Hi guys! This is a topic I know all too well. I struggled with a B12 deficiency for over 5 years. B12 deficiency is a common health problem not only affecting plant-based munchers, although they are at higher risk.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency, even though I was still eating animal products on a daily-ish. My body stopped absorbing this essential vitamin and supplements were of no use to me as my levels kept dropping. That’s when they decided to put me on monthly injections to bypass the digestive tract
Doctors couldn’t explain why this was happening as there was nothing wrong with me, except the vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms. Malabsorption of B12 is often seen in people with stomach issues or autoimmune diseases.
After 5 years of these injections, everything went back to normal. And again doctors had no medical explanation for this. However, I think eating more raw veggies, especially leafy greens, fruits and fewer grains, dairy, and animal products had something to do with it… because that are the things I changed during those years… and daily yoga 🙂
ALSO READ: 3 Key Nutrients That Vegetarians Must Be Mindful Of To Avoid Nutrient Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency can have serious consequences
Vitamin B12 (or cobalamin) plays a significant role in the production of DNA and red blood cells. It is also involved in the production of our protective myelin layer around our nerves.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause several health issues like:
- Fatigue
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Anemia
- Memory loss
- Depression
- Strange sensations and tingling in hands, legs and feet
And that were exactly the symptoms I was experiencing in 2008. Usually, I was always bursting with life. I loved going out with friends… but suddenly my happy life changed, and my bed and couch became my best friend. I simply lost my interest in life.
For me, the B12 injections saved my life and brought back my energy and love for life. Now that my body has healed and kicked back into action, we eat 2 servings of organic meat or fish a week to meet our needs.
B12 almost only found in animal products
B12 is produced in the gut of animals, and plants don’t need B12 for any of their internal processes, so they don’t store it either.
Many vegans and vegetarians, however, believe that certain foods like seaweed, fermented soy, spirulina, and brewer’s yeast contain B12. But those actually contain B12 analogs called cobamides and can do more harm than good. Those analogs block the intake of the real vitamin B12 and increase the need.
So if you’re a vegan or vegetarian it is important to check your levels and supplement with B12 when necessary. This is especially important for vegan or vegetarian children and pregnant woman, whose needs are greater.
B12 supplements and injections are amongst the safest supplements on the market and vitally important.
If you have been following my blog posts then you know I always advise against supplements as eating a balanced, whole food diet should meet all your needs. Well, we’ve come to the one exception, and that’s B12, especially if you don’t eat animal products.
B12 tests and supplements are cheap and easy. Even if you’re not covered by an insurance.
How To make sure you get your daily dose
Or daily need of vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms. The easiest way to meet your needs is through organic fish, seafood, eggs, and meat. 2 small servings a week should provide you with enough B12 to get you through the week.
For 100% vegans and vegetarians, it is important to eat B12 fortified foods such as fortified nut milks and cereals. But make sure to pick the ones that are the least processed and doesn’t contain a lot of hidden sugars. Or like I said before, vitamin B12 supplements are amongst the safest supplements out there.
If you struggled with the same issues, what helped you overcome the deficiency? Please share your thoughts on this vital topic with us in the comment box below.
Thanks for reading. I hope this information was helpful. Until next time!
Amy Goodrich
Crazy cat lady, life and food lover, certified biologist, and holistic health coach.
Not sure if this helps or if you are interested but I recently heard about a new oral prescription alternative to the injections called Eligen B12. I recently read that it works even if you don’t have intrinsic factor (so even if you don’t have normal gut absorption). Apparently it came out a month or two ago. Has anyone heard of it or tried it?
Thanks Chloe! I have never heard of it before, but a while ago my gut healed itself and vitamin b12 levels are back as normal after 5 years of injections. Have a great and healthy day 😉
I have a B12 deficiency as well. I didn’t need to get injections, they just told me to take supplements and that seemed to help.
They had a hard time figuring out what was causing my issue since I’m not a vegan or vegetarian.
My doctor told me that it’s rare, but your birth control can actually have an affect on your b12 levels.
It might be worth checking out if the issue continues.
Hi Courtney! Happy to hear that you found out what was wrong…. for me it also took them a few months and B12 deficiency definitely has a big impact on the quality of life. For me all went back to normal after 5 years of injections. Doctors don’t know why, but I believe my gut healed itself after a few years of eating healthy and living with less stress. Thanks for the tip about birth control, didn’t know that. Have a great weekend 😉
GOOD ENOUGH
Good article. I have a similar history.
You might want to read up on MTHFR. You may have a genetic condition that limits your B12 absorption directly, or because you aren’t absorbing B9 correctly. Up to 40% of the population have this to various degrees. Taking folic acid (an artificial form of vitamin B9) in any form tends to cause more problems for them. They need their folate from raw, leafy greens, folinic acid, or methylfolate (all forms of B9) as well as B12. That may be why increasing your intake of greens provided relief.
You can find out more at mthfr.net, or get tested at 23andme.com. Identifying and learning about MTHFR can be very significant for those with chronic or “mysterious” health conditions. Since this is all pretty new stuff (the human genome was just mapped in 2002) and most doctors aren’t trained in nutrigenomics, it can be hard to get these issues identified and treated.
Thanks Karilee for the tip. Will definitely look into that! Have a great weekend 😉
Just want to share one other symptoms not discussed. I normally sleep on my side but my hips started hurting every time I tried about a year and a half ago. My mom had hip replacement surgery some time ago so I thought, oh brother, I guess I might be headed for the same surgery. When I finally went to the doctor he said he was pretty sure it was bursitis. He prescribed B-12. Within a couple weeks I could sleep on my side again. I’ve had to adjust the dose and am now taking 5000 the 7500 MG per day but am pain free.
Thanks Val for the addition. Never experienced any issues with sleeping on my side when I was B12 deficient. I’m happy to hear things are working out for you and doctors could pinpoint it to B12 deficiencies.
Hi
Just found out I have a b12 deficiency after every doctor put it down to anxiety.
I have only had 1 injection 2 days ago but not feeling much better yet.
How many injections did you have until you felt the difference? Also how often? My dr said only 1 every 3mths I think that’s nowhere near enough?
Thanks
Melissa
Hi Melissa, normally you should feel the effect quite fast. To be honest I felt the effect almost straight away. They gave me an initial high dose of it to boost my very low levels. I can’t remember how much though. It’s been so long now. Vitamin b12 is water soluble and any excess will be excreted via urine. Hence why I went every 3-4 weeks for new injections of 2 vials of 1 ml. 3 months seems like a long time. At first, a nurse came to our home every 4-6 weeks but I felt very lethargic after 3-4 weeks so they decided to give me 1 injections of 2 vials every 3-4 weeks… as said any excess doesn’t build up in the body since it is water soluble so better get too much then getting too little. Hope this helps. Get better soon.