Vitamin B12

[Lauren 007]

I've heard that B12 both aggravates and helps Rosacea. Does it just depend on the person? Thanks.

[phlika29]

You want to definitely avoid Niacin-Vitamin B3 as it induces big flushes.

[asammy1]

I take a B-12 supplement everyday and it doesn't effect my rosacea at all. I just feel like I have more energy and generally feel better.

[bethanne]

B12 reaction

I took B12 for years before I realized it was causing redness and
cystic acne. It seems I cannot tolerate any amount in a supplement now.
The only B-vitamin I take as a supplement is B-2 (riboflavin)--which was
recommended both to help with migraines and as an immune-booster.
I have no ill reaction to this one.

Beth

[Lookout]

That's so strange about B12 as we all need it to be at a certian level to function normally and low B12 is a source of all kinds of problems healthwise. I wonder if it's due to the processing of it in a supplement that is the real culprit and not pure B12....like when we eat something and it is naturally asbord into the body.

[ChristianFeld08]

I take a B-12 supplement everyday and it doesn't effect my rosacea at all. I just feel like I have more energy and generally feel better.

yes, the same i have also

[coco]

Vitamin B12 and others

I thought I would share this bit. I'm a 50 year old female and I've only had rosacea for about 6 months. I am an RN and very health conscience. I work out, eat right, take a multi-vitamin every day, drink water, sleep well, etc. However, I have a tremedously amount of stress due to being a caregiver to both of my elderly parents. And I do have a genetic predisposition for hearing loss. I have already been told by an audiologist that I would be benefited by hearing aids. So a couple of weeks ago, I was in my neighborhood health food store and found a supplement blend especially for hearing. Although I was skeptical, I bought it and started taking it. It is loaded with B vitamins and has 500 mcg (8,333% RDA) of methylcobalamin, which is apparently a newer form of B12.
Anyway, one evening after a rough day with my mother and my face felt like I'd been slapped all over, hot and stinging and blotchy red, I took this supplement (not for my rosacea but for my hearing). I realized that in about hour my face was cool to the touch and felt completely normal. It did still appear blotchy but that too faded by the next morning. And this happened a second and third time.
I am on Doxy and Clindamycin and I'm not claiming I've found a cure for rosacea. And I doubt that these supplements will restore my hearing but I will continue taking this supplement blend because it seems to help with flushing at least for me. It's called "Hear-All" by NaturalCare. Here's the breakdown:


per 2 tablets: (recommended dose is 2 tablet twice a day)
Thiamine 1.5 mg
Riboflavin 1.7
Non-flush Niainositol hexanicinatecin (Niacin) 20 mg
Vitamin B6 2 mg
Folic Acid 800 mcg
Methylcobalamin (B12) 500 mcg
Magnesium 93 mg
Zinc 10 mg
Acety L-carnitine
N-acetylcysteine
Butchers Broom root at 10% ruscogenin
Ginkgo biloba leaf
Vinpocetine
Coenzyme Q10
Alpha Lipoic Acid

Just wanted to share this information. It may not help anyone else, but I will say it has help me.

Coco

[skeeter]

Vitamin B12

There is 3 forms of B12 on the market. Cyanocobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin, Methylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is the most available (depending on the country you live in) in the U.S. For some people, it can cause acne or rosacea like symptoms, while others it has no side-effects. Your body must first convert Cyanocobalamin to Hydroxocobalamin then to Methylcobalamin for your body to use it.

Hydroxocobalamin, while available in the U.S., it costs about 6-8 times more than Cyanocobalamin. Methylcobalamin is the most expensive, it costs about 5-8 times more than Hydroxocobalamin. Methylcobalamin can be used directly by the body, but it is also depleted by the body the fastest.

Besides my rosacea, I also have an auto-immune disorder called Pernicious Anemia (PA). With PA, your body loses the ability to process vitamin B12 and you no longer can make red blood cells adequately, and you become anemic and/or other complications with the nervous system, heart, liver, brain, etc. can cause major problems if not corrected with vitamin B12. For me, that means having IM injections of vitamin B12 every 2 weeks for the rest of my life.

[queta]

B-12 and intestinal problems

I've heard that B12 both aggravates and helps Rosacea. Does it just depend on the person? Thanks.

