Are you suffering from fatigue and / or neuropathy? One problem you might have is something that doctors and patients alike are often unaware of, it’s a vitamin B12 deficiency.
A B12 deficiency can easily give you the symptoms of fatigue and neuropathy. But if that’s the cause of your symptoms, why is your B12 so low?
For Diabetics, it may be the medications you are taking for your diabetes.
The most common drug for diabetes today is metformin. Metformin is (sold under the trade names of Glucophage, Glumetza, Fortemet, and Riomet. It is also sold in combination with other drugs under the names Metaglip, AvandaMet, ActoplusMet, Janumet, and PrandiMet). The most common side effect of Metformin is intestinal upset. Another side effect that is easily and often overlooked is that Metformin interferes with the absorption of vitamin B12.
A recent study of diabetic patients on Metformin discovered that close to one-fifth of them were deficient in B12. They based this on a blood level less than 220 pmol/L. The longer a patient had been on Metformin and/or the higher the dose, the lower B vitamin levels were. Why is this particularly important?
Remember that Metformin causes the deficiency by interfering with the absorption of B12, so simply taking a B12 vitamin might not help, since it may not be properly absorbed. But there is even a worse problem than this. It’s something called neuropathy.
Neuropathy is a condition that causes a burning, stinging, numbness feeling in the feet. B12 deficiency can cause symptoms that are very much like the symptoms of neuropathy. So it is quite likely that there are more than a few diabetics out there being treated with medications for diabetic neuropathy when in fact the problem is B12 deficiency.
If you are taking metformin for your diabetes, especially if you are taking upward from 1,000 mg per day, make sure you have your B12 level checked.
NOW,
what if you don’t have diabetes or aren’t taking a form of metformin? There is another class of medications that are commonly used that also can cause B12 deficiency. I’m talking about the drugs used for heartburn or acid re flux disease. If you are taking metformin and are also taking one of these drugs, your chances of being deficient in B12 are even greater.
I have patients come in almost every week saying they or someone they know is going to go to the doctor because they have acid re flux.
There are ways to deal with heartburn / acid re flux that are proven and don’t require any drugs. If you or someone you know is suffering from this problem, schedule an appointment today and let see if we can keep you from needing to take a drug for the problem.
Yours In Health,
Dr. Jack Belitz
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