How long does it take for vitamin b12 deficiency to heal?

The best and most efficient way to deliver vitamin B12 to your body and try to bring your levels back to normal is to get a vitamin B12 injection. With a vitamin B12 injection, you'll see improvements 24 to 72 hours after the injection. It may take 6 to 12 months before you fully recover from vitamin deficiency, but the recovery time would be much longer without the injection. If you have anemia, it's likely to get better in 6 to 8 weeks.

It may take a little longer for nerve problems to improve. Serious nerve damage that lasts a year or longer may not go away. Older adults with dementia generally don't think or remember better after treatment. Long-term vitamin B12 deficiency can cause nerve damage.

This can be permanent if you don't start treatment within 6 months of the onset of symptoms. If your vitamin B12 deficiency is due to a lack of this vitamin in your diet, you may be prescribed vitamin B12 tablets to take every day between meals. Unlike most other vitamins, vitamin B12 is stored in substantial amounts, mainly in the liver, until the body needs it. If a person stops consuming the vitamin, it usually takes 3 to 5 years for the reserves of this vitamin in the body to run out.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can occur in people who have had surgery to remove part or all of the stomach. However, the vitamin B12 found in vitamin supplements can still be absorbed well even in people with reduced stomach acid. If you need regular vitamin B12 injections, cyanocobalamin should be given once a month, while hydroxocobalamin can be given every 3 months. Vitamin B12 is also found in the Beautify IV treatment and can be added to any intravenous treatment you have.

Vitamin B12 deficiency due to the lack of an intrinsic factor causes a type of anemia called pernicious anemia. Vitamin B12 injections can prevent anemia if you've had surgery that is known to cause vitamin B12 deficiency. Doctors also usually measure the level of folate in the blood to rule out a folate deficiency Folate deficiency Folate deficiency is common. A combination of vitamin B12 supplements and omega-3 fatty acids is believed to delay mental decline and prevent diagnoses such as Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin B12 is normally easily absorbed in the last part of the small intestine (ileum), which leads to the large intestine. A severe vitamin B12 deficiency can damage nerves and cause tingling or loss of sensation in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, loss of reflexes, difficulty walking, confusion, and dementia. Vitamin B12 may have the ability to reduce homocysteine, a type of amino acid found in the bloodstream. If vitamin B12 deficiency isn't due to a lack of vitamin B12 in your diet, you'll generally need an injection of hydroxocobalamin every 2 or 3 months for the rest of your life.

Treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia involves high doses of vitamin B12 supplements.