Hello
I have had lots of strange health problems for years, rosacea being only one of them. I was diagnosed in August as being B-12 deficient and now have to give myself injections even though I always ate a lot of red meat and other foods that have B-12. Now I have been diagnosed as having a Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. This is my hypothesis: some people with rosacea have intestinal issues that keep them from absorbing B-12 and taking the vitamin orally does not work and could cause flushing because they can't absorb it but if they take it in injectable form their body can use it and so it doesn't cause flushing. I can't say that I would flush from taking it orally because I never tried but I do know that I was low so my doc thinks my intestines couldn't absorb it properly. I also know that I do not flush at all from the B-12 injections. Maybe that is why some people flush from it...there does seem to be a link between intestinal issues and rosacea. I will attach an article I found about it at the end of this post.

Regards
Queta
SIBO and rosacea

From United European Gastroenterology website

INTRODUCTION: Several pathogenetic factors have been implicated in the development of rosacea, but the role of intestinal bacteria has never been investigated.
AIMS & METHODS: We aimed at assessing the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients with rosacea and the clinical effectiveness of its eradication.We enrolled 60 consecutive rosacea patients (43 females, 17 males; mean age 52 ± 15) and 60 healthy controls, sex- and age-matched. All patients and controls underwent lactulose and glucose breath tests (BTs), in order to assess the presence of SIBO. Patients positive for SIBO were randomized to receive rifaximin 1200 mg/die for 10 days or placebo.Eradication was assessed with the same BTs after one month of the end of antibiotic therapy. Two independent dermatologists evaluated clinical features of rosacea before and after treatment on the basis of an objective scale.
RESULTS: We found an increased prevalence of SIBO in patients with rosacea compared to controls (40/60 vs 3/60, respectively, p<0.001). Oro-cecal transit time resulted significantly delayed in patients with SIBO than in controls (p<0.01). After SIBO eradication we obtained a complete recovery of cutaneous lesions in 17/20 (85%) and a relevant improvement in 2/20 (10%) patients, while those treated with placebo remained unchanged (14/16) or even worsened (2/16), (p<0,001). These latter patients were subsequently switched to rifaximin therapy with complete resolution of rosacea in 14/16 and significant improvement in the remaining 2 cases.
CONCLUSION: Our study shows the high prevalence of SIBO in patients with rosacea and emphasizes the clinical effectiveness of its eradication in inducing almost complete remission of cutaneous lesions.

From www.blackwell-synergy.com
Rosacea is a chronic disorder characterized by hypersensitivity of the facial vasculature, presenting with intense flushing eventually leading to chronic erythema and telangiectasia. Although the precise aetiology of rosacea is not known, numerous associations with inflammatory gastrointestinal tract disorders have been reported. Furthermore, substance P-immunoreactive neurones occur in considerably greater numbers in tissue surrounding affected blood vessels suggesting involvement of neurogenic inflammation and moreover plasma kallikrein–kinin activation is consistently found in patients. In this report, a patient without digestive tract disease is described, who experienced complete remission of rosacea symptoms following ingestion of a material intended to sweep through the digestive tract and reduce transit time below 30 h. It is possible that intestinal bacteria are capable of plasma kallikrein–kinin activation and that flushing symptoms and the development of other characteristic features of rosacea result from frequent episodes of neurogenic inflammation caused by bradykinin-induced hypersensitization of facial afferent neurones. The possible relevance of this hypothesis to other conditions featuring afferent hypersensitivity, such as fibromyalgia, is considered.

*Experimental dermatology • Concise report Remission of rosacea induced by reduction of gut transit time

* S. N. Kendall

[skeeter]

B12

Hi Queta,

Have you had Rosacea for a long time? If yes, do you use antibiotics to control it? If Yes, what is the name of the antibiotic? Sorry, for all the questions, but antibiotics used over a long period of time can cause intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

My problem with B12 is that I can't absorb the B12 from the foods (dairy and meats) that I eat because I have developed an antibody against my intrinsic factor (Intrinsic factor is produced in the stomach and combines with the B12 in the foods you eat...so that you body can normally absorb it) which prevents intrinsic factor from being produced ..thus...it prevents my body from absorbing the B12 from the foods.

I too self-inject. I have been doing so since 2001. What type of B12 (Cyanocobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin, Methylcobalamin) do you use? How often do you self-inject? I use Cyanocobalamin and I inject 1ML which has 1000mcg/ml of B12.. every 2 weeks. I have no side effects from the B12 that effect my Rosacea. I was lucky...I found a supplement that made it possible for me to get off of antibiotics and it does a better job of controling my Rosacea.

TAKE CARE...SKEETER.

