Can B12 cause migraines?

petchonka82
petchonka82 Posts: 156
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
I started taking a multi-vitamin and a 500mcg B12 supplement as part of my weightloss plan. I've been having evening left side migraines every night since. I did not take the B12 today out of suspicion that it could be causing them and so far tonight I am okay. Has anyone else had headaches or migraines after taking B12 supplements?
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Replies

  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    No, but my sister gets horrible nightmares when she takes B. If you think it's causing the migraines, just stop taking them. It's not worth it.
  • BirdsofaFeather
    BirdsofaFeather Posts: 98 Member
    Whoa. I take B complex all the the time and also get horrible headaches. NEVER connected them. Do you think it's only B12 or could it be other B's too?
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
    well b vitamins period made me feel sick so i started doing a b12 shot I do every other day in my stomach
  • amydcarlson
    amydcarlson Posts: 136 Member
    Bump
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    B12 deficiency can cause migraines... should be getting the reverse situation. Maybe it's something else in the multiviamin??
  • Suzy_B
    Suzy_B Posts: 30 Member
    I've been taking B12 & also get headaches but never connected it. I'm not going to take them this week & test this theory.
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    Migraines have been connected to a *deficiency* of B12 in articles I've read, but I don't recall seeing anything about it causing them. Doesn't mean it isn't possible, that's for sure. Every body is different.
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    Bump

    What?
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    Bump

    What?

    It's just a way to bring it back to the top for you.

    I get sick from iron but don't recall any headaches from multis or when I took B6. I really should take B12 as I don't always get enough in.
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    Bump

    What?

    It's just a way to bring it back to the top for you.

    I get sick from iron but don't recall any headaches from multis or when I took B6. I really should take B12 as I don't always get enough in.

    Thanks. I had just googled it lol. I don't belong to many forums so this is the first time I've seen "bump" :)
  • NikiCBaby
    NikiCBaby Posts: 20
    I have b12 deficiency and I got really bad headaches, migraines, and extreme fatigue. Since I started taking b12 shots the headaches and migranes have gone away.
  • NikiCBaby
    NikiCBaby Posts: 20
    I have b12 deficiency and I got really bad headaches, migraines, and extreme fatigue. Since I started taking b12 shots the headaches and migranes have gone away.
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    Well 3 days without taking the B12 supplement and I haven't had any migraines.
  • misssuperstitious
    misssuperstitious Posts: 178
    I take tons of B vitamins without issue. I do however get nasty headaches if I don't drink lots of water. Quitting something like caffeine also throws me for a headache loop for a few days.
  • happy_vegan
    happy_vegan Posts: 200 Member
    holy cow! i've never even heard of this case. I started taking b12 last september as it's hard to get b12 on a vegan diet and the only thing i've noticed is improved energy and overall happiness. when i don't take them sometimes i get grumpy, and research has linked b12 deficiency to that.
    just thought i'd put in my two cents to not totally deter anyone from ever taking b12 as i love it and it's done wonders for me.
  • Suzy_B
    Suzy_B Posts: 30 Member
    So, I tested this theory by going without my B12 vitamin for a few days. I still got headaches plus I feel tired & run down so I'm going to start back on them tommorow.
  • hansenh1
    hansenh1 Posts: 24 Member
    I never connected the two, but recently have been getting horrible migraines after I have religiously been taking B12 and B6.
  • bespatter
    bespatter Posts: 73 Member
    Since you're taking B12, I'm assuming your a vegetarian/vegan. I used to eat a lot of soy products (occasional fake meats, soy milk, protein bars, etc.) and I had massive migraines for a year and no matter what I did, I couldn't rid of them.

    One day, I did a little reading and found that soy may cause migraines in people. When I gave up the soy, the migraines went away. If I start eating too much again, they come back. I also take B12 and have never had a headache by it.

    So maybe it's something else in your diet? Also, since your body stores B12, you could probably skip a few days between each dose, but I'm not a doctor. :)

    I hope you get this figured out, cause migraines are terrible to live with.
  • corrinnebrown
    corrinnebrown Posts: 345 Member
    thats so weird because I take b12 for my migraines.....
  • jstalittlecrzy
    jstalittlecrzy Posts: 127 Member
    bump
    thats so weird because I take b12 for my migraines.....
  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
    No I'm not Vegan. With that said. I had a chiropractor message me and suggest I might not be getting enough calories. So, I increased my daily calorie goal from 1200 to 1380 and started taking my B12 again. So far, so good. :) Thanks everyone for your input.
  • jen3957
    jen3957 Posts: 1
    I have been trying different types of b12 supplements and all of them seem to trigger migraines in me. I thought it was the inactive ingredients in the pills and sublinguals, but just tried a patch applied to the skin and same thing...it triggers a migraine. In all cases, the lower the dose, the less of a migraine I get; the higher the dose, the worse the migraine.

