Vitamin B-12 Side Effects in Alzheimer's
Good Morning - I have a question to ask. My mom was diagnosis of dementia since 2008. I recently found out from her family doctor saying she stopped taking vitamin b-12 injection monthly since May 2011. Just few minutes ago, I reminded her of her doctor appointment this coming Thursday & she totally forgot, but will remind her tomorrow again, and I told her that I would like her to go back on vitamin b-12 monthly shot to help with her memory, but she have other health issues as well. My mom said that taking monthly vitamin b-12 injection is making her sick??? Do you know if taking monthly vitamin b-12 injection have side effects?
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Hi,
Nancy is right, check with your mom's doctor about the Vitamin B12. As far as I know there are no negative side effects to receiving the shot if one is deficient in B12.
In fact according to the research, Vitamin B12 may help protect against Alzheimer's disease. Studies suggest that people with more of the active part of the vitamin in their blood have a lower risk of developing the disease.
Certain B vitamins - folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 - are known to control levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, and high levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
So researchers set out to see whether supplements of the B vitamins that lower homocysteine could slow the higher rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy, observed in mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s.
The article, "Folic Acid + B6 + B12 Slows Memory Decline" discusses the clinical trials and the results.
The results that were published are as follows:
‘These are immensely promising results but we do need to do more trials to conclude whether these particular B vitamins can slow or prevent development of Alzheimer’s. So I wouldn’t yet recommend that anyone getting a bit older and beginning to be worried about memory lapses should rush out and buy vitamin B supplements without seeing a doctor,’ he said.
Many people, especially the elderly are deficient in Vitamin B12. Deficiency in Vitamin B12 can cause symptoms that mimic dementia, such as confusion and forgetfulness. Symptoms of B12 deficiency often go undiagnosed. This is largely because there are a variety of symptoms and very often they can be mistaken for something else. For example, many of the early b12 vitamin deficiency symptoms are often brushed off as the normal signs of aging.
Therefore, it is important to check with mom's doctor and have B12 levels checked, as a deficiency of B12 can be reversed with treatment.
Hope this is helpful,
Dina
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10/11/11 Welcome,
I am not Nurse Dina but the daughter of a Mom entering the final phases of Alzheimer's. My Mom always had anemia problems and was on once a month B-12 shot because she could not tolerate the iron pill. In Mom's case I saw no evidence that the B-12 shots she took for about 11 years helped her retain her memory.
When my Mom went into hospice service in April, they discontinued the shot for 2 reasons. (1) there is a supply shortage and they had difficulty getting the B-12 dosage Mom needed for the shot. (2) the shot never helped her memory loss and did little to keep her away from anemia.
What type of dementia does your Mother have?
Rather than depend on what your Mother has to say about stopping the B12 shot, I would recommend you talk with her doctor directly. Also, if your Mother says the B-12 shot is making her sick, again --- talk with her doctor about it.
One of the many things I learned over the years --- at a certain point my Mom's Alzheimer's was so affecting her rational thinking capabilities that I could not trust some of the things she said. So, I always talked with her doctor if I had questions. And, I always was in the room with her and the doctor for any and all meetings.
Please let us know how things turn out.
Nancy