What happens if you take too much B12?

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.

Is it OK to take 1000 mcg B12 daily?

If you are low in vitamin B12, a common recommended dose for oral supplements is about 1,000 mcg daily. But you should make sure to ask your healthcare provider about how much vitamin B12 you should look for in a supplement.

What happens if vitamin B12 is high?

Recent research has suggested that high vitamin B12 levels may be associated with increased mortality after ICU admission. However, it is known that impaired liver function may lead to elevated B12 since B12 is metabolized through the liver, and therefore high B12 levels may serve as a proxy for poor liver function.

How do you get rid of excess B12?

The body will typically excrete excess vitamin B-12 that a person gets from the diet or via supplements. The body does not absorb vitamin B-12 supplements very effectively. This means that even if a person takes very high amounts of vitamin B-12, their body still does not absorb a significant amount.

How do you flush out excess vitamin B?

Increase Fluids

Since B vitamins are water-soluble, adding more fluid to your body helps remove them before they undergo absorption. Your health care provider may suggest consuming a large quantity of water in a short amount of time to flush excessive B vitamins out of your bloodstream.

Is Too Much B12 Bad (Can You Take Too Much b12?)

What is the max B12 you can take a day?

There is no upper limit for vitamin B12, and most supplements provide between 500 mcg to 5,000 mcg of B12 daily to meet various nutritional needs [2].

How much B12 can you safely take a day?

Though doses of up to 2,000 mcg of vitamin B12 are considered safe, it's best to speak with a doctor to find out whether taking a supplement is necessary. Most people can fulfill their B12 needs through a nutrient-rich diet.

Is it OK to take 3000 mcg of B12 a day?

Extra strength B-12 supplements offer this amount—3,000 mcg—in one serving. If you think 125,000% seems excessive, you may be right (NIH-a, 2021). Fortunately, even at large doses, vitamin B12 is generally considered safe, at least in the short term (more on that below).

What is considered high B12?

An elevated B12 is generally defined as a level higher than the upper limit of the normal range, around 1000 ± 100 ng/L (738 ± 73.8 pmol/L)^2,3,4.

What are the symptoms of low B12?

How much B12 should I take for energy?

B12 for improved energy

However, B12 supplements may help increase energy levels and reduce fatigue those who are deficient in this nutrient ( 20 ). One review recommended that those with vitamin B12 deficiency take 1 mg of vitamin B12 daily for a month, followed by a maintenance dose of 125–250 mcg per day ( 21 ).

Is 5000 B12 too much to take daily?

Is 5000 mcg of B12 too much? A dosage of 5000 mcg of Vitamin B12 has been deemed a safe dosing amount. In fact, it is often recommended for those who have a health condition that affects their B12 absorption.

Should you take B12 everyday?

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient. Fish, shellfish, meat, eggs, and dairy products are good sources of vitamin B12. The amount that should be consumed on a daily basis is called the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The RDA is 2.4 mcg daily for people 18 years and older.

What medications should not be taken with B12?

As summarized in the table provided, vitamin B12 (cobalamin) absorption and utilization by the body can be compromised with the chronic use of certain medications which include: colchicine, chloramphenicol, ethanol, histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RA), metformin, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI).

Does vitamin B12 give you energy?

So does vitamin B12 give you energy? While B12 doesn't directly provide energy, it does give the body the tools it needs to convert food molecules into energy. Getting the recommended daily amount of B12 can therefore help ensure that the body is able to make the energy it needs to do everything you need it to do.

Can B12 cause neuropathy?

B12 deficiency may cause demyelination of nerves in the peripheral and central nervous system¹³ and has been associated with peripheral neuropathy, loss of sensation in peripheral nerves, and weakness in lower extremities in older adults^{1, 14–16}.

How much B12 should a woman take?

Most women get the recommended daily amount — 2.4 micrograms (mcg) for most adults, 2.6 mcg for pregnant women, and 2.8 mcg for women who are breastfeeding — in their diets.

What does vitamin B12 do for hair?

However, vitamin B12 may give you the appearance of fuller and thicker hair because the increase in oxygen to hair follicles can help stimulate the replacement of lost strands. Vitamin B12 may also help give your hair an overall healthier appearance since intake of enough B12 is responsible for stronger hair shafts.

How long does it take for B12 vitamins to start working?

It may take a few weeks before your vitamin B12 levels and symptoms (such as extreme tiredness or lack of energy) start to improve. If you have hydroxocobalamin injections to boost your vitamin B12 levels at the start of treatment, the cyanocobalamin tablets may start to work within a few days.

Is a B12 shot better than a pill?

B12 injections are absorbed much better by the body because they are administered intramuscularly (into the muscle), and therefore directly into the blood. B12 tablets must pass through the digestive system, which leads to much poorer absorption rates.

Is 10000 mcg B12 daily too much?

Supplementation of 25-100 mcg per day has been used to maintain vitamin B12 levels in older people. For vitamin B12 deficiency: Vitamin B12 doses of 300-10,000 mcg daily have been used. However, some evidence suggests that the most effective oral dose is between 647-1032 mcg daily.

Can too much B12 cause tingling?

In rare cases, people who take high doses of vitamin B for a long period of time may experience extreme numbness or a tingling sensation. In some patients, tingling sensation is experienced mostly in the right side of the body. This symptom is one of the early warning indicators of Vitamin B12 overdose.

Does B12 affect your eyes?

Disturbed or blurred vision can also occur as a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens when the deficiency causes damage to the optic nerve that leads to your eyes. The nervous signal that travels from the eye to the brain is disturbed due to this damage, leading to impaired vision.

Can B12 make you tired?

Vitamin B-12 has a big role in stabilizing your energy levels. It actually helps give you more energy, rather than making you tired. If you do notice feeling a little fatigued, even though you're regularly taking a B-12 supplement, it's likely a sign of something else that is out of the norm in your body.

Does B12 help with fatigue?

Vitamin B12 is often used to improve cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and fatigue. In most cases, such complaints are not associated with overt vitamin B12 deficiency or advanced neurological disorders and the effectiveness of vitamin B12 supplementation in such cases is uncertain.