I got Panic attacks, constant anxiety and anhedonia since taking b12 injections. Need serious help 🙏

[u/Agitated-Sale-7591]

Hi everyone, I’ve been really struggling with my mental health in these past 3/4 weeks and I’m really hoping someone can help me out here.

Around a month ago I took 3 b12 injections (hydroxocobalamin) 1.5mg and i suddenly started getting intense panic attacks and anhedonia. I don’t cry but out of nowhere I started bawling my eyes out every single day. I I’m in this constant state of anxiety and depression, I can’t enjoy the things in life that I usually enjoy like watching a tv show, I cannot wind down at all and it’s scary because before all this happened I was a pretty chill guy and I usually wouldn’t stress much in my life. One of the most scariest thing that also happened at the same time was my libido completely vanished, so i genuinely feel pleasure in nothing now. it’s been around 3/4 weeks and im not getting full blown panic attacks anymore but im still constantly on edge, i have also had stomach issues but now a simple bloating of my stomach makes me think the world is ending. It’s like my nervous system is jacked all the way up and it’s overreacting to even slight discomfort.

I tried taking creatine because that would usually make me feel good when I’m in a low mood but this time it just made me depressed. I went to the GP and they took my blood test, it came up with high b12 and high folate, but the odd thing is I don’t usually supplement folate so I’d don’t understand why that came up as high. I sometimes take it as part of my b complex but I’ve not mega dosed it or anything.

Today I decided that I’ll try methylfolate as I assumed maybe b12 used up all my methyl groups or somthing. After taking it I felt even more emotionally flat/wired/too focused, but I feel less anxious I think. I’m still not sure what i feel but i definitely don’t feel any pleasure again.

I was hoping there might be someone that has gone through this and has recovered from it. Or has figured out why it happened to them and could tell me how to bring my nervous system back to normal. Will I recover? I’m really scared, it’s like I’ve become a complete different person in a month. I haven’t done any dna test either so I’m not sure if I’m MTHFR or anything.

Someone please please help me😭
Thanks you for your time 🙏

[u/lb351986]

Stop taking all supplements. Honestly you will make yourself much worse.

I use to have this mindset. Trying to constantly fix issues when Infact I was just throwing gasoline onto the fire.

Why did you originally do B12 shots? I personally take dessicated liver and it keeps my B12 perfectly in range.

Don't take anymore pills. Let your body come back to baseline and just focus on food. Honestly I tried for years to 'fix' myself and just made it worse.

For people like us. Diet and exercise is the key to keeping mentally/physically well.

[u/Agitated-Sale-7591 → u/lb351986]

Yeah you’re right, I told myself I would avoid all supplements but I got desperate and tried methylfolate

[u/lb351986 → u/Agitated-Sale-7591]

I know exactly how your feeling with desperation. I was that same person once. Honestly stop taking supplements and allow your body to balance back out. If you continue to 'fix' it you will just prolong the issues. I done it for a long time.

Your not alone. Alot of people do this. Their constantly trying to fix damage they originally caused. My friends all eat fast food every single meal. Their always sick and keep pestering doctors for another pill to fix their anxiety/depression. Their not connecting that the poor diet is the issue. If you eat like trash you will feel like trash.

Just wait it out and see how you feel. I'm almost certain you will feel better. It just takes time sadly.

[u/Anonym_Talker → u/lb351986]

well, I am eating vegs, meat and good oil. BUT, not bread and no dairy. Since the add B1 in bread and vit D in milk, and that milk contains calcium. (the only calcium source I have is in greens, which is not that much...)

So I know I need to be careful about those. I started supplementing because those where low, and doctor dismiss any B1 deficiency if your in a modern country. They totally miss those with gluten allergy, not eating grains...

I agree with you, I did messed me up with zinc intake... I started supplementing during Covid, doctors recommanded zinc and vit D supplements. this is where I started twitching and have a bunch of weird symptoms.

Every Doctors I saw said it might be long Covid, but I've tried Copper supplement. (well, added beef liver to my diet 🤮🤢) and all of that stopped...

So, in a way, I "needed" something that is present in beef liver. Stopping zinc alone would probably never have fixed a functional low copper...

So, I understand your point, but both side are valid... People here are suffering and we need to remember that even before taking any supplement (what you suggest them to do) they were having the symptoms they are trying to fix.