[queta]

B-12 injections

Hi Skeeter:
Thanks for the reply. I do not use antibiotics and never really did for my rosacea because I knew I had candida problems and didn't want to push it. My derm recommended them but I would not take them. I do take a very low dose of accutane (10 mg twice a week) to control my rosacea because I have the phymatous kind and had a whole lot of swelling all over my face...nose, cheeks, forehead, eyes, and chin. I also try to control my rosacea by avoiding triggers (ie-alcohol, hot tubs, saunas, spicy foods, tomatoes, oranges, gluten, sugar, dairy) and am now working with a naturopathically-minded MD to heal my SIBO and intestinal permeability. The regimen I am on now seems to be working, especially with the addition of Vitamin C powder. I also give myself enemas regularly, skin brush, and have a massage bed that gets the lymphatic fluid moving in my body. Yes, I do a whole lot but my face got to the point where perfect strangers would remark at how "ugly" I was. It hurt me so much that I became clinically depressed, anxious, socially withdrawn, etc, etc. That is behind me, however, because I now know what I need to do to keep it in check. I'm also thinking about low light therapy which I'll probably add to my routine once I get some money together. I am very fortunate to have a supportive husband and was able to go down to working part-time for a year while I get my health in order...I'm truly blessed. Anyway, as far as the B-12 goes right now I am injecting Methylcobalamin 1mg/1ml (1.5 ml daily until I feel better). The doc who gave me the B-12 originally suggested twice weekly but my new doc looked at my tongue and said I need it daily for awhile. He also wants me to switch to a different type that he thinks works better but is allowing me to finish up my old stuff first (due to cost issues). He's a wonderful doc and I am lucky to have him. He is also working on my thyroid issues by having me take something for my adrenal glands. My adrenal glands are not completely shot yet so he thinks by having me take licorice root liquid twice daily they will heal...it seems to be working because my pupils no longer pulse from contraction to dilation abnormally (a sign of adrenal issues). I still have some of the symptoms but I have had some improvement.

Thanks for telling me about the intrinsic factor...that might be my problem too because the first doc I went to who diagnosed me originally said something about me having an autoimmune condition and that I am to absolutely stay away from all dairy products. He said that every time I eat dairy I would be worsening my condition. Unfortunately he was in another state from where I lived so to get the follow-up to the appointment it was on a cell phone so I didn't get to ask too many questions and didn't even really know what to ask. I just heard "no dairy" so I have complied. My mother died of an autoimmune illness at the age of 57 so I am aware of how deadly they can be and am willing to do what I can to avoid suffering like she did (I'm 38 right now and it hit me last year that at the rate I was going I might only have 20 years left so I totally cleaned up my act).

I think I answered all your questions. Thanks again for the response! BTW, what supplement did you find helps control your rosacea? I'm always open to new ideas. Also, are chicken eggs okay for you? I still eat them but I'm unsure as to what the first doc said in regards to them. I really hope you say they're okay because my diet is pretty darned restricted already.

Regards
Queta

[skeeter]

Queta,

I take a supplement called:

21ST Century
Triple Omega Complex 3-6-9
Reflux Free
Softgels

I just mentioned the brand that I use...but there is alot of other good brands out there as good. If you decide to try this...there is a few things that you need to be aware of:

1) be sure that you get a supplement that is REFLUX FREE...the reason being...alot of people get what is known as the "Burp Effect"...that is..they get a fishy oil taste back in their mouth from taking omega fatty acids...but if you get one that is REFLUX FREE...it won't do that...you get no bad taste in your mouth.

2) It doesn't work real fast...you need to be patient with it. It took me almost a month before I started to see good results from it...then by the end of the second month I was able to go off the antibiotics slowly.

3) I also have Ocular Rosacea...mine was the itchy, dry, red eyes type, that felt like you have sand or something in them. But, after taking the supplement for a few months...that no longer is a problem!

4) This one...I'm not sure how this comes into play. I use to have a problem with eating dairy products. My stomach would get sore and my Rosacea woule flare up...my face would breakout. Doctors told me that I was lactose intolerant...so I tried the lactose products that was suppose to solve this problem...but it didn't work. After several months taking the supplement I found that I can eat dairy products and have no problems!

5) I take 1 softgel a day.

I know that others here at this forum have tried Omega products and had bad results from it...BUT... IT SURE WORKS FOR ME!!

I have no problems with chicken eggs Queta.

If you decide to try the Omega supplement...I HOPE THAT IT WORKS AS WELL FOR YOU AS IT DOES ME.

TAKE CARE...SKEETER.

[boo2facialredness]

Hi Queta and Skeeter!

I have a question about B-12 deficiency (pernicious anemia). How did you find out that's what you have? Did you have signs/symptoms/blood work?

I have a slightly elevated antithyroid globulin count, but my TSH (I hope I'm getting all those terms right!) was normal. I know that the elevated antithyroid count can be a sign of pernicious anemia. My PCP and my allergist both think I'm "fine" and just need to have my thyroid checked again in 2 years. I really think something is going on, though, and I want it checked out!

