Metformin - B12 Deficiency!!!!!

Some helpful guidance from the Mayo clinic about calcium supplementation and safety:-http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calcium-supplements/art-20047097

Dark Horse said:

Some helpful guidance from the Mayo clinic about calcium supplementation and safety:-http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calcium-supplements/art-20047097

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A very interesting website from a well respected source. Thank you for sharing this. It is very informative and concise.

It would be advisable to have your serum calcium levels checked before taking a calcium supplement
CAROL

I take steroids so am taking Calcium supplements with vitamin D every day. and have done so for some time, so far so good I do not know what B12 is at the moment.

al_leister said:

A couple of months ago I began taking a B12 supplement!


Conclusions Long term treatment with metformin increases the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency, which results in raised homocysteine concentrations. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is preventable; therefore, our findings suggest that regular measurement of vitamin B-12 concentrations during long term metformin treatment should be strongly considered.

http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c2181


B12 deficiency

http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-b12/evidence/hrb-20060243

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Could eating Marmite be the answer to vitamin B-12 deficiency?!

100gms of marmite = 15micro grams of B12 600% of NRV.

4gms = 0.6 Micro gms 24% of NRV

So could be of help if you could get anyone to eat eat that is.

This old chestnut keeps arising, and it is sort of confirmed that all diabetics and even older people may well be deficient. I am on insulin and if I stop my B12 then I get clicky middle finger and really painful left shoulder joint. Also I have atheritose in my knees and the doctor who did my miniscus the other day was amazed that I did not have knee pains. I told our diabetic doctor some 6 years ago about US findings, and she surreptitiously sent another client for tests. It was found I was correct, and suddenly his Alzheimers improved dramatically as did his joint pains. A collegeu here in France had for many years shoulder pains in the left elbow, I gave him a pot of Marmite, and said have 2 teaspoonfuls with each meal over the weekend. On the Monday I visited and with his left arm got a bottle of whisky down from his top shelf!
Need I say more. Get the tablets and take them you cannot overdose anyway as the body rejects too much B12. Everybody over say 60 should take them!

what about if you have marmite on toast? Will that sort it out and How much and how often I guess?
Aside from the toast element being carbs etc.

Just a few thoughts about metformin blocking absorption of B12. Firstly, it's in the metformin info leaflet that 1 in 10,000 are liable for this to happen (including me!). Secondly, when I was diagnosed I went to the Pernicious Anaemia Society website for information and it's extremely helpful. Things I have learnt are (a) injections are the best way of giving B12 (b) there's no point in a blood test after starting injections because it appears to remain in the blood without necessarily reaching the cells it's supposed to reach. There is guidance from the British Society of Haematologists (I think) on recommended treatment. It's all on the PAS site and in their Forum. In the meantime, I' m trying to get myself off metformin with the LCHF diet . . .

Hi all - I am not yet on Metaformin (though the doctor has prescribed them for me). I told her I wish to delay start - in favour of attempting to take control myself to try to lower my blood glucose by buying a test meter, then changing my lifestyle to LOW CARB/HIGH FAT/NO ADDED SUGAR for the recommended 10 weeks (before it really kicks in and bloods may record a better story).

I pointed out to the doctor (not specifically a diabetes doctor) that I was having numb/tingling in my left foot, and my leg felt like it was wooden; not very responsive and making walking difficult. She just tested my pulse and said it was better in that foot than the right one! Eh!? It's not about pulse, its about nerves surely - I thought. So I did some reading and started myself off on B12 (just the dissolvable ones at this time). However I intend to go onto/buy the Methylcobalamin type of B12 as I have read it is far better than other types. Even so I am quite sure the peripheral neuropathy in my left foot/leg has definitely improved on what it was already.

