Let’s say I’m vegan and I need to take vitamin B12 supplements to be healthy. Furthermore, let’s say I have ADHD, I forgot to take them for a month, I feel like shit, and while I know to take them now, there’s no guarantee I’ll remember tomorrow.
If I were to take 2 tablets today, an amount which I surely need, would my body actually absorb all the B12 it needs, or would I piss out the second tablet? Do I have to wait until tomorrow to absorb the nutrients my body needs now?
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Hello fellow ADHD vegan.
It sounds like you have a doctor. Do what they say. I assumed it was enough to take one every week bc it had 1000% the daily recommended dose but I still became deficient. My doctor worked with me to remedy that.
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if you aren’t deficient you most likely have many months of b12 store.
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the tablet is about 1000x what your body can absorb daily. Don’t take two.
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unless you are just starting the treatment for a profound deficiency don’t sweat about it, but do build yourself a better system to remember.
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you won’t be anemic because you forgot a few dose, same thing with neurological symptoms: if you feel bad there is probably another explanation.
This isn’t medical advice because we don’t live under the same laws and maybe i don’t have your full information…
Some vegan look into yeast as a source of b12 : same problem than the tablet you need to remember to add it to your recipes. Since your lack of b12 comes from a diet choice we can expect your stomach to produce the “intrinsic factor” required to absorb b12 : you are fine.
Does that mean I actually only need one tablet a week or a month? My doctor said I should have one every day.
No. The body can only absorb a certain amount at a time. Do what your doctor said.
AFAIK you can’t overdose b12, but in any case I’d follow a doctor’s advice
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Look, I’m not an expert so take this comment with a grain of salt, but in my understanding vitamins and minerals are stored slowly in the body. There is a limit as to how much you can absorb of anything at one time. Taking two tablets now is probably wasting good part if not all of the second tablet. If your deficiency could be solved faster by taking larger doses your doctor would have already recommended that one for you.
I’d be thinking ways of making sure I remember: set up reminders, keep my pills in two or three places so I can access them immediately, trying to make a routine out of it (it’s hard I know), keeping track of it in a journal.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b12/art-20363663
Safety and side effects
When taken at appropriate doses, vitamin B-12 supplements are generally considered safe. While the recommended daily amount of vitamin B-12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms, higher doses have been found to be safe. Your body absorbs only as much as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine.
High doses of vitamin B-12, such as those used to treat a deficiency, might cause:
Headache Nausea and vomiting Diarrhea Fatigue or weakness Tingling sensation in hands and feetEmphasis mine.
To add to this: I went to the doctor after a nerve injury and asked whether taking B supplements would help with recovery. She said "no, No, NO please don’t take any extra B supplements because your levels are already fine. I’ve seen enough patients come with unexplained burning, tingling and twitching sensations in their bodies and it’s always because they take B supplements unnecessarily. So don’t even think about it "
So yes our bodies can filter a lot but even then it’s also possible to overdose. Doesn’t seem to be OPs case though.
