Because B-12 deficiency can cause serious and permanent health complications, vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment is necessary for anyone that is B-12 deficient. As long as no permanent damage is done, treatment options should prevent all further complications. This makes early detection and treatment vital. Should you suspect that you are B-12 deficient, you should talk to your health care provider immediately.
All vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment will be administered and monitored by a health care professional. This is due to the fact that regular monitoring must be done to ensure that B-12 levels stay within an acceptable range to prevent any further damage to the central nervous system or brain.
Treatment for B-12 deficiency can be a little scary if you don’t know what to expect. Most individuals, however, find that vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment requires nothing more than a few changes in their lifestyle and some visits to their doctor.
Health care professionals will almost always start at the least invasive types of vitamin B-12 treatment options; diet changes, nutritional supplements, and lastly, injections. Diet changes are considered for the individual that may not be eating the right foods. This can mean increasing your meat and meat by-product intake or including fortified foods for vegetarians and vegans.
Nutritional supplements are often considered for the individual that may be eating the right foods but doesn’t seem to be absorbing enough vitamin B-12. This type of vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment usually means the use of multivitamins or B-12 vitamins, but it can also mean the use of supplements like nutritional yeast.
Injections are reserved for individuals that, despite all other changes, continue to suffer from B-12 deficiency. Injections bypass the intestines and ensure that the B-12 is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. It is very rare for an overdose of B-12 to occur from injections because of the fact that any B-12 being consumed through foods and supplements are not being absorbed.
Few individuals require the use of injections as a form of vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment. In most cases, other methods prove to work effectively and no further action is needed. Just to be certain, however, your doctor may conduct regular blood tests to ensure that the type of vitamin B-12 deficiency treatment you are currently on is working effectively.