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Help asking doctor if this is small fiber neuropathy or something else
Neuropathy | Last Active: Dec 17, 2019 | Replies (55)Comment receiving replies
Hi John,
I subscribe to Consumer Lab which defines itself as an independent lab. They posted the following on B12. I know you are doing fine on the Facebook protocol but 40 drops of that liposomal B12 seems like a lot. Here is what Consumer Lab reported:
"Although no "Upper Tolerable Intake Level" has been established, there are risks associated with getting too much B-12 from supplements. At a dose of 500 mcg (one-sixth the amount in your supplement), an increased risk of colorectal cancer was reported in a placebo-controlled study of older people. Doses of just 20 mcg per day or higher have caused outbreaks of acne and rosacea . A high-dose B complex supplement (with 1,000 mcg of B-12) hurt, rather than helped, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and advanced kidney disease , resulting in a worsening of kidney function and an increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.
In women who are pregnant, excessive blood levels of vitamin B-12 have been associated with an increased risk of autism in their children.
Taking some B-12 is advisable for people over the age of 50 (when you're less able to extract B-12 from food), as well as for those taking medications that interfere with B-12 absorption (such as Prevacid, Prilosec and metformin), strict vegetarians, alcohol and drug abusers, people recovering from surgery or burns, and those with bowel or pancreatic cancer. But the amount needed to avoid deficiency is small and nowhere near the amount in the supplement you describe in your B-complex.
If you decide to take a B-12 supplement, you may want to choose one that has the right dose for you and has been tested and Approved by ConsumerLab.com . Be aware that sublingual and dissolvable B-12 supplements often contain sugar substitutes that can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea in some people -- particularly if taking multiple pills. You can use the Ingredients listings in CL's Review to spot and avoid these ingredients.
In general, it's best to avoid excessive doses of any vitamin if it is not needed."
What do you think?
Replies to "Hi John, I subscribe to Consumer Lab which defines itself as an independent lab. They posted..."
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Hi @jager5210, I ran the protocol supplements by my doctor who ran them by the Mayo pharmacist and he only commented on thinking the Omega 3 and 6 oils were high but didn't say much else. I'm no expert but everything I've read says B12 is generally safe at any dosage. It is always wise to run supplements by your doctor in case you have a condition that a high B12 dosage may have an adverse affect on you. The liquid B12 product hasn't been available for quite awhile now so I have been using a substitute - Seeking Health | Active B12 Lozenge with L-5 MTHF 1000 mcg tablet. It does have a warning for pregnant women and children.
I may be wrong but the Consumer Labs article seems to be written to a healthy person taking vitamins vs. a person who is using therapeutic level dosages to help with a condition. The one vitamin I really worry about is B6 because high levels of it are toxic and can cause neuropathy or make it worse. A lot of multivitamins have high levels of B6.
Here are a couple of links that provide more info:
Mayo Clnic - Vitamin B-12
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b12/art-20363663
APha - Recommending OTC vitamin B12 (a little old from 2012)
-- https://www.pharmacist.com/recommending-otc-vitamin-b12