B12 is needed for DNA and myelin synthesis. If you are low in B12 then you don't have one of the raw materials to make myelin. Myelin being one of the structures that is deteriorating in MS (along with axon portion of nerves). So yes if you are deficient or very low in B12 or certain fatty acids or amino acids that make up myelin you can have symptoms that mimic MS.

I am not sure what unit of measurement that they used to get 177.??? You can review the below URLs for more information on normal levels, what foods you find this vitamin in (ie liver) and what symptoms you may have if you are low (fatigue, brain fog, etc)

Some people out here have been tested and found no deficiency while other have been diagnosed with low B vitamin so they take extra. Some of these people said they reduced symptoms. However if you have MS it is not a given you will have a B vitamin deficiency.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12-quickfacts/

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12/

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/vitamin-b12-deficiency-anemia-topic-overview

Best wishes you you,
EP

PS B vitamins are very fragile and even sunlight breaks them down so keep them in a dark cabinet. Many work better when taken with other B vitamins. You only use about 2-5% of what you ingest because the other 95% or so is broke down by stomach acids, etc which render them useless. They are a water soluble vitamin so if you take too much you just urinate it out. This does not mean you should take HUGE quantities though. So speak to your doctor about what is best for you.

Alright stick a fork in me I am done.

Thanks for the info.

I have some thinking to do on this. I also have chronic pancreatitis which prevents me from absorbing nutrients. So, I am not sure the pill supplement would work for me.

I also have low vitamin D, potassium, and BUN. So, this could all be from malnutrition due to the pancreatitis.

Wish this was all easier to figure out.

Thanks again. I am off to read those links you provided. I appreciate it.

My doctor told me I was low in B-12 but didn't give me a numerical factor. He told me to take 2,000 mg. of B-12 daily until the next round of blood tests.

My b12 is low I have to take a injection monthy .I also I a low Vit D I think the last time it was checked it was 29 so I take a preception a 50000 once a week till it gets back up.Here a link about MS ers and low B12 & D

http://ms.about.com/od/livingwellwithms/a/vitamin_D.htm

The neuro I saw in January put me on weekly B12 injections. My B12 level was not low, but he said it was good for 'nerve health'.

I've really not noticed any difference in my symptoms since I started taking it.

I am low but i dont remembe rhow much. I get injections once a month

I've been taking monthly injections for over a year now and my numbers have improved. I can't really say that I notice a big difference physically though. If doing this small thing helps I don't mind. My neuro did write me a rx I could fill at my local pharmacy much cheaper so I could do the injections myself. A bottle that holds enough for 5 doses is $5 in generic plus the needles which are about .25 each. This is much cheaper than paying a clinic to give the shots! lol

I havent noticed any diffrence but ive heard it can take years to see an effect if its low so i figure i should get it up before i see a diffrence. I dont have to pay for mine because its a nurse visit for me

I have kind of a funny B12 story. A Vitamin B12 defienecy can mimic MS or Chiari. With Chiari, it takes a specialist to be able to treat you and not just any old neurologist or neurosurgeon will do. Most will argue that your Chiari symptoms are due to everything BUT the Chiari. (Kind of like the runaround MS folks get when trying to get a diagnosis.)

Anyway, I had my B12 levels tested and they were 392. I had no idea what that meant but later in the week I had an appointment with my neurologist. He tried to convince me that my brain herniation had nothing to do with my symptoms, that they were actually B12 deficiency symptoms. I told him I'd just had that tested. He was like, "Well, they will tell you that anything less than 300 is low but really it's 350. So what's yours?" I told him it was 392. He said, "Oh, well, really it's anything under 400. So that's what's causing your problems. We'll start injections today." I told him no thank you and left.

I swear, if I had told him that my levels were 500 he would have told me that a deficiency was anything under 550.

Haha, bledpub, sometimes I wonder what they are thinking.

The lab results listed 180-960 as normal, but that seemed like an awfully wide range. I started some supplements and will retest in 2 months.

At 177 they started me on injections