jump Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi all,I have a friend who also has POTS, and lately her symptoms have been much worse. She went to the doctor and they figured out she was severely vitamin B12 deficient, so they gave her a prescription to fix it, and said probably her worsened symptoms were due to the lack of B12.What I'm wondering is, what kinds of things can CAUSE a b12 deficiency, besides not eating well? She eats a lot of meat. She has been on a gluten-free diet for about a year. The doctor didn't seem to think that POTS itself would cause the deficiency, more that the deficiency was causing the POTS. I know several people here have had problems with B before, and I was wondering if any of you know why B gets deficient. My friend wants to try and prevent this from happening again, since she's been feeling so very crappy with it!!!!Also, if she takes the medication and her POTS symptoms go away completely, do you think it's possible that she didn't have POTS at all but just an undiagnosed B12 deficiency? That's what she's secretly hoping, since her life with POTS has been hard, but I don't want to hope along with her if there's no way it would actually be possible....thanks for any insight you can offer,jump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ana_22 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Did they test all her B levels or just B12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jump Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I think they tested them all, and only the B12 came back deficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzysillyak Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 B12 deficiencies, as well as iron are commonly diagnosed in celiacs ... I have the feeling if they thoroughly tested celiacs, they'd find a lot more than just those 2 though ... Did she test positive for celiac or just go on the gf diet because it made her feel better ? Not that it really matters ... what I was getting at is that she could low on a lot more nutrients than just B12 since gluten, or NSAIDS, etc can damage our intestines and stop us from absorbing nutrients.I'm figuring all this out now too. I've been GF since '05 due to celiac disease, but I couldn't digest nutritional supplements until a couple of months ago and I'm feeling much better now that I can. I still have OI, but my thinking is much clearer and I feel stronger. Not so much muscle weakness ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jump Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 She wasn't actually tested for celiac. Celiac runs in her family, so when she started having GI problems (stomach pain, diarrhea) her doc just suggested she eat gluten-free to see if it would help. She did, and felt better immediately -- plus, a lot of her dizziness and "clutziness" has diminished since following a GF diet. But, if she's been GF for a year, and never had any vitamin deficiencies when she WAS eating gluten, why would she have a deficiency now, after she's eliminated gluten for so long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajw4790 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi,Vitamin deficiencies are normally due to problems with the vitamins being absorbed by the body. So, if they have gastric issues (celiac or not) it can cause malabsorbtion of vitamins, such as B12, which could worsen symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken_Shell Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi,If someone has a B12 deficiency, then it may be due to a lack of something called instrinsic factor, which is necessary to absorb B12. A Schilling's Test is needed to evaluate this. Your friend's doctor needs to order this test, and should have done so already when the level came back low. Depending on the results of the test, your friend will either need to take oral B12 supplements or receive B12 shots. Best Wishes, Broken_Shell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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