vitamins

Women's health
1

Hi all.

I just want to say that having been on vitamin b6 and b12 for about a week I have definitely noticed a difference with the anxiety. I feel less worried about things and generally brighter. Thank you particularly to Jay for all the information and advice.

Helen x

2

Great news helen. Will definitely give it a try as I've just come off HRT after 24 years so I'm looking to trying something to help me through the withdrawal symptoms.

3

Hi Helen 

your welcome 😊 thanks for kind words 

thats great news ..

they made a real difference to me .. Energy, went up anxiety went down ..

i take 150mg B6 daily 

and i recommend B12 Methyl  5000mcg ( ug)  Cherry Flavour ..

The higher the B12 mcg the better they are ..

i take other supplements too 😃

jay xx

 

4

Hi Helen

Thats great news 😊 I'm so pleased for you ! definitely going to start them myself now x long may it last x

5

Yippeeeeeee 😊

6

I know 😊 woohoo ! Watch this space xx

7

😃

be no stopping you in a couple of weeks ..

good luck hun..

they are just vitamins they wont hurt you 

jay xx

8

Hi Helen, yes B vitamins definitely helped with my anxiety, also I am practicing relaxation techniques every day for at least 20 minutes, which really helps also.  As when I feel myself getting anxious I revert back to my practicing relaxation techniques.  

9

Hi Helen. Like you, I've taken Jay's advice and am taking natural supplements and the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning was that I don't feel anxious anymore. The anxiety was becoming quite a problem, debilitating almost. Every new twinge brought with it thoughts of my impending death. But those feelings have gone, thank goodness. Glad to hear you are also feeling better x

10

Hi Helen,

I to after reading on here about vit b6 decided to give it a go. Been taking it about 3 weeks now and I feel a lot brighter in myself too. I have felt fed up and have been really bad tempered ( like having constant pmt lol). I am going to try b12 as well.

I am wondering if I should request gp to to blood tests to find out what levels all my vitamin levels are at. I to wish to thank Jay for all her support on this forum. Xx

11

Hi Joy 

thats great.. 

B6 is like little drops of heaven for the menopausal body ..

helps aches, anxiety, etc etc 

You can request a B12 serum blood test.. But do not take any B12 before having it ..

B12 is also another we lack in menopause.. you cannot overdose on it 

so if levels are ok, B12 can still boost energy..

what the body doesnt need we tend to pass in urine..

jay x

12

That is so interesting. Thank you so much for your advice. Got doc appt Monday and want to request blood test for Vitamin levels. As well as starting to have perimenopausal symptoms I also have a struggling thyroid and am on low dose of thyroxine and have suffered low vit d and very low ferritin. The last year has been difficult to say the least. Just keep trying to understand what's happening to me lol. Now reading up on everything. The most worrying thing is hair loss.

Thanking you again for your suppirt

13

Hi Joy

oh poor you. So your Vit D difficient, low iron and thyroid ..

are you taking iron supps and Vit D supps now ..

well low iron can cause Vit B12 defficiency too ..

so have a B12 serum test for sure ..

jay x

jay x

14

Useful info ..

Iron, Anemia, Ferritin and Fatigue

Iron, B12, and Folic Acid

Iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid are very important components of overall health.

They are each required to make red blood cells, which in turn carry oxygen throughout the body.

Without adequate iron we can become anemic. Anemia causes fatigue and poor cognitive function.

Anemia

Anemia is a common blood disorder, which is either a decreased number of red blood cells (RBCs) and/or poorly formed red blood cells.

There are many different types of anemia, the most common types being iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, and folic acid deficiency anemias. Iron deficiency anemia shows up on your Complete Blood Count (CBC) as a low RBC count, low hematocrit (Hct), or low hemoglobin (Hgb).

However, low iron status will show up long before anemia if ferritin is measured. B12 and folic acid deficiency anemias show up as unusually large red blood cells.

Ferritin

Ferritin is the form in which iron is stored in the tissues of the body, particularly the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

Ferritin is a protein complex that contains iron.

