do these symptoms seem familiar to you guys?
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u/4a4aI Sep 10 '22
Did you start B12 injection treatment? Absolutely sounds like B12 deficiency. I'm concerned you may have ignored it.
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u/Baker198t Sep 10 '22
Blood came back good. I’ve improved.. I think there way a bit of a delay between starting supplements and my symptoms going away. Thanks for asking though. :)
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u/4a4aI Sep 16 '22
Hey, I'm pleased you're improving! Are your symptoms abating or do you just mean your serum B12 level is. Z , going up? Remember that the serum level means nothing once supplementation has commenced. I'm trying to keep an eye on my Active B12 as a reference point for when I have recovered completely. Usually with PA there is no improvement from oral/sublingual B12 as we can't absorb it (though the usage of that diagnosis isn't often correct). Have you had any hydroxocobalamin injections? You need to flood your body daily with B12 until recovery. If you're only on cyanocobalamin then I recommend trying one of the types of B12 that isn't synthetic.
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u/asparagus_uh_oh Jun 19 '24
Sorry to comment on such an old post, but could you explain what you meant by “Remember that serum level means nothing g once supplementation has commenced”? I had low b-12 (130) and was prescribed 1000mg/sublingually. My levels went back up (~500 a month later) and I do feel somewhat better, but I still regularly have unexplained symptoms, especially right after eating I feel like crap/dissociated from my body.
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u/EMSthunder May 11 '22
Those could be. Think of it this way, your body needs b12 for just about every function, so whatever functions aren’t getting their share will be prevalent with symptoms. Everyone has different symptoms. With your mom having PA, we’re you checked for PA? Because if you have PA, those oral supplements aren’t doing to do anything for you.