Vitamin B12 

Vitamin B12 helps to keep your body's blood and nerve cells healthy. It also helps prevent anemia, a condition which makes people feel tired and week.

If you have B12 or Folate Deficiency, you may experience...

• Extreme fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Tingling sensations (pins and needles)
• A sore and red tongue or mouth ulcers
• Muscle weakness
• Vision issues
• Psychological symptoms such as mild depression, anxiety, confusion, dementia, as well as problems with memory, understanding, and judgment.

Some of these problems can also happen if you just have a deficiency in vitamin B12 or folate but do not have anaemia.

If you are experiencing symptoms of Vitamin B12 or Folate deficiency, you should contact your GP Practice. 

Good sources of vitamin B12 include:

• Meat
• Salmon and Cod
• Milk and Other Dairy Products
• Eggs

If your deficiency is greater than a bad diet, then you will need to start on Vitamin B12 injections. This may be done at the practice, or we may teach you how to inject yourself at home. 

When you start a course of injections, you will need 6 loading doses over a period of approimately 2 weeks. 
At your first appointment, we will show you how to handle the equipment, check the medication and identify suitable injection sites. 

By the end of two weeks, you should:

• Know when to give your injection
• Know how to wash your hands correctly before preparing and giving the injection
• Know how to prepare the injection
• Know how to five the injection and feel confident when administering
• Know how to dispose of the equipment
• Know what to do if you or someone else has an injury with the needle. 

For further information on self-inject, please see the How To Guide on the GUYS and St Thomas Hospital Website 

How To Guide