[rashelle]

It looks like I might have a vitamin B12 deficiency!!!!

I'm waiting for the lab results, but previous lab work makes it look like I have a form of anemia caused by not enough B12. I take a supplement, so there might be other factors causing my body not to absorb it (celiac disease or parasites or something--ew!)! Argh! Being veg is so important to me; I hope that it's not causing me some of my health problems. It's so frustrating. Has this happened to anyone else on here?

 

[Josh James xVx]

Being vegetarian wouldn't cause a B12 deficiency. Being vegetarian and failing to supplement with B12 might, though. There's absolutely nothing un vegetarian or wrong with supplementing. In fact it's recommended by veg diet proponents who base their arguments on nutrition science.

Other things can cause anemia, though. Not getting enough vitamin C can, although it's hard to imagine a veg diet where you're not getting enough vitamin C. Iron supplements aren't usually recommended because they can do more harm than good in the long run, but supposedly vitamin C can do nearly as much to raise blood levels as Iron can.

If you think you might have a B12 deficiency, try adding a food fortified with it to your diet or taking a B12 pill for a while and see if it changes the way you feel or your blood results next time you get them done. You might want to consult an actual dietitian in the meantime, though, and hopefully find one that doesn't have a bias against vegetarians.

 

[Indian Summer]

How much B12 (in micrograms, not percent of RDA) is in you supplement? How often did you take it?

 

[luvourmother]

I wouldnt worry about it until u know for sure

 

[christinahudler]

Adding another question for ya...
How long have you been taking b12 supps?

Why do you think its b12 anemia? Anemia is just being deficient in a nutrient, so it can be from a multitude of things. Also, if you ARE b12 deficient you can still be veg. Many vegans I know get b12 by going to get shots from their physician, so that's always an option if you can't seem to improve your numbers with supps at home.

 

[Digger]

Vitamin B12 deficiency is actually much more common than previously thought, amongst meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency as a meat-eater so it definitely isn't my diet that caused it. Recent studies have shown that if taken at sufficiently high dosage, the method of delivery is inconsequential... whether it be sublingual or by oral pill. Fortunately B12 is cheap so nobody should ever have reason to be without it. I brought my B12 status up to over 1000 with cheap over-the-counter cyanocobalamin in a matter of months.

 

[AlainWinthrope]

Yeah, it's probably an issue of absorption rather than diet. Studies of vegans deficient in b12 have always found an issue of absorption to be the problem (which also suggests that it would be a problem among non vegans as well).

 

[rashelle]

My B12 supplement dosage is 1,500 mcg (1.5 mg). Is that enough? Before learning about this, I was taking it 3-4 times a week for a while, but before that I was taking it every day & still having some of the symptoms. I guess I'll start taking it every day again. I've been taking it pretty much since I went veg several years ago. I also use nutritional yeast in my cooking pretty often, and I drink fortified rice milk. I'm not really sure what could be causing it not to be absorbed. I guess there are a couple of possibilities to examine.

Still, it would be good to have answers. I haven't been feeling well for a long time. My husband thinks I'm worse since I went veg.

 

[Indian Summer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rashelle

My B12 supplement dosage is 1,500 mcg (1.5 mg). Is that enough? Before learning about this, I was taking it 3-4 times a week for a while, but before that I was taking it every day & still having some of the symptoms. I guess I'll start taking it every day again. I've been taking it pretty much since I went veg several years ago. I also use nutritional yeast in my cooking pretty often, and I drink fortified rice milk. I'm not really sure what could be causing it not to be absorbed. I guess there are a couple of possibilities to examine.

Still, it would be good to have answers. I haven't been feeling well for a long time. My husband thinks I'm worse since I went veg.

1500 micrograms is quite a lot, and 3-4 times a week with that dosage should be enough, so if you are still B12-deficient, then I guess it must be an absorption issue. There are certain things that can block absorption, such as (I believe) high doses of vitamin C taken at the same time. That might be something to look into as well.

 

[rashelle]

Hmm....I don't take vitamin C, so that rules that out. I just hope the doctors can help get some answers. I'm so tired of feeling so weak, exhausted, etc. It's depressing.

 

[christinahudler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rashelle

Hmm....I don't take vitamin C, so that rules that out. I just hope the doctors can help get some answers. I'm so tired of feeling so weak, exhausted, etc. It's depressing.

How's your diet look? And how about your vitamin D?

 

[Hamry]

I wouldn't worry too much until you have your results. I was diagnosed with severe b12 deficiency last summer (the lowest my drs had ever seen) and I was in a really bad way. It took my body months to repair itself and it seems the nerve damage I suffered from is irreversible.Turns out it wasn't the vegan diet that did it, I'd been deficient for years and my body just doesn't absorb it, my antibodies are quite high or something and I think they block most of it out. It just means I'm on injections every 3 months from now on. It kind of sucks, and it means regular blood tests too but you get used to it.

Feel free to pm me if you want to chat about it. I was really embarrassed by it at first but it can happen to anyone.

 

[Tangle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rashelle

My B12 supplement dosage is 1,500 mcg (1.5 mg). Is that enough?

That should be more than enough. The supplement dosage of the pills I take have 9 mcg B12. Have you tried the sub-lingual method? (Let it dissolve under your tongue.)