Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder that can cause severe pain. Vitamin B12 is important for maintaining the health of your nerves. There is some evidence that receiving vitamin B12 shots may help in treating fibromyalgia, but there is no conclusive evidence that vitamin B12 can directly treat fibromyalgia, so talk to your doctor before receiving vitamin B12 injections.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain throughout your body, particularly in your muscles, tendons, joints and other soft tissues. It is not known what causes fibromyalgia, which also makes it difficult to treat. The pain may wax and wane throughout the day or remain constant. Other associated symptoms include palpitations, problems with memory and concentration, numbness or tingling, irritable bowel syndrome and migraine headaches.
Fibromyalgia and Homocysteine Levels
Vitamin B12 levels may affect fibromyalgia by regulating the levels of another substance in the body known as homocysteine. A study published in a 1997 issue of the "Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology" found that people who suffered from fibromyalgia had increased levels of homocysteine in their cerebral spinal fluid. The researchers hypothesized that vitamin B12 deficiencies caused the increased homocysteine levels, which suggests that vitamin B12 injections could help prevent or treat fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia and S-adenosylmethionine
Another way that vitamin B12 injections could help fibromyalgia is due to their effect on S-adenosylmethionine, also known as SAMe. SAMe is often used as a treatment for fibromyalgia and can help relieve some of the pain, fatigue and depression associated with this condition. Levels of SAMe in your body are affected by your vitamin B12 levels, and a lack of vitamin B12 can cause reduced SAMe.
Considerations
Although vitamin B12 injections do have potential as a treatment for fibromyalgia, there are no studies that directly examine the effects of vitamin B12 injections on humans suffering from fibromyalgia. This means it is impossible to determine if vitamin B12 injections can have any benefit for people who suffer from this disease. Talk to your doctor before receiving vitamin B12 injections or any other treatment for fibromyalgia.
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