well, it WAS helping....

[Erin]

Well, it's been about 2 or 3 weeks of taking the B12. I know it's not supposed to work immediately, but I felt that it was helping me after about a week. The numbness wasnt driving me absolutely batty...that lasted about a week and a half.

Now I'm back to being driven batty. The numbness/whatever B12 deficiency problem feels much worse than it did. I've read that sometimes after you start the B12, you'll actually feel worse for a bit and then it starts to improve.

Is that true?

I'm about to start popping the supplements like they're Tic Tacs...

I upped my dosage to about the 1000mcg a day, give or take a (100mcg) pill.

I dont know if I'm feeling worse right now because I've got tonsilitis and am just feeling crummy from that, or what...

It's amazing that I've stuck with the vitamin supplements this long...usually when I start something like this, I'll do good for a week or so and then kind of forget it.

by the way...would B12 supplements cause a sore throat, or dry eyes?

[rose]

Many people have a honeymoon period beginning within days to weeks, followed by the body getting down to serious work on damage. During that work it is not uncommon for symptoms to temporarily worsen.

Repair is often not a linear process.

You never know what has been affected in an individual. We vary tremendously. I doubt the sore throat, but I wouldn't be surprised if some have such subtle dry eyes that when the work begins it seems like a new symptom.

That's the way it goes sometimes. Only time will tell. At least B12 is inexpensive and safe.

rose

[Erin]

Since I was starting to run low on my B12 that I was taking, tonight I finally got myself a bottle of pre-natal vitamins. (and the sales lady at the pharmacy gave it to me half off, since they only had one bottle left and it was "buy 1, get 1") I've had several people here and at other forums say that I need to have other stuff to go along with the B12 so (I'm guessing) everything in my body chemistry stays in sync...

I'm going to start the pre-natal vitamin in the morning. (I get insomnia sometimes and not sure if the vitamins will affect that) If anything some of the other stuff in the pre-natals might help my tonsilitis get better faster.

I really hope my problem is a vitamin deficiency, that sounds like a much better problem to have to deal with than any of the scary (uncurable) neuro problems that could be what's screwing me up.

[nopain]

If you have a very specific deficiency you will benefit from supplementing that substance. But you need to remember the body is a whole. And you need to take care of your ENTIRE body. The average supplement warrants about 10% absorption. So unless otherwise indicated - take them with food and some kind of healthy fat - olive oil, coconut oil, walnuts, almonds (be careful if you have allergies and try to get organic to avoid toxins such as with peanuts).

Take a hard look at your diet. If you drink soda eat red meat (cornfed grainfed) refined grains (white flour), sugars etc. You are in for a much longer road to health. Your body needs to adjust to healthy eating again.

If you eat pre made foods out of boxes cans or bottles you are not giving your body what it needs. Eat foods fresh!!! Eat fruits and veggies and only free range anti-biotic and hormone free meats (and in moderation on the meat). Learn about healthy oils, Omega 3 Fats. Learn to avoid Trans Fats. Throw away the table salt and buy sea salt and use less of it. When you cut out premade foods you cut out huge amounts of sodium chloride which is a good thing. Read about flax oil and consider integrating it into your diet.

In the Naturopathic world there is something referred to as "die off" (Some MD's don't like to buy into this... good for them, I don't care) which means as your body is becoming more healthy toxins and wastes are eliminated. Well they don't just get up and go without a fight. The hit the circulation and run through the body to the liver, the skin, the kidneys to be excreted. This makes you feel ill. No one who is chronically ill is going to get better in a week because they take one supplement.

Remember when you had a cold. Your body feels ill, fights it and then eliminates it. During this process you fell sick. Same process with Die Off.

So if you truly want to feel good again... take a hard look at your diet and fix it.

[MotherMoon]

I found that about a week or two after I started shots, I got an infection in my gum around a new crown. That really set me back. I got way worse than I was before beginning my B12 shots. Give your body time to heal. Rest, drink lots, eat well and take your supplements.