I'm going to my GI doctor next week for a follow-up (I was diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying a couple months ago). I would really like him to check me for the B-12 deficiency, but I want to make sure I ask for the right thing, and not in a way that makes it seem like I am playing doctor!

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Also- Queta- I know you follow the Candida diet. Have you ever heard of "Feast Without Yeast" or any of the other books by Drs Semon and Kornblum? Just curious!

Thanks!

~J

[queta]

B-12 deficiency

Hi Queta and Skeeter!

I have a question about B-12 deficiency (pernicious anemia). How did you find out that's what you have? Did you have signs/symptoms/blood work?

I have a slightly elevated antithyroid globulin count, but my TSH (I hope I'm getting all those terms right!) was normal. I know that the elevated antithyroid count can be a sign of pernicious anemia. My PCP and my allergist both think I'm "fine" and just need to have my thyroid checked again in 2 years. I really think something is going on, though, and I want it checked out!

I'm going to my GI doctor next week for a follow-up (I was diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying a couple months ago). I would really like him to check me for the B-12 deficiency, but I want to make sure I ask for the right thing, and not in a way that makes it seem like I am playing doctor!

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Also- Queta- I know you follow the Candida diet. Have you ever heard of "Feast Without Yeast" or any of the other books by Drs Semon and Kornblum? Just curious!

Thanks!

~J

Hello...Queta here. My doc diagnosed it using a blood test. It was in the supposedly normal range but then on the lab sheet there was an addendum saying that some people with levels like mine still experience problems. One of my main symptoms was tingling in my body in various places (it would travel from place to place). I also had a sallow, grey, and puffy appearance. Since I have a new doc who put me on a different type of injectible B-12 I am feeling a whole lot better. BTW, I had to travel 450 miles to get to the doc who actually took the time to run the tests to figure out what was wrong with me. I have been to many docs before him and no one cared enough to take the time.

Also, I have not read those authors but might check them out. I have sort of changed from the traditional candida diet to one that includes a lot of fruits. My doc has me taking a brown rice protein powder with meals to heal my gut and has me on a strict diet to follow which does include most fruits. It is working for me although I don't know if it would work for others.

Regards
Queta

[boo2facialredness]

Hello...Queta here. My doc diagnosed it using a blood test. It was in the supposedly normal range but then on the lab sheet there was an addendum saying that some people with levels like mine still experience problems. One of my main symptoms was tingling in my body in various places (it would travel from place to place). I also had a sallow, grey, and puffy appearance. Since I have a new doc who put me on a different type of injectible B-12 I am feeling a whole lot better. BTW, I had to travel 450 miles to get to the doc who actually took the time to run the tests to figure out what was wrong with me. I have been to many docs before him and no one cared enough to take the time.

Also, I have not read those authors but might check them out. I have sort of changed from the traditional candida diet to one that includes a lot of fruits. My doc has me taking a brown rice protein powder with meals to heal my gut and has me on a strict diet to follow which does include most fruits. It is working for me although I don't know if it would work for others.

Regards
Queta

Thanks, Queta!
I am definitely going to ask my GI doc to run the necessary tests, and if he doesn't I will go back to my PCP and ask him to do it. It's interesting that you mention the tingling. I have had a weird tingling sensation in my back that comes and goes, for several months now. It started before my stomach issues kicked it. I mentioned it to my PCP when I went in for my stomach issues and he said it was probably just a pinched nerve from lifting my two young kids. I didn't think so, though! I also get tingling in my hands and feet. My hands pretty much daily,and my feet from time to time. My husband and I took our kids for a long walk the other day and by the time we were done my entire right leg was tingly. So weird! I don't have the grey appearance. I feel like I look more yellowy. More of a jaundice appearance. I have very fair skin, so for me to look yellow, almost olive is NOT normal! I have been feeling very sluggish lately, too, so something has got to be up! Also, for as much weight as I've lost through diet and stress (I'm currently about 12 pounds under my normal weight, hovering at being underweight) my face looks puffy to me.

What rice protein powder are you taking and where do you find it? Would it be helpful for weight gain? I need to gain at least five pounds- never thought I'd say that! I have not been very good about sticking to the Candida diet. I took the online quiz and did the spit test. My quiz results put me in the upper mild category, so I'm kind of doing a modified version for now. I am trying to stay away from all wheat/yeast, limited dairy, limited sugar. I wish I could do more than that, but it's hard with two little ones and I don't want to lose anymore weight.

Thanks again!

~J