Really scared I have my first injection in half n hour I suffer from bad anxiety and agoraphobia and don't even take paracetamol or antibiotics because just incase they make me feel strange of different I am so scared of these injections because I don't want to feel a way I don't like and not be able to stop it please can someone give me a bit of help orguidance on what am I should expect from these injections and what they are going to make me feel please xx
Hi Chloendaisy,
Please don 't worry about them, they may sting a bit to have them, but after that no major issues to concern you. With luck you will be feeling much better. In my own case the nurse kept asking me each time I went in "How are you today, do you feel better?" I can honestly say that for the whole fortnight I felt no different. It takes a bit of time for any benefits to show, especially if you have been low on B12 for a while. Good luck, and let us know how you get on? Marion xx
Hi thanks a lot for your input I am in the doctors now shaking like a leaf I just do to want a rush of energy and not be able to calm my self down x
Poor love. There's nothing to be scared of. The jabs don't hurt and you are very unlikely to get any sudden or unpleasant effects.
Actually, one of the symptoms of B12 deficiency is depression and anxiety, so there's a possibility you may feel more upbeat, though probably not immediately.
If you are at the start of the 6-jabs-over-two-weeks "loading" period, don't expect to feel much effect for up to 3 weeks. Get plenty of iron (tablets and in your diet) and be kind to yourself.
Everyone's B12 deficiency symptoms are different, so their response to B12 injections is very variable.
I suffered from depression and anxiety all my life worsening as I got older (I'm 58). But my B12 deficiency was only spotted 8 months ago when I became physically weak and exhausted. I can't help wonder if I've been B12 deficient for many, many years.
B12 injections are very safe, with few side effects. After all, they are just correcting a shortage in your normal biochemistry. You should start to feel stronger, have more energy and feel "normally" positive.
Have you looked at the list of symptoms of B12 deficiency on the PA Society's website? You might find them interesting. I had insomnia and terribly hot feet, but thought it was the menopause. The jabs cured both of those very quickly, and - surprise, surprise - I'm not menopausal either!
Try to relax and just note any improvements in your diary. You may find it rewarding.
All the best.
Has your depression and anxiety got any better with having the injections x
Hmmm.......that's difficult to answer. The trouble is, you can never look at the impact of anything on your mood in absolute isolation. So many other things have an influence on one's feelings, that it's hard to be sure.
Since I started the jabs life hasn't dealt me any exceptionally hard blows, so I've not "tested" it really. In the past I've found it a struggle to recover from things like bereavement, divorce, etc., and easy to be stressed, anxious, negative and gloomy.
But I think I detect a more philosophical tendency now. Mind you, that could just be maturity ; ) I'm probably more optimistic now I'm able to metabolise a bit of energy and feel less like a fat, stiff, breathless old woman!
Now I just have to get the flab I've accumulated back off, get my broken toe fixed and get on with my life. I try to approach everything as an adventure, or a learning curve.
Can I suggest you monitor your own progress with the B12 jabs - say by scoring your mood each day out of ten, and see if you can detect a rise? Then report your findings to the forum. It may help others and that is always rewarding.
That's a good idea I will I have put of the injection till next week now I have built the hole situation up far to much and need to give my self chance to calm down and rationalise the situation other wise am just going to be mess I really don't deal with change to well I struggle everyday with anxiety it's awful I am currently having graded Pheropy which is very difficult to deal with but it has to be done x
That's a pity. I think you will find the injections very straightforward and, if your B12 is very low they could really help.
What's "graded Pheropy"? Is it phobia therapy for the agoraphobia?
Was it your anxiety that led your doctors to test your B12 levels, or other symptoms? Do you know what your current B12 level is?
I understand very well how any change can be upsetting if you suffer from anxiety. I think we depressives kinda "hug" our depression to us, not letting it escape in case it gets out of control and turns into something scary like a "high". We are afraid of "going mad", or having to "come down" to being low again. It's a case of better-the-devil-you-know, eh? But you know this is not going to fix it.
Controlling our moods by avoiding change could be a defence against bi-polar, or a fear of being happy which could be strange and alarming - even "dangerous". Falling in love is "dangerous" - it makes us vulnerable to pain. But nobody wants to live without love.
You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
I can easily see how a biochemical imbalance could trigger or contribute to emotional problems, or just make it harder to get over them..
I think you would find any change slow and subtle, not frightening at all. Please go back and have your first injection. Is there anyone who could go with you to provide support?
