Is vitamin B12 Related to GBS ?

For about 70 years B12 has been a ‘cure all’, to quote The Citadel by A.J.Cronin it was used to inject fat expensive bottoms. Its only justifiable use is in B12 deficiency due to by proven failure of gastric absorption and causing pernicious anaemia (for which people used to have to eat 4lbs of raw liver a day) with the pernicious anaemia there may be subacute degeneration of the spinal cord causing a lower limb neuropathy.
No, there is no conection between B12 anf GBS. DocDavid

ditto david. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

[QUOTE=*~Popeye~*]around the time I was diagnosed I was
told I would have to have B12 shots for the rest of my life[/QUOTE]

Popeye, you need to find out why they told you this. They may be right.

I also had a B12 deficiency diagnosed when I was admitted for GBS. I started out on B12 shots (daily for a week, then weekly for a month) and after my B12 levels were normal, I shifted to tablets. My B12 serum level dropped. More tests showed that I had intrinsic factor antibodies: I can’t digest B12 in oral form. In my case, I’m able to use sublingual B12, otherwise I would be on B12 shots for life like you.

B12 is important for nerve health, and my doctors have suggested that without adequate B12 my recovery would be impaired.

Follow up with your physician.

DocDavid,

Four pounds of raw liver a day!:eek: I think I’d just tell them to put me down, rather than taking that cure!

Sorry to joke about something serious, but it sometimes helps to get me through the day.;)

Suzanne

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

Since my onset of CIDP a have developed pernicious anemia and have to take B-12 shots also. From what I understand B-12 also helps to heal your nerves.

Emily

In 2001 I thought I was having a relapse. I was 20+ years post-GBS. My B vitamin blood levels were in the low end of acceptable. Apparently due to my post-GBS status this was not adequate. I have been taking a B bomplex supplement since then. When it comes to nerve health you can’t take chances. Take the B’s.

Hi all – my neuro just prescribed liquid B complex – she said it might help with random pain. But I have been having more diarrhea than usual since starting it. Olav, is this what you mean when you say you are unable to digest liquid B12? I was anemic as a child and teenager and got B12 shots, and it was recommended then to either eat liver or drink red wine! I tried liver – yukk! and as an older teenager I was allowed a bit of red wine for “medicinal purposes” – !! Good luck and good health!

From all of my readings on health I have found that you are not supposed to take one B by itself. You need to have the B complex and then you can do extra of a particular B – such as B 12. They say that you will unbalance your B’s if you do not have a complex with it. For what it’s worth……

Hi Deedee!

To answer your question, I don’t have problems with digestion, I have an inability to absorb oral B12 (tablet form). The test for this is to measure the B12 level in a blood sample after switching to tablets. If the B12 level isn’t in the normal range, further tests are done to find out the cause.

In my case it doesn’t matter the form of B12 I take (tablet or liquid). I simply wouldn’t be able to absorb it through digestion. Instead, I dissolve a tablet in my mouth, and the B12 enters the bloodstream directly via the membranes under the tongue. Further tests showed this to be effective in maintaining a normal B12 level.

Carolyn, I understand what you’re saying. But for those of us with a B12 deficency and normal levels of the other Bs, taking B12 alone is necessary to restore the balance.

Hi —

Saw this on B12 testing and remembered this post so I thought I would share:

[url]http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T293259.html[/url]

Best wishes…
Jann

I have recently gone to a new neuro and he did all the blood tests – some are still waiting to come back. But he did tell me my vitamin B was in the acceptable range but on the low side and wants me on a B complex. Fortunately, my niece who is living in England is here on vacation and went to the doctor with me and talked with him about what levels I need. She is going to the store and getting me what the doctor recommended. I’ll know more in a few days after I start taking it and will let you all know how it is going.

Vitamin B12 is directly related to our nerves. If we get low on B12 our nerves start to break down and the neuropathy begins. That is why people with nerve disorders tend to run low on B12. Most physicians like to keep us already prone to nerve problems with a surplus of B12 to prevent further breakdown. You don’t start to notice symptoms usually until nerve damage has already been done. Hope this helps….Deb

My neuro told me last week I was on the low end of acceptable range for Vitamin B. My niece was with me at the time and is knowledgeable with supplements, so they talked and then she got me Nature’s Way Alive vitamins with 3333% of B12. No difference yet, but I am hoping it will pull me out of this slump I have been in for years. Still have more blood work to come in and go back in a few weeks. Wonder why some blood work takes so long???

Don’t know if it is related, but my wbc was at 17 and should be under 10. It has been high at 11 for years and went to hematologist and no luekemia.

Sure has me wondering what is going on :confused:

Hi All,

I’ve been taking Nature’s Way Alive stuff for a week or so now – I guess too soon to tell the difference. It has 3333% of recommended B12. How long do you think it takes to work? Today is a yucky day – can hardly lift my feet to walk and I am at work 😮

Why does it take so long to get results on some blood work?