I go back for the next blood test/review with the diabetic nurse on Thursday - so will see what she has to say. I don't however expect a big change as the blood test will be for the whole of the last 3 months, and I have only been on this lifestyle change since 5th June'16. The next one should/could be very much better. Time will tell. Not sure if that is of any use to anyone, but it's what I have read and experienced thus far! Regards, Alison

Hi all, I've been reading this post with interest. I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia before type 2 diabetes and metformin was prescribed.
Like chrismk I can highly recommend the pernicious anaemia society. There is all sorts of info on their website and they have forums like this one if you need to ask for help etc. I've found them an invaluable resource for info and how to approach my gp etc.

here is another chunk of information. the reference to vitamin B12 and Metaformin is well down.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

simonseaford said:

what about if you have marmite on toast? Will that sort it out and How much and how often I guess?
Aside from the toast element being carbs etc.

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marmite is better than marmalade when on toast. I have 1 slice most days, and my bgl is within my target range.

Ref Metformin B12 Deficiency. I have now been on 500mg Metformin since March this year. My fasting reading are always around 5 mmol and my 2 hour after meals are never higher than 9-10 mmol. My problem is in the last few weeks I have gone extremely tired again,similar to when I was diagnosed last year! In fact I am more tired,lethargic.lacklustre, than I was before diagnosis! I use to walk 5 times a week for an hour,I cant walk to the top of the street now!

When I read this post I wondered if it could be due to the B12 deficiency caused by Metformin? I dont eat meat,and have oily fish 2-3 times a week max,plus I have soya Milk daily though. I am considering going back to doctors because of the extreme tiredness,just wondering if it could be B12 deficiency please?

Mymuppy said:

Hello Gloucester girl, im kathy, (mymuppy), I was reading your postings just now...I have written recently concerning Metformin, I take 500 per day, I said, that I was having severe side effects, so stopped taking my metformin, it's a bit more involved with other meds, but I continue regarding Metformin....I knew that this medication had helped people in the past, not necessarily diabetic, for weight control and another lady had said, it's good for the heart, I have a pacemaker, a year next month, and after seeing the G.P., he said, do take the Metformin, that's all really. So I now take 1 x 500 every other day! The severe side effects have eased to more tolerable level...but I'm not happy really. I was surprised to see that it was prescribed to you for weight loss! I took it upon myself to take, B12, Vit, D, B6, and I do try but my gastritis will not allow to eat food with kerotin in it as it's good for, skin, hair, nails...I had gone to grey skin, loss of hair, and my finger nails peeling, the GP never offered me B12 injection? It's taken 2 years to not look so grey, my hair has stopped falling out, fingers x, only a couple of finger nails are peeling, my 7 day average testing is 7.4., I really am considering stopping again? Sorry I've gone on to long....thank you kathy

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I had low B12, and was told in no uncertain terms to take "Methyl Cobalamin orally rather than Cyanocobalamin shots! The Methyl really works well for me im happy to say!

Galja said:

Ya gotta be careful of the Mayo clinic on Diabetes advice. I was just looking at their high carb low fat suggestions in their Diabetes recipes today like some kind of apple dish with brown sugar in the dip expecting someone to stop at half an apple and still high carb, a personal pizza, several pasta dishes and the beat goes on. Some of their materials are great but even in the article above, food sources of calcium are not as encouraged as they should be. like fish where you eat the bones.

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Sounds about right for a High Carb Low Fat (HCLF) diet. Personally I follow LCHF instead. Mayo is obviously not latched onto the LC bandwagon yet, along with many other institutions we come across. Mayo are more reknowned for their cancer research and are not diabetes specialists.

I have noticed on the recipe pages here that Okra which is known to block the action of Metformin is included in a couple of recipes.

Any way to get back on topic sort of my daughter is forty years of age and is severely deficient in B12 and also was found to be very deficient in calcium as her Parathyroid glands no longer work causing hypocalcaemia so B12 deficiency can have any number of causes and should be thoroughly investigated before leaping to any conclusions.

al_leister said:

180 tablets, 1000 ug, £9.95 + £1.00 delivery.
http://www.naturesbest.co.uk/vitamin-b12-1000-methylcobalamin-p621/?src=gonato
No dextrose in the ingredients!

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Apparently the RDA for B12 is 2.4 mcg per day for adults, so 1000 mcg tablet is a bit excesssive. Caveat Emptor.