# Methylcobalamin (B12) and severe anxiety



## Canadian4Life (Sep 27, 2010)

I have social anxiety and major depression. I started taking 10-15mg of methylcobalamin sublingually and I can't believe how much it's turned down the anxiety. I ran out 5 days ago and yesterday I felt my anxiety creeping back and I had no idea why. I took an extra clonazepam and I was still very on edge. I thought my anxiety was coming back but didn't realize I ran out of my Methylcobalamin. I picked up some today and took 10mg (high dose) and I feel almost 100% better. Benzos make you not care about anything.. but Methylcobalamin helps me in a WHOLE different way. This stuff is insanely helpful for panic attacks, anxiety (socially also), depression (Majorly) and nervousness. NO drug ever made me less nervous of a person but just more dull. This is the only thing that helps me with nervousness and shakiness. Not even HIGH dose benzos can even do this to any extent. Anyone with similar expoeriences? and why is methylcobalamin (b12) so potent compared to the other b vitamins?


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## rickthegreat (Dec 22, 2008)

I recently tried 1mg (1000 mcg) Jarrow Formula. I felt a little better. Was afraid to take more because the bottle says to take every 2 or 3 days, but seeing you take such high dosages maybe I will take more. Seemed to help me focus. According to wiki it's absorbed better than regular B12 so maybe that's why it's so potent. You sure the dosage you talk about is correct though? My bottle says 1000 mcg and that's %16,000 DV of this vitamin. What brand do you use?


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## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

B12 (both kinds) is good stuff for your general well-being. I have been taking it for a couple of weeks and it has made a really big difference in my energy levels and the way I generally feel. That goes with the notation that I have been taking Depakote for epilepsy for over 20 years and just found recently that some people say taking Depakote for extended periods can deplete your B12.

I have also read that it's pretty hard to overdo it, as your body simply gets rid of the B12 it doesn't use. Though you may find better advice if you ask a pharmacist or something.


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## icedCoffee (Jun 14, 2009)

Interesting I am going to try methylcobalamin! Thanks 



Canadian4Life said:


> I have social anxiety and major depression. I started taking 10-15mg of methylcobalamin sublingually and I can't believe how much it's turned down the anxiety. I ran out 5 days ago and yesterday I felt my anxiety creeping back and I had no idea why. I took an extra clonazepam and I was still very on edge. I thought my anxiety was coming back but didn't realize I ran out of my Methylcobalamin. I picked up some today and took 10mg (high dose) and I feel almost 100% better. Benzos make you not care about anything.. but Methylcobalamin helps me in a WHOLE different way. This stuff is insanely helpful for panic attacks, anxiety (socially also), depression (Majorly) and nervousness. NO drug ever made me less nervous of a person but just more dull. This is the only thing that helps me with nervousness and shakiness. Not even HIGH dose benzos can even do this to any extent. Anyone with similar expoeriences? and why is methylcobalamin (b12) so potent compared to the other b vitamins?


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## room101 (Nov 5, 2010)

Hm interesting stuff about the vitamin B's. I haven't tried B12 but took a 50mg dose of pyridoxine (B6) the other day just before heading to bed and woke up the next morning from the most VIVID dream ever. Just as if I were watching it on HDTV, it was pretty crazy! And the other thing is while I do dream a lot, I have a harder time remembering them after the short time frame within waking. So this dream I had on B6, not only was it so vivid but I can still remember most of it clearly even though it's been nearly a week since. Afterwards I read up online that for some people it has this effect where dream quality is greatly enhanced as well as the ability for dream recollection. I think it has to do with the fact that B6 helps produce more serotonin via tryptophan conversion, which should mean that it could also help decrease anxiety and depression. This is all great news to me since the only reason I initially took it was because I read that a deficiency can cause a specific skin problem, something I had experienced just prior. So I'm thinking of exploring a more natural route to easing anxiety and examining & adjusting my diet first before leaping towards heavier pdoc-prescribed drugs. A note of caution though: unlike B12, B6 has much greater toxicity and high doses can damage sensory nerves. On the other hand, B12 deficiency seems even more damaging than either B6 deficiency OR overdosage, because it can cause mania, psychosis, and depression. Guess I better start eating more liver, giblets, oysters & clams! OmNomnomnomopcorn


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## Onigiri (Aug 3, 2010)

room101 said:


> Hm interesting stuff about the vitamin B's. I haven't tried B12 but took a 50mg dose of pyridoxine (B6) the other day just before heading to bed and woke up the next morning from the most VIVID dream ever. Just as if I were watching it on HDTV, it was pretty crazy! And the other thing is while I do dream a lot, I have a harder time remembering them after the short time frame within waking. So this dream I had on B6, not only was it so vivid but I can still remember most of it clearly even though it's been nearly a week since. Afterwards I read up online that for some people it has this effect where dream quality is greatly enhanced as well as the ability for dream recollection. I think it has to do with the fact that B6 helps produce more serotonin via tryptophan conversion, which should mean that it could also help decrease anxiety and depression. This is all great news to me since the only reason I initially took it was because I read that a deficiency can cause a specific skin problem, something I had experienced just prior. So I'm thinking of exploring a more natural route to easing anxiety and examining & adjusting my diet first before leaping towards heavier pdoc-prescribed drugs. A note of caution though: unlike B12, B6 has much greater toxicity and high doses can damage sensory nerves. On the other hand, B12 deficiency seems even more damaging than either B6 deficiency OR overdosage, because it can cause mania, psychosis, and depression. Guess I better start eating more liver, giblets, oysters & clams! OmNomnomnomopcorn


It's great that you mention this. I also noticed that my recollection for dreams had increased ever since I started taking my B vitamins again... and this was just the last couple of days! I was able to remember both of my (extremely vivid) dreams. This is unheard of since I haven't remembered any dreams for months.

Also, I have a question for anyone who wants to answer. Which company/brand do you guys get your B-Vitamins from? I'm using Garden of Life's RAW B-Complex and it's been helping my energy levels and my ability to focus.


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## RockIt (Jan 8, 2011)

I think there has to be something to this. I started taking a B supplement about a month ago and now I started to also have vivid memories of events/places/etc. I also do feel a bit less anxious in social situations.


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## Anatomica (May 23, 2005)

Funny that you mention vivid dreams, as I started taking multivitamins (which contains a hefty amount of the B vitamins) again the past few days (after not taking them a bit over a year), and I had an incredibly vivid dream last night, which I think is a pretty direct correlation because I haven't dreamt at all in a long time. In addition I have a more stable mood, and energy as well. 

I've also been reading up on inositol, which is technically a part of the B vitamins, but only present in very small amount in the multivitamin that I'm taking, and it seems to have a beneficial effect to decreasing anxiety and depression as well. I just ordered some, can't wait to try it out!


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