b12 toxicity / poisoning

[pinkladybird]

I seem to have had a terrible reaction to b12 and was wondering if anyone else out there has had anything similar. I had tingling in my arms and was found to have a b12 deficiency (180, range 200-1000) and so started taking quite high doses of b12 orally (3-4mg per day). On the third day I was up all night with terrible stomach cramping and my toes started burning. I gradually lost all energy. After 2 weeks I got a bad skin reaction on my face with burning and peeling which has left me with hyperpigmentation which is showing no signs of fading and a lichenoid reaction on my chest and arms started to develop. I carried on with the b12 (thinking I needed it) and got swollen veins over my body and livedo reticularis on my legs. My whole body was pulsating and my veins became swollen, my joints hurt, my foot 'buzzed', my leg muscles pulsated continually and were very painful, I had very reduced appetite and suffered almost continual stomach cramps. I stopped b12 after several months. Within 2 weeks my symptoms mostly faded, but after 2 months they returned even worse! It has now been 6 months since stopping b12, yet I am still in pain and this is progressing. My legs are constantly hurting (feels neuropathic). The pain travels up my legs to my thighs, sometimes into my anus. My stomach feels so hard - the muscles are all tight causing me digestive problems. My skin has become rough and dry. I have pain in both my elbow joints. Every day new symptoms appear. Prior to taking b12 I had never had any health problems ever. After several months on b12 I developed autoantibodies (ANA), but these became negative after 5 months. All my other blood tests are normal. I've been told I do not have connective tissue disease. I've seen endless specialists who each tell me there's nothing wrong with me in 'their department'. My GP has nothing to say on the matter. Has anyone else had a reaction to b12? I'd be so interested to hear your details. I can't be the only one!

[Paxiled]

Was there a lot of B6 in the supplement?  There is a neuropathy associated with B6.  I don't know of one with B12, but any given individual can be sensitive to anything, and there might have been some additive in the supplement as well that affected you.  Another thing with B12 is, if you were short of B6 as well, high doses of folate or B12 can lower the amount of absorption of B6, which is necessary for regulating the nervous system.  These three Bs are in a balance normally in the body and are affected by one another much like calcium and magnesium.  

[pinkladybird]

Thanks for your reply.

My supplement only contained b12. I'm pretty sure my response was to the b12 itself as I tried the other tablet ingredients in other supplements and did not get a reaction. I tried several brands and I tried 3 different forms of b12 (methyl, cyano and adenosyl cobalamin) and got a reaction to all of them. I had my b vitamin levels checked shortly after starting b12 and my b6 was fine. I started a b complex several weeks after starting b12 but this made no difference.