This blog post will walk you through: vitamin b12 levels. Don’t worry, we’ve got all the answers about this subject.
Do I Need The Test?
They suspect you have a medical condition that affects how well your body absorbs B12. You have symptoms linked to low B12 levels. You follow a vegan or strict vegetarian diet.
Among the most common are drugs to help treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Metformin, a drug for diabetes, also may interfere with B12 absorption. If you’re not taking any of these medications or haven’t been diagnosed with pernicious anemia or other health problems that might cause lower B12 levels, your doctor may order the test based on your symptoms and dietary or health history.
Common symptoms of low vitamin B12 include: Fatigue
Fuzzy thinking
Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet
Headaches
Moodiness These could be signs of many conditions.
How Much To Get?
How The Test Is Performed
Certain medicines may affect the results of this test. Your health care provider will tell you if you need to stop taking any medicines.
Contents
General symptoms of anaemia may include: extreme tiredness (fatigue)
lack of energy (lethargy)
breathlessness
feeling faint
headaches
pale skin
noticeable heartbeats (palpitations)
hearing sounds coming from inside the body, rather than from an outside source (tinnitus)
loss of appetite and weight loss
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency If you have anaemia caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency, you may have other symptoms, such as: a pale yellow tinge to your skin
a sore and red tongue (glossitis)
mouth ulcers
pins and needles (paraesthesia)
changes in the way that you walk and move around
disturbed vision
irritability
depression
changes in the way you think, feel and behave
a decline in your mental abilities, such as memory, understanding and judgement (dementia) Some of these symptoms can also happen in people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency but have not developed anaemia. Symptoms of folate deficiency Additional symptoms in people with anaemia caused by a folate deficiency can include: symptoms related to anaemia
reduced sense of taste
diarrhoea
numbness and tingling in the feet and hands
muscle weakness
depression
When to see a GP See a GP if you’re experiencing symptoms of vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia. It’s important for vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.