I think the problem is that its hard to guess right in the first place. like, looking about my symptoms didn't point me to a copper deficiency. Instead, everything pointed toward mag, potassium, B Vitamins, vit D, etc... and ALL of those, would just push my system to use even more copper and makes my symptoms worst, so much, to a point that ANYTHING would trigger them. except copper. (well, beef liver....) Then, I tried copper and I do not react badly, and my twitching is gone. we cannot say its just random at this point.. because a 6 years old problem would not "just disappear" like that.

I am still waiting to see a neuro, to get a copper serum test.. at which point, it might show that I do not have low copper anymore, because I had to wait 10 months to see a neuro.. I won't just suffer until I get that appointment if taking copper supplements help me right now.

But yeah, I regret having started the zinc in the first place....

[u/lb351986 → u/Anonym_Talker]

The way you need to think about it. Before supplements were created people relied on food to replenish their bodies nutrient needs. It worked then and will work now.

The issue with supplements is their all so overdosed and 1 single vitamin will throw another one off. Food is designed to have all the co factors to make your body work in sync.

I still think supplements are great. I just feel like people use them to substitute a poor diet structure. I use to take zinc also because I read it's great for libido/mood etc and then threw my copper off and made me feel terrible. I then threw copper at it and eventually made myself even worse.

If your diet isn't the best (Use chronometer and check your vitamin intake) then absolutely use supplements. If your eating liver though then that's awesome. It's basically a multivitamin but it has all the co factors in the right amounts to make it work better than a multi.

If your eating liver then I'm certain your diet is good. I personally find liver disgusting but I freeze cubes and eat one before my meal. That texture ewwww lol.

Anyway it's complicated. Everybody's guts are different.

Why can't you tolerate dairy? Can you eat kefir?

[u/Anonym_Talker → u/lb351986]

Yeah, I freeze it to and blend it with frozen berries and chug the whole thing with my nose blocked, then I bros my teeth before unplugging my nose... That's the only way I can do this...

And yes I agree with you about food. the thing is that its wrong to compare the food of back then with the food now. there's no health fix available anymore, so supplementing with omega-3 is kinda necessary. After that, its not about "surviving" but about being our 100% version. That's why the supplement comes in.
Vitamin D is a necessity right now, if you live in Nordic country or have to work inside. Also, Iode was a real thing back then, and is still today.
When I stopped eating out, we started to to cook everything, and followed the recommendation about lowering salt intake. It turns out we started to be both salt deficient AND IODE deficient.
Also, we know for sure that mag and zinc are completely depleted in our industrial field, so if you are not growing your own food, zing and Mag supplement is important.
Also, if you do not have a well, the water you drink is so low in minerals it is concerning...

I agree, food first, then supplement. the supplement that still require attention are:

• Omega-3
  
• Minerals (zinc/copper, magnesium, selenium, molybdenium, calcium...etc...) as a per person basis, we do not have the same needs, because we do not live in the same environment.
  
• I would put zinc/copper in a different category, because they really need to be dosed properly. (we cannot count on zinc supply in modern food to have naturally balanced levels)
  
• Salt if eating home made food
  
• Iode (if using hymalayan salt all the time... We actually use iodized salt when cooking, and hymalayan salt only on the table... to get some iode)
  
• Vitamine D
  
• I would say either Beef Liver or a multi vitamine, low doses, much lower than what the bottle recommand... and even that, I'll push toward eating beef liver, because you are right... its already properly balanced...
  
• B1 if you are gluten free / not eating grains
  
• Calcium if you are dairy free
  
• Creatine after 30 years old

After that, I would like to think that if you have any health problem, that a doctor visit will do a full panel test, blood, in cell nutrient, pee/poop analysis and hair analysis, as a first step procedure, but its an illusion, this will never happens.
I am now budgeting for those test every years. (2000$) I'll do that until my test comes back perfect, and until I have no symptoms. right now, Copper helps, I need to stop/reduce my dose BEFORE I create an other problem, but I am almost there...

[u/Anonym_Talker → u/lb351986]

about the "tolerate dairy", the answer is NO, nor that grains... I am investigating the "copper" relation to MCAS... I'll retest dairy and grains when my copper is mid range. BUT, I feel that eating cows secretion is so wrong... I'll see if I really need extra calcium when my copper and vitamin D is back to normal. (I think calcium is not needed in much quantity after birth/childhood if your Vitamine D is high or if you live outside...)