I also was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency about 1 year after a gastric bypass surgery….BUT….that was also about 1 year after my symptoms began. The question seems to be, is the deficiency a product of the CIDP??? My sister who was diagnosed about 4 years ago does not have the b12 problems.

B12 is known to be good for the health of nerves. B12 plays a vital role in the metabolism of fatty acids essential for the maintainence of myelin. Prolonged B12 deficiency can lead to nerve degeneration and neurological damage. B12 deficiency can result from Coeliac disease (gluten allergy causing malabsorption in the intestines) or pernicious anemia (low intrinsic factor) and may manifest itself as a neuropathy. Apparently, you cannot have too much B12 because the body will simply release the excess. For this reason, I take a B12 pill each day in the hope that it will help and knowing that it can’t do any harm.
Sorry but I cannot comment on other myelin remedies.
Andrew

Taking B12 without taking a B complex is not recommended. It creates an imbalance with the other B vitamins. They should always be taken together, but up to two or three times more of one B vitain than another can be taken for a given disorder. Stricr vegetarians sometimes do not see signs of a deficiency because the body can store up to 5 years worth of B12 . Are you sure you have a deficiency? I am not saying you don’t, but sometimes you can start with a B complex several times a day and see if that alleviates your symptoms. I think my B’s helped me to sidestep the nerve damage with GBS.

GBS – Spring 1986
Fall 2006

Popeye….
Since having been diagnosed with GBS 11 yrs ago….my body’s temp.
is way out of whack. Blood tests show my B12 low…. I have been taking
B12 tablets for several years now and it seems to help me not freeze to
death in the winter in Minnesota.
Who knows…. but it helps. Good luck to you.
Blessings MaureenBoz

I’m 19 months out from GBS onset–six weeks in IC followed by six weeks of acute rehab. I’m under treatment by both a “conventional” GP, and an alternative medicine practitioner who advised taking a B-complex supplement to accelerate healing. I’m told I’m doing exceptionally well, although the slowness can be frustrating. Like anyone else I want my full physical capacities back. It’s hard to tell if the B supplement is helping, but I doubt it can hurt. I think it helped with my energy level too, as that really improved last July. I have days that I almost feel like I’ve got normal energy again.

Debbie,
I was taking one lozenge twice a day….but sometimes it gets me wired. So I am not sure if it is the B12 or me just climbing the walls from living alone on the floor for three months. It would have been so much easier if I had a family or friends that could stop by more than once a week. But I am glad that I chose to stay at home after the rotten treatment I got in the ER. It has been an adventure trying to survive at home. But when I recover, I want to forget these months of frustration and despair. Going it alone was rough. Plus being up here in PA in a little coal-mining town instead of my beloved TAMPA…..I grew up in this town and am amazed that most of my friends dropped out of site….one in particular…..told me she was the worst friend but couldn’t/didn’t want to help NOW…….duh….like WHEN was she willing to help..when I was better???? Oh, but I was in her thoughts and prayers. She lived a mile away….I do not have anger..she has to live with herself. I learned a lot about friendship from this illness.