I have researched and read alot on here about Vitamin B helping with fatigue. I have an appointment with my doctor on Friday and I want him to give me a prescription for the vitamin B I need to help with the fatigue. What I need to know is which vitamin B to get. I have been told vitamin B, vitamin B complex, concentrated vitamin B complex and vitamin B-12. Does anyone know which of these I need to ask for. I know there is a prescription strength and it has a generic which I get for free with my insurance. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Billy

Actually you do not need an Rx for any of this. Some believe that B12 does the energy thing. But in our bodies it is seldom any single vitamin or whatever acting alone. When you get your particular nutrient from a food source rich with it - say C from oranges or whatever, there is evidence that there are micro phytonutrients that act synergistically with the main ingredient that actually make it work better, be absorbed easier, etc. This can get very complex when you consider all the possible interactions, some vitamins only are absorbed well when taken with a particular other vitamin or nutrient..... not as easy as just taking B12 when you really look at it. The main OCF web site goes into all these aspect of nutrition in detail. Start on the facts page and work your self deeper into the sublinks.

Just wanted to add that I considered taking B-12 supplements when I was fighting fatigue. It turned out my throid ahd shut down and the B-12 wouldn't have helped. Have you had your thyroid checked?

Also, at the time I was looking into that, I did read that it's actually important to get balanced amounts of the different B vitamins and there are some nutritionists who think taking B-12 alone can do more harm than good. If you go for a supplement, I would look for one that has high amounts of all the B vitamins. Better yet, though, if you can eat fairly normally, is to try to find foods rich in B vitamins.

Nelie

I had a Dr give me a B-12 shot one time a few years ago. Man talk about the energizer bunny, LOL , I was it for a couple of months. Have you noticed how much Vitamin D is being talked about lately? I een read about it in the Mayo Clinic newsletters I get online. It's been on the national news a few times too in the past few weeks.

I also had a B12 shot and yeah it was great but i wore off and I haven't had another. I did take a couple of months to wear off so thanks EzJim for reminding me about it. I will get one tommorrow. Yes I feel as though I could sleep forever yet I have insomimia go figure. What are they saying about Vitamin D? I came on to see how everyone was doing and came upon this and it struck home. Hard. I was looking for information on Trismus and of course I found that too. I love this site! It is my dictionary for everything I feel. I hope it is as useful to everyone else as it is to me.

My mother used to get the Vitamin B12 shots every few years. she knew when she needed the boost and would ask the doctor for an injection.

Vitamin D is one of the few supplements that has been shown to be associated with a decrease in occurences of several types of cancer. Many people are deficiant in naturally prduced Vit. D. Your body need to be in direct sunlight to produce it and most of us aren't out in the sun enough (without sunscreen) for that. Let alone those of us who live in areas of the coujntry without a lot of sunny days. Supplements have been shown to make a difference and be effective. I have to grind up pills and flush them down my tiube because I can't swallow even the smallest and because of that I don't take tons of supplements but I take 800 IU of Vit. D everyday.

Nelie

Based on what I know, any artificial vitamins can at times do more harm than good, unless you have a defficiency. It is best to consume vitamins by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables (perferably, organic ones to avoid pesticides and other junk).

Most vitamins are sold without prescription. B-12 defficiency is quite common among elderly people, and some people that take some anti-adic medication like Prilosec. You can go to your primary medical doctor and ask him to do a blood and include a test for B-12. That way, you will know if you have a defficiency.

I read some articles that recommend B-12 supplementation even if one does not have a defficiency to maintain a healthy energy level. I checked my B-12 level and it was normal but a bit close to the lower limit. So I took some B-12. I don't think I noticed any differene, but it did not seem to hurt me (did not experience any noticeable side effects). One interesting thing about B-12 in tablets is that its absorbtion is very low, so don't be surprised to see the daily dose % on the bottle in thousands of %. Only small part of that will actually be processed by your body.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-B12/NS_patient-vitaminb12

Just a link to some of the most recent and persuasive research on the relationship of Vit. D to cancer. Notice the health recommendation is slightly more sun exposure (if you can and if you haven't had skin cancer), as WELL AS supplements.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070206100608.htm