Fighting Anemia: Tiredness

NanaPat said:

You're right about the mcg for B-12. I misread the label.

My anaemia was so severe when diagnosed that I was hospitalized and transfused. So my "listen to your body" is a bit of do as I say and not as I do.

My hemoglobin, B12, and ferratin were all extremely low. My hemoglobin and B12 bounced back rather quickly with only oral B12 (less than a bottle of B12). The ferratin has been a longer slog: after two years it's stuck in the low-normal range. I didn't realize you can overdose on B12, so thought it was a safe (and cheap) suggestion. I've been taking 1000 units a day for two years with no ill effect, but perhaps I should taper off. I know too much iron can be dangerous (and expensive) so suggested follow-up tests.

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In all the research I've done, (which was extensive due to a chronic health condition I have) I've never come across any reports of overdose of B12. But if you were to take 1000mg might do it That would be multiple bottles of 1000 mcg pills!! B12 is an extremely safe supplement to take. Most vitamins have something called a Upper Limit (UL) which is the maximum daily amount you can take without risk. And the ULs are actually set to err on the side of caution. B12 has no established UL. Essentially, it's so safe that they haven't yet found a limit to its safety. 1000 mcg a day for two years won't harm you. That said, if your B12 levels are adequate and your diet includes foods that provide B12, it may be pointless to keep taking it. But that's an individual decision.

NanaPat said:

You're right about the mcg for B-12. I misread the label.

My anaemia was so severe when diagnosed that I was hospitalized and transfused. So my "listen to your body" is a bit of do as I say and not as I do.

My hemoglobin, B12, and ferratin were all extremely low. My hemoglobin and B12 bounced back rather quickly with only oral B12 (less than a bottle of B12). The ferratin has been a longer slog: after two years it's stuck in the low-normal range. I didn't realize you can overdose on B12, so thought it was a safe (and cheap) suggestion. I've been taking 1000 units a day for two years with no ill effect, but perhaps I should taper off. I know too much iron can be dangerous (and expensive) so suggested follow-up tests.

I know that there both B-12 and iron can be administered by shot, but assume that mnm464s doctor will take care of that if necessary. I managed to come back with only oral supplements, and I was pretty darn sick; I was lurching around like a zombie, which can be amusing for observers but is not so much fun if you're the person doing it.

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Weathergal said:

My understanding is it's best to avoid drinking tea right/before after consuming iron-rich foods to get the most benefit from them. I often have iron-rich breakfast cereal (like Cream of Wheat) and then have a chewable vitamin C right after it. Probably if you wait a bit for the tea (I like tea also), you'd be OK.

Learned this stuff because I used to have problems with anemia.

Just looked up iron absorption/tea because I didn't want to give the wrong advice (I don't have a medical background!), and the U.S. National Institutes of Health said that if you consume something like ascorbic acid/vitamin C as you're consuming iron, it will normally outweigh and any absorption issues from the tea. But it recommends having tea between meals instead of during them to be safe.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

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peg said:

In all the research I've done, (which was extensive due to a chronic health condition I have) I've never come across any reports of overdose of B12. But if you were to take 1000mg might do it That would be multiple bottles of 1000 mcg pills!! B12 is an extremely safe supplement to take. Most vitamins have something called a Upper Limit (UL) which is the maximum daily amount you can take without risk. And the ULs are actually set to err on the side of caution. B12 has no established UL. Essentially, it's so safe that they haven't yet found a limit to its safety. 1000 mcg a day for two years won't harm you. That said, if your B12 levels are adequate and your diet includes foods that provide B12, it may be pointless to keep taking it. But that's an individual decision.

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Ah, I see...I would think that with MOST vitamins, the excess would probably just be discarded by the time it is in the intestines and exit as waste product and wouldn't hurt you?I dunno.

mnm464 said:

Ah, I see...I would think that with MOST vitamins, the excess would probably just be discarded by the time it is in the intestines and exit as waste product and wouldn't hurt you?I dunno.

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No. Some vitamins build up in your system and can reach toxic levels causing symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, bone abnormalities, liver cell damage, nerve damage and others. In rare cases, too much of some vitamins can even cause death (though you would really have to take a huge amount for that to happen). Some are more toxic than others, but most can cause at least some problems in high doses. Vitamin C is generally considered quite safe, but even that has an upper limit of 2,000 mg/day. (Although exceeding that somewhat usually only results in mild adverse effects if at all - like I said, they err on the side of caution in setting the upper limit.) IIRC, B12 may be the only vitamin that has no upper limit. But in general, you do need to be careful with vitamins. Just because something is good for you doesn't mean huge amounts of it are good for you. Also, vitamins can interact with various medications.