Yer it's basically walking / driving untill the panic sets in and stay in the situation till it all calms down a lot harder then it sounds when your petrified of having the panic in the first place,
My level was at 150 and my vit d level is at 53
I struggle to eat full meals I weight 6st5 but I am only tiny I am 4ft11 and am 24 so very young to be going through it not a clue really were it all came from just something that gradually got worse as I got older started avoiding situations long car travels then it was avoiding anything higher then 2 stories and busses and then in February that was the last straw I completly stopped going everywhere managed to get to doctors and they just have me anti ds which I wouldn't take and that's when the fear of all tablets started it's been a sh*t ride if am going to be honest have to get someone else to take my daughter to school can't even baby sit anyone's kids or have the nice over to stay without someone been here with me at all times it's like it every day the only piece I get from my self is when am asleep or shattered which I think is why I worrie so much about the injections because I like been tierd all the time because it means I can chill out instead of been on edge all day,
I went to the doctors to have a pill check which I also no longer take and I said I was shattered all the time and I have always stuggles with my iron I have had to have blood transfusions in the past it was that bad so she did a blood test to check my iron levels and liver and kidneys thyroid and bit levels x
Hi Chloendaisy, so sorry to hear you felt unable to have your first B12 injection. I think that Bluemaran has given you some good advice. If your B12 is very low it will increase feelings of depression and anxiety. I hope that by next week you will be feeling stronger and if you have a friend who can go along with you that will help too.
Please let us know how you get on with everything, and know that everyone on here will understand what it feels like.
Marion xx
I wonder if the anxiety attacks were initiated by a particular stress, exascerbated by underlying nutritional problems - vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example: becoming a mum can trigger depression, anxiety and phobias, and it's also a drain on your physical resources.
Panic attacks are self-perpetuating to a degree - fear of fear. And you get upset because you can't understand why you feel like this.
You are petite anyway, and some vitamin deficiencies might reduce your appetite. So this is also self-perpetuating - not eating enough to get the vitamins you need to recover.
Take anti-depressants and you are no longer entirely "in control". You WANT to be in control - that's the whole point, right?
Anxiety burns energy, so by the end of the day you can sleep. But you wake next morning wired to the moon, and the cycle begins again.
OK. Life throws c--p at us, and mostly we scrape it off and carry on because we are pretty tough, rational creatures. "S--t happens" and we are programmed to survive. But if our nutritional needs are not being met the processes required for this recovery begin to falter. Stress can be cumulative, and there is no formula for how much we can handle before we "malfunction".
My own bloods showed that I was running low in most nutrients, not just B12 and iron, despite a good appetite, fresh and varied diet and active outdoor life. So something is evidently amiss.
Try to direct your excess adrenalin into finding out about all your blood readings, especially the nutritional ones, and addressing them. Your goal should be to provide your body with all the materials it needs to repair the way your mind is working.
I've nothing against cognitive therapy (if it helps you to recognise a root cause of unhappiness or provides a temporary "coping" strategy), but I'm wary of lazy doctors who use anti-depressants like a Bandaid.
You want to be WELL not just so doped that you quit complaining! : )
Now, go get the B12 jabs and ask for a list of all your blood readings. If any are poor (normal ranges should be quoted), ask your doctor to explain why, and what he is doing about them.
They key to getting well is knowledge. The internet is your friend.
I know this is an old post. But I wanted to comment that b12 150 is way too low. Hope you had the injections. Best.
Hey there. I read this and felt your pain so much. I know this is old but I had to reach out. I am also suffering from anxiety and just got diagnosed with low b12 and low Vit D. I am supposed to take b12 injections but I'm so scared too! I'm afraid it will give me too much energy and freak me out. It is so scary. I'm curious to know if you have taken vitamins and are feeling any better??? Please let me know if you see this!
That is what i actually felt when i was in your position. x(
Hi I was just wondering if and how you managed to resolve this phobia ?
How are you cloendaisy1990? My Mom and Aunt have depression and anxiety and the B12 helped them dramatically. I would get support and counseling and if necessary anything calming you can take to get through this, what you are suffering with is far worse than the shot. If you have methylcobalamin compounded it absorbs easiest to be most useful naturally in the body. As thes lovely people stated here look at diet, GI health is often overlooked, you will need a naturally focused support for this to do it right and feel right. For me just going gluten-frree got rid of my anxiety and starving feelings. I finally found a good doctor that will help with my injections and that is crucial as oral B12 won't help if you have underlying issues, which you clearly do just by acknowledging here what your complaints are. Please if you have not done this please find the help you need to get it, many prayers and blessings on your journey.
Hi Maria - I have also been diagnosed with Vitamin D and Vitamin B 12 deficiency.
Have you taken the supplements ?? How's was your experience??
I just had my shots (3 shots) last week. It stings a bit. I am going to be honest the area where i got injected (bum) pained for a day or so. After getting injections, i felt more weak, dizzy all the time, warm flushes, more anxiety. I got to know that it's the side effects. It was my experience. Every body is different. I hope you had you feel well.