Dosages for Older People
By taking supplements, you will ensure that your body absorbs vitamin B12. Additionally, there is no way that you will overdose on B12, so don't worry about taking too much.
Around 50% to 98% of vitamin B12 is excreted from the body 48 hours after injection. Research shows that vitamin B12 has a half-life of 6 days in the blood, making it six days before the administered amount gets excreted from your body.
In rare cases, people who take high doses of vitamin B for a long period of time may experience extreme numbness or a tingling sensation. In some patients, tingling sensation is experienced mostly in the right side of the body. This symptom is one of the early warning indicators of Vitamin B12 overdose.
Elevated levels of serum cobalamin may be a sign of a serious, even life-threatening, disease. Hematologic disorders like chronic myelogeneous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera and also the hypereosinophilic syndrome can result in elevated levels of cobalamin.
The main neurological symptoms include: paraesthesia [8–12], ataxia [9–12], and limb weakness [9, 11]. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms associated with B12 deficiency include, delusions [12, 13], irritability [13, 14], and decreased interest [15, 16].
Although it's less common, people with vitamin B12 deficiency caused by a prolonged poor diet may be advised to stop taking the tablets once their vitamin B12 levels have returned to normal and their diet has improved.
Can you overdose on vitamin B12? Overdosing on vitamin B12 is unlikely. Because vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a water-soluble vitamin and your body excretes it daily in your urine, it doesn't build up in the body like fat-soluble vitamins—like vitamin D—do.
One Possibility: Supplement Allergies
Thus if you're otherwise healthy but still continue to feel tired after taking a B-12 supplement, it could be a sign of a mild allergic reaction. If a rash, difficulty breathing or swelling coincides with taking your dose of B-12, get to the doctor right away.
Interactions between your drugs. No interactions were found between Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
With that in mind, let's go back to our initial question: how much vitamin B12 should a person over 65 take? Recent reports suggest that, along with a B12-rich diet, consuming 500 micrograms of B12 in the form of a supplement may help individuals over 65 maintain healthy vitamin B12 levels [2].
Water soluble vitamins, like B12, can be tolerated at higher doses without adverse effects upon the body, and the National Academy of Medicine has not established an upper limit of Vitamin B12 intake.
Fatigue. Megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B-12 deficiency may lead to a person feeling fatigued. Without enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around their body, a person can feel extremely tired.
B12 also plays a role in the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms. It is possible that a deficiency of B12 could lead to disrupted sleep patterns.
If you stop taking prescribed cyanocobalamin tablets, your vitamin B12 levels may start to go down. If your levels get too low you may start to get symptoms such as tiredness again. This may take days, weeks or months to happen because it depends on: what your vitamin B12 levels are.
Even the lowest doses in B12 supplements are many times the recommended dietary allowance. Doses up to 1,000 mcg, though unnecessary, aren't harmful.
04/6Side effects to note
Additionally, excess vitamin B12 can also result in rare but severe allergic reactions also known as anaphylaxis. This could lead to face, tongue and throat swelling.
People who find it difficult to get enough vitamin B12 in their diets, such as those following a vegan diet, may need vitamin B12 tablets for life.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can have distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms. It can have an etiological role in clinical presentations like depression, anxiety, psychosis, dementia, and delirium, requiring screening of at-risk populations.
Peripheral neuropathy is the most common presentation of vitamin B12 deficiency. Depending upon the type of nerve involved, it may present as pain, numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, decreased motor activity, or decreased muscle mass.
Vitamin B12deficiency symptoms may include: strange sensations, numbness, or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet. difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
Deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folic acid can cause anemia, which can lead to low blood pressure, also known as hypotension. Vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells so that adequate oxygen reaches each and every part of your body, including the heart.