Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.

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kerenza 05/18/2012

Hi there

It's been a while since I posted but I've been watching from the sidelines :-) Anyway I was diagnosed with low vit b12 so my gp started me on injections last tuesday. I'm meant to have 1 a week for 6 weeks but today my calf has been really sore. It's no more swollen than usual (its the leg I had the dvt in and is still swollen 3 years later!)

I've been feeling a bit off so checked my inr which is at 3.2 so a tad high but no concerns. I stupidly had a look at vit b12 side effects online and saw that blood clots were listed. I've been looking at loads of sites and driving myself mad. It's almost 10pm in the uk and I don't want to panic and go to A&E and I was just wondering if anyone else knows anything about b12 injections?

I'll go to my local walk in tomorrow if my leg is still sore so really just looking for a friendly word. Best wishes to you all and thanks for reading xx

cave76 05/18/2012

You said:
**** I stupidly had a look at vit b12 side effects online and saw that blood clots were listed.****

Look at it THIS way------ a person would feel a LOT more 'stupid' if they DIDN'T check out side effects of whatever they're putting into their body!! I think you did the right thing.

If your GP is also monitoring your INR---- I would think that he would know of any dangerous interactions.

But before you panic more---- didn't you say your calf has been swollen for a long time----- and you've just started the B12 injections?
Obviously the B12 isn't contributing to that.

So, because your calf is sore--- which is something you should have checked out if you're worried--- might OR MIGHT NOT be attributable to the B12.

I hope you can get a peaceful night and perhaps someone else who has taken B12 inj. will answer this too.

Lynnedz56 05/18/2012

i don't know the answer to your concern, but my B12 is low and they started me on injections. Same series as yours. So, now I will ask the doctor about the risk. Even on warfarin you aren't 100% sure.

evelov 05/18/2012

Can you list the website where a Vitamin B12 side effect was blood clots? I was on the injections when I had mine. I had researched the side effects also, but never saw that listed on the sites I checked. Now I am wondering.

kerenza 05/19/2012

Thanks for the replies :-) My calf has been swollen ever since I had the clot 3 years ago. It was more tender than usual though which is why I started researching. To be honest I felt lousy for a couple of days after the injection but I seem to react badly to pretty much anything so just figured it would pass. Anyway my leg is a fair bit better today so I'll wait until monday to ring my gp and ask if I should continue with the injections or not.

I know ideally the doctors should know if something is safe or not but they have so many patients I don't think it's possible for them to keep track of every illness you have and what medications can cause problems. These are a few of the websites I found, there was something from the Mayo clinic but I'll be damned if I can find it now! Thanks again for your replies

http://www.livestrong.com/article/338027-adverse-reactions-to-vitamin-b12-shots

http://www.ehow.co.uk/facts_5554758_overdose-symptoms.html

http://vitaminb12supplements.org/vitamin-b12-shot-side-effects-and-concerns.php

Jean1014 05/19/2012

I too have had problems with low b12, both before and after my PE's. When I was in the hospital with the PE, they were giving me injections, and then I continued with pill form. Low b12 can really cause a lot of problems, so if they say you need to take it, I would. I went a long time not knowing I was deficient and ended up with nerve damage (possibly permanent) in both my feet/lower legs and hands. Not fun!

Many people take it for more energy, even though they have normal levels and don't need it. I would think that might be more where a problem might be. That would be my guess anyway.

kerenza 05/19/2012

Hi Jean

I'd been diagnosed with M.E but now they're thinking it might be because I was so low in B12. I've been like it for years and have been told I should see some improvement but I too could have permanent damage. It's astonishing how many things can be contributed to low b12, I had no idea until I started researching!

Did you feel ill when you first started the injections? I'll definitely have to get my levels up but am a bit wary of the high dose injections now so might ask to do it slowly with pills.

evelov 05/19/2012

Thank you Kerenza! I don't know how I missed that info. There is a link to the Mayo site on the bottom of one of the sites you linked. I was deficient which is why my Dr. started me on them. I stopped the injections when I had the clots in August and switched to oral. Interesting that I was just rechecked and I am on the high scale now, so taking the B12 every third day. Now I am wondering about the blood clots and the injections.

Jean1014 05/19/2012

I don't recall feeling sick when I had the injections, but, like I said I was also in the hospital with the pe's so who knows what was what. I had them for I think 3-4 days in a row, then went on the pills. About a year and half prior to that, when I first started taking it, I was also low with my folic acid so had to take that too. Now those made me feel sick for a bit and I couldn't wait to stop taking them!

I had no idea either what low b12 could do to you before hand! I have a feeling I am dipping into the low range again because I have not been consistant at all with taking it and I have a general not well feeling going on. Funny, I will never forget my coumadin, but I somehow forget the b12!

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