Ferritin decreases long before iron deficiency anemia shows up on your CBC.

Therefore measuring ferritin is the optimal way to determine your actual iron status. A satisfactory ferritin level is generally over 50 and not much higher than 200.

A ferritin level less than 30 indicates iron deficiency, and less than 18 can indicate absent iron stores.

If you do not adequately raise your ferritin level then you are much more susceptible to repeatedly becoming anemic and may have difficulty breaking out of a cycle of frequent anemia.

A high ferritin level may indicate the need for further testing in order to rule out iron overload.

Supplementing with Iron

Never take iron unless blood tests demonstrate that you are deficient in iron. Excess iron can cause symptoms similar to iron deficiency and can be very toxic, leading to liver damage.

If you have an iron deficiency on your CBC, this will generally respond fairly rapidly to iron supplementation.

However, it can take 6-12 months to increase iron stores (ferritin) to an adequate level, depending upon how iron deficient you are.

Therefore it is important to continue to take iron until you have raised your ferritin level to a satisfactory level, even though your CBC may be normal.

It is important to monitor your iron supplementation with follow-up blood tests to check your CBC and your ferritin.

This is necessary to determine that the treatment is working, that you reach an adequate ferritin level, and that you do not take excess iron.

High Quality Iron vs. Low Quality Iron

Low quality iron supplements, such as iron oxide and iron sulfate, are poorly absorbed and often cause digestive problems such as an upset stomach and constipation. Fortunately, this is often avoidable.

High quality iron comes in the form of iron picolinate, iron glycinate, or iron citrate, which are much better absorbed and do not cause side effects. Liquid iron and time release iron capsules are also less likely to cause digestive upset.

It is wise to include folic acid and vitamin B12 in your iron supplement, because these nutrients are also required to form RBCs.

 

15

Hi jay,

I was vit d deficient end part of last year.

Vitamin D - A Low level is 50 . Mine was 35 in Oct 2013 . Given 4 months supply of. Colecalciferol (vit d3) 20000u caps - given 20 (4months supply) 1 a week

My ferritin level was low at 23 last Oct. Was put on iron tablets 210mg x3 per day. At July this year got it up to 121 so doc now reduced it to 1x per day. I needed to get this level up high to help with hair loss. I also have very eractic heavy periods and fibroids !!!

Was put on thyroxine in March this year (low dose)

I feel like I have totally fallen to pieces at 49. Have had so much going wrong all at the same time that it's been hard working out what has caused what if that makes any sense . 

This is why I have now learnt through reading the forums that I must make sure my vitamin levels r optimal. As I said the vit b6 has helped my mood. I hate being grumpy it's just not me. If fact I don't know who me is anymore after all of the above lol

Thanks for your support xx

16

Hi Joy..

blimey i bet you felt so exhausted before you were diagnosed..

i hope your feeling better now ..

i am age 50 ... 

when i was in peri ( had a 10 year peri) 

i had weird blood results back from time to time..

i had a couple saying chlorestrol high ..

and a border line type 2 diabetes result once ..

high platelets ..

docs were as shocked as me, as i eat well, dont drink or smoke, and only weigh 125lb..

i still check my blood sugars.. And they always okay.. but not borderline now 

chlorestrol  fine now ..

peri seems to send everything crazy .. 

it gets better .. I am post meno now ... all settling it seems .. 

take care Joy

jay x

 

17

Went to docs today. Asked for vit b6 and b12, magnesium and zinc to be checked. Got told they don't check vit b6 on NHS. Also told that eating a well balanced diet should mean that none of your vitamin levels should be low !!! That blood testing is expensive. 

Replied.... I suffer with under active thyroid (on medication) just starting to get peri menopausal symptoms and have hair loss. Just need to make sure that all my levels in everything r optimal in the hope of feeling the old me. 

They try and be polite but really I don't think they understand how dreadful it can make you feel. Then says try not to worry to much!!!