Think I'm Allergig to B12

Hi board I just had my gastric bypass surgery RNY on Monday the 6th I have been breaking out a lot itching really bad and hives all over my upper chest neck one arm and now my face and eyes are itching I can't even wear my cpap mask because I can't stand it to touch my skin, I first started breaking out about 10 months ago but it was just on my arm after talking to my dermatologist we decided that we would start eliminating any thing new I was using, soap, detergents, etc and I switched to Eucerin calming skin body wash that helped some so I started eliminating things new I was eating and any new suppliments at the time I had started taking vitamins and had added B to my regimen but once I ran out I never got any more and the itching eased up quite a bit and then I stopped the C vitamin and that helped. but since they were both stopped at the same time I did'nt associate it to the vitamin.

  well as I got closer to my goal weight to have the surgery I was told to star taking B-12 sublingual 1000mcg a day well at first it did'nt nother me to much just my arm and back itching as I continued to take them my chest and stomach startde itching and as I was reading my book that they gave me I was breading up on the vitamins and read that you can get a B-12 toxicity from to much of it and I started doing research looking up what the side effects of B-12 were and there it was all my symptoms hives, itching so now I have to inform my surgeons office and make and appointment with my primary to see if this is the problem because as soon as I came out of the hospital and started taking it again in a lower dose the itching started back up I was so bad one night it woke me up, hydrocortisone does nothing for it and since I have asthma and a little heart disease I have to get cleared to take any kind of benadrly but I pray I can. So today I had nt taken any B-12 since Thursday I was sipping on a vitamin water and slowly the itching started back up so now I'mI'm trying to type rub my eyes and scratch at the same time, so has anyone heard of this and what can I do I do not want to become B-12 deficient.

That's terrible! I have no suggestions friend, but you will be in my thoughts & prayers. I cannot imagine being allergice to B12. Hopefully they find a solution for you & quickly.

 Ugh! That's so frustrating.

Do you also take fish oil? I find it helps me with the itchiness. It's not a cure-all, but it might help. 

It could also be hormonal changes--when I was pregnant with my daughter, my skin just felt awful. I was itchy all over. I was already using a lot of fragrance-free stuff, but then I couldn't even use Aveeno. Thankfully, Burt's Bees saved me. 

No I stopped my fish oil right before surgery, but I am on my way to see my primary care doc and I am going to ask her about doing allergy tests on me so we can find the culprit.

I really doubt you are allergic to B12.  If you were, you would have had symptoms for years and years, because you've been getting B12 - from food - all your life.  However, you could be allergic to something in the sublingual, like a filler or artifical coloring or flavoring.  You could try a different brand of sublingual or you could try the nasal spray or injections.

 exactly what i was going to say

hope you feel better and get this sorted out.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/372757-symptoms-of-too-muc h-vitamin-b12/

I'm not sure about the B-12 allergic reaction but I can say I have been dealing with the Hives since the day I went to my WLS consult in Atlanta in December 2011.  I woke up with my arm itching plus I used the hotel soap (which I never do because I have sensitive skin).   I ended up coming home thinking I had bed bugs bites.   So, I treated my skin for that....then I went to a dermatologist and was put on several anti-histamines and it helped but what helped the most was the shots I received from my primary care physician. 2 from her over the last 9 months and 1 from the emergency room (steriods unfortunately).  Bad thing from them is weight gain and bloating but I was absolutely miserable.  I have a high pain threshold so for me I was climbing the walls...my hubby knew he had to do something.   I too tried to elminate several things which were new in the house...washing powders, coffee, soap, even my beloved diet mt. dew. 

Switching to an allergist...things have gotten better.  He ran a multitude of tests -42 the first round of blood work....it all came back negative with exception of my liver.  It was high and after surgery (had an appt 1 day after I got home and yes I went they were bothering me that bad!).  They were shocked I was even there.  I told them the surgery was nothing compared to the mental anguish the hives had been putting me through.   I can say after dropping some weight and taking the anti-histamines he put me on they are much better.  Now I can tell it seems hormone related...I get a break out around my monthly cycle and then they go back down.  He had done a second test for my liver but I have not gone back yet.  I need too but funds are kind of tight right now so I've been putting it off.   I guess too, I haven't been drinking any caffeine....only water or crystal light.   Just in the past week I  have had a cup of coffee and I didn't break out.   It's about that time for my period so I can tell i'm itching. 

I cut out my B-12 too, I take them at home and my PCP was giving me shots for weight loss but since I've had surgery...I only do the sublingual tablets.  It didn't help either way for me....mine seemed caffeine/chocolate driven.

It's just all really weird....people wanted to say it was stress but I just didn't feel that stress on me like when I was working but I have had some worry with no job, hubby acting the fool and continously gaining weight.   So, now I have control of atleast one part of my life and that's losing weight and I feel sooo much better. 

Hang in there!!! Keep pushing forward...here is what I take for them.  The allergist put me on this ****tail. 

OTC Allegra (one in the am)
Pepcid for my stomach 
Evening:

Zyrtec (one before bed)
Hydrozine HCL 25 mg (2 at bed---get really sleepy) 
pepcid  (one at bedtime)

Hope that helps!  

sherry

Oh someone mentioned up above the Red dye....yes, I started watching that..stopped using the fruit punch crystal light....and avoided as much as I could that I knew had red dye in it and that too seemed about the time they got better...granted now I still take my sublinguals B-12 and I'm okay..but at the time I was taking flintstones vitamines with red dye and crystal light....it's really guessing game but that was another thing I elminated in the process.   We've since elminated it from my son's diet since he has ADHD and he seems to do better too.  

 Red dyes are a big culprit of a slew of conditions. My autistic nephew has to stay away from them because if he doesn't, it makes his "quirks" worse (grinding his jaw, echolailia, etc.).