High Levels Of B12
What type of doctor handles test like the MMA Urine test and the HoloTC? Test related to how your body breaks down/absorbs and transport/bonds B12? My B12 test came back extremely abnormal.
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Thank you for your response. It is true that I do not take any supplements or any medication at all. All my other blood work was "normal". However, I had an appointment last Friday and asked that it be checked again. I received the results over the weekend and my B12 has increased from 6066 on 8/5/22 to 7345 on 9/30/22. I have been feeling awful for about 3 weeks. Fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision late in the day, very dry eyes, headaches, confusion, and back pain (upper mid) I had an EKG on Friday as well to rule out a heart attack (all good). I don't know where to go from here.
You mentioned that there are specific test to see how well your body breaks down/absorbs B12, what are those test? My B12 was 1663 in March and is over 2000 now, (test doesn't say how much over 2000). Primary said its probably autoimmune related, autoimmune doctor says no. Yearly blood work came back normal for most part , Immature Grans, Absolute a little high and MCHC a little low. Not taking any supplements. Kind of at a loss.
Hi @dougs, welcome to Mayo Connect. I’m happy that you saw this discussion and hopped on board. You, @rubyjag3 and several others in the forum have higher than the ‘stated normal’ ranges for Blood serum B-12 levels. As we age there are changes in our chemistry where we may not be absorbing as much Vitamin B 12 as needed for optimism health. Taken as a supplement, Vitamin B-12 has no toxic limits as whatever isn’t used by the body is simply flushed away. It enters the blood stream and shows up as a high serum level.
The question is, why is it so high in some people when they’re not taking supplements? Finding the cause isn’t always easy. When it’s high, it can also mean the vitamin isn’t being utilized in the body and people with high serum levels can actually be experiencing very low B-12 levels on an essential level.
Low B-12 can cause strange sensations, numbness, or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet
difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
anemia
a swollen, inflamed tongue
difficulty thinking and reasoning (cognitive difficulties), or memory loss
weakness
fatigue
vision changes
hair loss
mental problems like depression or behavioral changes
Doing some research today I found some sites worth reading. This one gives a description of tests used in determining how well the body is using V-B12 besides the regular V-B 12 serum test. The article gets the point across and helps give a pretty good understanding on what’s happening with a high V-B 12 level and what it can mean.
-https://www.restartmed.com/how-to-test-for-vitamin-b12-deficiency/
I’m not advocating this site but this particular integrative medicine article has some interesting information on the importance of pursuing the cause of extremely elevated B-12 when someone is not actively taking supplements. https://www.swintegrativemedicine.com/blog/causes-of-high-b12-without-supplementation
This can also be caused by underlying health issues such as liver, kidney or blood diseases. So it’s important to get to the root of the problem. It seems there is a lot of dismissal from doctors that this isn’t anything to be concerned about. But from simple research it looks as though there can be some definite concern for potential health issues.
Have either you or @rubyjag3 thought about a second opinion with an Integrative Medical Professional?
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I have read the articles you suggested and have additional insight to my issue. I have been trying to convince anyone who will listen that I’m not ok but as you mentioned, it has been dismissed. I am going to renew my advocacy for myself and try to find other avenues of help. Thank you again,
You’re welcome and I hope you keep pushing to find an answer. From everything I’m seeing about high B-12 readings in blood, it can signal the possibility of actual low B-12 with little being utilized in your body.
So you may have a deficiency especially with some of your symptoms. I’d hate to have that missed when to start with, you could have Vit B-12 supplements to see if it helps you.
You might start by writing out what you want to say to your doctor or send him/her an email stating your concerns. I know sometimes they’re so busy they fail to take in some of our considerations! We know our bodies better than anyone else and when we start experiencing strange symptoms we need answers. I went through similar 3 years ago with my doctor, whom I have always respected…and as a ‘lady of age’ I felt I was getting dismissed when I was clearly, seriously ill.
In my case she wasn’t taking blood work and that was the downfall. Anyway, that’s water over the dam and I’m grateful things all worked out. But it was a reminder to continually advocate for ourselves. The key is to be persistent yet pleasant. 😅
High B12 but other tests normal
Hello!
I am 9 months postpartum. I went to the doctor to get my labs checked and everything was normal (CBC, normal Ferritin, normal vitamin D level, thyroid screen) except for my vitamin b12 level. My vitamin b12 level is >2000 (normal range is 211-911). This is my first time getting this test done so I’m a little bit concerned. I would like to note that I was taking a postpartum mood support supplement with 28mcg of vitamin b12z Has anyone experienced this? If so, what is the remedy or what was your experience like?
Hello! Just wanted to check to see how your daughter is and if stopping vitamin b12 helped
Welcome @messysilly. I moved your question about High B12 levels when all other values of your blood test show normal ranges to this existing discussion:
– High Levels Of B12: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/high-levels-of-b12/
I did this so you can connect with members like @loribmt @rubyjag3 @dougs @kathl and more.
Have you discussed discontinuing the b12 supplement with your doctor?