5 Things You Need to Know About Curing Vitamin B12 Deficiency

1. Diagnosis Is the First Step to Curing Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Getting a correct diagnosis is your first course of action in curing a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Symptoms may appear gradually and include decreased appetite, being tired or weak, weight loss, mood changes, depression or problems with the nervous system. Most people do not seek medical treatment until the condition has developed into anemia. Your doctor will do tests, including blood work, to confirm a Vitamin B12 deficiency. If the anemia is severe, you may need a blood transfusion to increase your red blood cells quickly, depending on the severity and age of the patient.

2. A Shot a Day Helps the B12 Stay

Vitamin B12 deficiencies are treated with a series of Vitamin B12 injections. These are intramuscular injections (injected directly into the muscle). For the first week, you have an injection every day. Then, injections are given once a week for the next four weeks. After that, provided the injections are working, injections are given on a once a month basis. Once the injections start, a noticeable difference in how you feel should take place within several days.

3. Vitamin B12 Supplement Pills

Taking Vitamin B12 supplement pills is another option that your doctor could recommend. If you have a deficiency, regular vitamins will not contain enough Vitamin B12, so your doctor will prescribe a higher dosage than your supplement. Even patients that start with injection treatments can switch to pill supplements with doctor approval. The pills are a popular choice as they're more affordable than the injections.

4. Spray Away Your Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Some patients with a Vitamin B12 deficiency aren't able to tolerate injections and don't like to take supplements in the form of pills. Their doctor may recommend Nascobal, which is a nasal spray to treat the Vitamin B12 deficiency. The nasal spray treatment is more expensive than injections or supplement pills, so not as many patients choose this plan of treatment.

5. Preventative Action Is Your Cure to Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Once a person is diagnosed with Vitamin B12 deficiency, they will need to continue their treatment plan for the rest of their life. Most deficiencies of Vitamin B12 are because the intestines aren't able to absorb enough of the vitamin into the body. Take supplements to avoid future deficiencies or anemia. Eat a proper diet that includes milk, cheeses, eggs and meats with Vitamin B12 and foods with folic acid, like citrus fruits, cereals and leafy green vegetables, which is another Vitamin B type. Regular follow up blood work, doctor exams, taking supplements and proper diet will help keep your Vitamin B12 deficiency from re-occurring.