Vitamin tip from Neurologist for those with Memory problems

Post Reply New Topic

I just got a great tip from my PDD-NOS daughter's neurologist. She said that low levels of Vitamin B12 can cause memory problems and/or dementia-like symptoms. For anyone under stress or with anxiety, the amount of B12 in multivitamins or even multi-B vitamins is not enough to prevent this. The neurologist suggested that anyone with memory issues take at least 1000 mcg B12 a day. My 14-year-old daughter started taking 2500 mcg of B12 a day earlier this year when a B12 deficiency was found, and her memory went from bad to excellent. After hearing this news, my fiance and I have now started taking 2500 mcg ourselves, which is a common pill size, and what my daughter's regular doctor recommended. My fiance (pharmacist plus MS in nutrition) recommends sublingual B12, which is better absorbed than the types you just swallow.

Great advice/info! That's one of the reasons why alcoholics have so bad memory, alcohol adversely affects B12 absorption.

After I wrote this I chatted with my daughter, and she said her memory is now so good that she remembers absolutely everything said at school, even the names of her classmates pets! Before she started taking the B12, she actually needed a special accommodation to be allowed notes during tests because her memory was so bad.

Wow that's some improvement!
So autistics aren't that good at absorbing calcium from dairy products (big amounts of unprocessed casein found in urine).. And calcium is needed for EVERYTHING in the brain, so that might be one of the reasons some are non-verbal, maybe they barely can process any calcium at all. You might think about adding some calcium if you haven't already. (Salt works too but is less potent)
Also, I don't know if your daughter is a visual learner or not, but if so she might have auditory processing disorder - they often go together. It makes it harder to remember spoken words.

So pondering if we can absorb and/or process B12 that good led me to this, though I don't know how legit it is:

Thanks for the tips! My daughter is actually more of an auditory learner than a visual learner. None-the-less you make a good point about the calcium. She's been on Vitamin D for many years which helps Calcium absorption, but we have a never ending battle with finding a calcium supplement she will take. We'll keep trying.

I especially appreciate your comments for myself. I am a visual learner with major auditory problems, as is my fiance. I've been haphazard about taking Calcium, but I will make sure I get enough on a daily basis in the future.

Oh BTW, the excerpt you posted sounds very legit. My daughter is having her B vitamins closely monitored now. She needs to take a multi-B along with 400mg of Niacinamide (B3 in a form without the negative side effects of Niacin) and 2500 mcg of B12. She also had a severe lack of B3, which was contributing to psychotic symptoms. Thankfully she is over that now, and off the terrible anti-psychotics they had been giving her. My pharmacist/nutritionist fiance did research on B3/niacin, and found an old study, perhaps from England, where they started giving patients in a mental hospital B3 daily. A full half of the patients were discharged because their symptoms went away once their Niacin levels were restored.

Anyone know of any foods that have natural sources of these nutrients?

Thank you, just ordered a couple of jars from Amazon, Iam already taking Zinc and Magnesium thinking maybe my Brain was lacking these essential minerals and that was why I seem to have permanent Brain fog, but B12 reads like it might be what I need.

RedwoodCat - Did the neurologist indicate whether Vitamin B12 helped with short-term memory, long-term memory or both? Just curious, as my short-term memory (especially complex working memory) sucks.

Rocket- She just said memory/dementia-like problems. To me dementia-like implies short-term, but I can't say for sure. I know in my daughters case, both improved greatly. I don't know what effect ADHD might have on the helpfulness of B12, since poor working memory goes hand in hand with that. I have ADHD too, but my daughter does not. I've read that improving working memory is suppose to improve ADHD symptoms, but I do not know if B-12 is typically used to do that. I figure it can't hurt. I'll post again after I've been taking the B-12 for awhile and report the results.

Fiance says red meat for the B12. I'd rather just take the sublingual tablets. I think for someone that has a serious issue with this, it would be hard to get enough from food alone.

great thread!!

thank you all!!

Nambo, Brain fog is a pretty complex issue. It's one of the most common concerns my fiance hears as a pharmacist and nutritionist. There are many causes, and many different remedies depending on the cause. B-12 helps memory functioning, but many things can cause brain fog that require more than vitamins and minerals to treat. Examples are thyroid issues, chemo aftereffects, ADHD, menopause, psych meds, brain damage, adrenal fatigue and stress overload, just to name a few off the top of my head. Right now I deal with it by taking Concerta (Ritalin) along with B vitamins, and have been gradually ruling out other causes. The over-the-counter supplements I've seen marketed for brain fog are either thyroid boosters or plain old stimulants. I have a negative reaction to all of them except the B vitamins, for which I take a multi-B in addition to the B12 sublingual tablets I've started on.

Wow... I eat almost entirely vegetarian food and very rarely have red meat (it's just too expensive). I knew I was probably lacking iron, but I never realized B12 was so important or that it would be so lacking from this kind of diet. I would love to eat a steak every day, but that kind of stuff is really expensive here, so I guess I'll have to stop at a pharmacy and grab some of these pills. I've had terrible brain fog and memory issues for a long while now, and have even shown some signs of psychosis lately that were really scaring me. I'll try the vitamins before I freak out. Thanks a lot for the info!

Prague is so beautiful.
Life is very difficult there...I wish it wasn't.

Kotshka, If you are having signs of psychosis, start taking Niacinamide ASAP, along with a regular B-multi and B-12. Do not take the regular Niacin (B3) in larger quantities that come in a multi, as it causes unpleasant flushing. I would start with 100mg twice a day on the Niacinamide, and if that works well, go to 200mg twice a day, which is what my no-longer-psychotic daughter takes. You don't need red meat, and I'm sure some vegetables have some of these vitamins too, but protein is important. Among other things, it helps stabilize blood sugar which can contribute to your symptoms. I eat canned salmon daily as it has lots of Omega-3 which is also very important for mental health. Keep sugar and caffeine to a minimum, as they too can induce psychosis in sensitive individuals. Also, lots of drugs can cause psychosis and brain fog (both legal and illegal), so if you're taking anything, check if that could be causing psychosis or brain fog. If you don't have health insurance or can't afford a doctor to help you with these problems, and the psychosis continues to get worse (like experiencing hallucinations on a regular basis), get yourself 5150'd at the emergency room for being a danger to yourself so that you can get treated for the psychosis. Unfortunately schizophrenia and bipolar are sometimes co-morbid with AS.