Vitamins generally have a recommended daily intake (RDI) amount and an upper limit (UL). In my experience, it's often better to get at least the RDI or a little more, but don't go over the UL unless you have a specific health issue that warrants it and you've consulted with your doctor.

It's always wise to check the RDI and UL for any vitamin you're considering taking (keep in mind that you'll be getting much of the RDI from your diet if you're eating healthy). Here's a site that provides info on each vitamin. If you scroll down, you will find both the RDI and UL for each vitamin listed.
http://www.nutri-facts.org/eng/vitamins/vitamin-a-retinol/at-a-glance/

mnm464 said:

Ah, I see...I would think that with MOST vitamins, the excess would probably just be discarded by the time it is in the intestines and exit as waste product and wouldn't hurt you?I dunno.

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Getting rid of overdoses of vitamins is contingent not just on the vitamin involved, but on how well your kidneys are functioning. Typically, the vitamins and minerals are absorbed into the blood, and the kidneys remove the excess...but not if the kidneys are not working well.

WebMD has a page on vitamin overdose
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/effects-of-taking-too-many-vitamins

http://www.davita.com/kidney-diseas...e-abcs-of-vitamins-for-kidney-patients/e/5311

Some vitamins must be limited or avoided because levels build up in the body as the kidneys stop working.

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You should always consult your doctor about your vitamin usage, rather than just the GNC guy.

If you're just starting on the iron supplements, get ready for some major constipation. It took over a week and a half before I had my first BM after starting on the iron pills. I also took folic acid tab 1mg for my folic acid/vitamin deficiency. Prior to my diagnosis, I was on a strict self-imposed under-1200 calories / day diet so I stopped doing that and started eating regular meals including dinner (had cut out dinner before). I am making progress.

Suze said:

If you're just starting on the iron supplements, get ready for some major constipation. It took over a week and a half before I had my first BM after starting on the iron pills. I also took folic acid tab 1mg for my folic acid/vitamin deficiency. Prior to my diagnosis, I was on a strict self-imposed under-1200 calories / day diet so I stopped doing that and started eating regular meals including dinner (had cut out dinner before). I am making progress.

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Ah...ok aha? So if I understand correctly you were lacking in your diet, but readjusted your diet and are better?

Suze said:

If you're just starting on the iron supplements, get ready for some major constipation. It took over a week and a half before I had my first BM after starting on the iron pills. I also took folic acid tab 1mg for my folic acid/vitamin deficiency. Prior to my diagnosis, I was on a strict self-imposed under-1200 calories / day diet so I stopped doing that and started eating regular meals including dinner (had cut out dinner before). I am making progress.

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The beauty of polysaccharide-iron his that it does not cause constipation! Each pill is also a much higher dose than the ordinary iron pills (iron salts). Downside is that it's more expensive (much more expensive per pill, not so much so when higher dose is factored in). Trade name in Canada is FeraMax 150, but I believe it has different names and slightly different formulations in other countries. Some brands comes with vitamin C in the same pill. It may be prescription-only.

I don't think any of this changes that you should rest. Take a couple of weeks off, rest and fully recover, and then go back to the ice. The ice will still be there and two weeks won't set anything back too far.

UPDATE:It has been several weeks since diagnosis and I feel much much better! I took all the medicines and my energy is better! Thank you for the info and tips/advice! thank you all again!

So glad you're feeling better!

Sorry for the late answer...Anemia is a generic term, as there are many types, some are treatable (deficiencies) some are not (genetic or from chronic illness).
The most frequent treatable anemia is due to an Iron deficit (low hematocrit, low:RBC number, MCV, MCH,MCHC, ferritin). The other deficiency is in megaloblastic anemia (B12 and/or Folic Acid). This one has low number of RBC, high MCV, normal MCH and MCHC, multi segmented nuclei in neutrophil granulocytes. Megaloblastic anemia has many causes...that impair DNA in red blood cells formation in the bone marrow. Please don't take neither Iron nor B12, folic acid without a proper diagnosis. Too much Iron is dangerous. B12 an Folic acid are not as bad if taken by mistake. Still you have to know what type of anemia you have!