    I don't know if this a direct effect of the b12 on my body, or if the migraine is due to detoxing (if I'm deficient in b12 and then suddenly have enough, the body will start working properly and detoxing properly which will increase toxins in the blood stream temporarily until cleared by liver/kidneys which could trigger a migraine.).

    I'm tending toward believing the migraine is directly caused by the b12 itself because I have been taking supplements for over a year and should have been done with detoxing by now. I have noticed that the vitamin itself has a bright pink/red color and wonder if it's chemically similar to the artificial coloring used in foods/candies/beverages which also will give me a migraine.

    Feel kind of foolish now, realizing I was probably needlessly giving myself migraines, thinking I was detoxing and they would go away eventually. But, don't know what to do now, since I think I'm still deficient in b12, but need to get it rechecked...
    Frustrating!!
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    I have been trying different types of b12 supplements and all of them seem to trigger migraines in me. I thought it was the inactive ingredients in the pills and sublinguals, but just tried a patch applied to the skin and same thing...it triggers a migraine. In all cases, the lower the dose, the less of a migraine I get; the higher the dose, the worse the migraine.

    I don't know if this a direct effect of the b12 on my body, or if the migraine is due to detoxing (if I'm deficient in b12 and then suddenly have enough, the body will start working properly and detoxing properly which will increase toxins in the blood stream temporarily until cleared by liver/kidneys which could trigger a migraine.).

    I'm tending toward believing the migraine is directly caused by the b12 itself because I have been taking supplements for over a year and should have been done with detoxing by now. I have noticed that the vitamin itself has a bright pink/red color and wonder if it's chemically similar to the artificial coloring used in foods/candies/beverages which also will give me a migraine.

    Feel kind of foolish now, realizing I was probably needlessly giving myself migraines, thinking I was detoxing and they would go away eventually. But, don't know what to do now, since I think I'm still deficient in b12, but need to get it rechecked...
    Frustrating!!

    Do you take any other B vitamins. Maybe you need to take the others as well. Magnesium may be helpful for migraines too.
    What type is your B12 - cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin?
    Yeh, go and get your B12 re-checked.
  • souperficial
    souperficial Posts: 122 Member
    I get migraines and was actually told to take B12 to help prevent them. So probably not.
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
    I don't think so.. we took my boyfriends kid to the doctor for chronic migraines and he prescribed B12..
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
    I don't think so.. we took my boyfriends kid to the doctor for chronic migraines and he prescribed B12..
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
    Sorry .. On second thought I think it was B2 so disregard my earlier comment
  • lindsy721
    lindsy721 Posts: 350 Member
    I take a multivitamin that contains 75mcg B12.

    I am a *former* migraine sufferer, also, but I have since overcome these massive headaches. I got a lot of help from this book: "Heal Your Headaches" by Dr. David Buchholz.
  • Htaylorrd
    Htaylorrd Posts: 1 Member
    Ya'll might want to look into MTFHR genetic mutations. That's where you have a genetic "kink" and can't methylate your B vitamins. It can disrupt metabolic pathways and cause migraines, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, etc. The fix is to balance your hormones with timing of meals but also supplementing with methylated forms of B's. You also have to play with it because you may be an over methylator or under methylator. This would require a different balance of folate, niacin, and B12 along with other precursors. Ask your practitioners if they are trained in this genetic issue. They may not be up to date on this science.
  • lastriegel
    lastriegel Posts: 3
    I also get migraines and have been taking Topamax for over 5 years. It helped in the beginning but I was tired all the time (not from the meds, that's just me) so I thought I would try B-12 Energy Gummy vitamins. They are wonderful for the energy but my migraines also starting increasing so my neurologist increased my Topamax gradually, now I'm on the max dose. But I still get anywhere from 15-25 migraines a month. It's a terrible way to live. He has put me on everything from Imatrex, Maxalt, OTC drugs, You name it, I've tried it. But I was reading conflicting articles online the other day about B-12 being good for migraines, some say yes, some say no. I stopped taking B-12 over a week ago and haven't had a migraine or no tension in my neck or shoulders since. That is the longest I have gone without one in at least 9 months. I'm a happy girl....although tired :)

    My question to you is....Do you have adverse reaction to other medications? Such as Benadryl, does it make you hyped up or does it knock you out? Same with Nyquil? If so, maybe you have an adverse reaction to B-12 and so do I. Maybe that's why it causes us to get migraines when taking it instead of preventing them. Just saying......
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