The Wellness Wonders of Vitamin B-12

Your body might be running on empty if you don’t have enough vitamin B-12. You can do everything right — eat lean protein, take your multivitamin, drink plenty of water. But without adequate B-12 levels, you can still feel exhausted and foggy. The problem isn’t what you consume; it’s what your body can actually use.

At Empowerment Med in College Station, Texas, Chloe Ntaimo, MD, and our team know how much low B-12 levels can affect how you feel.

Your stomach controls B-12 absorption

B-12 absorption depends on a protein called intrinsic factor that your stomach produces. This protein binds to B-12 and moves it through your intestinal wall. Without enough intrinsic factor, even high-dose supplements pass through your system unused.

Intrinsic factor production decreases with age. Stress and acid-blocking medications like proton pump inhibitors also reduce the stomach acid needed for proper B-12 processing. 

Stomach acid must first separate B-12 from food proteins before intrinsic factor can transport the vitamin. When acid levels decline, this entire absorption process becomes compromised.

B-12 deficiency can mimic depression and brain fog

Early B-12 deficiency creates symptoms that doctors often attribute to depression, anxiety, or normal aging. The vitamin maintains protective coatings around nerve fibers called myelin sheaths. When B-12 levels drop, these protective layers deteriorate, and nerve signal transmission becomes impaired.

Common deficiency symptoms include:

• Persistent fatigue unrelated to sleep quality or duration
• Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
• Mood changes, irritability, or depressive symptoms
• Tingling sensations in hands and feet
• Balance problems or dizziness

B-12 directly affects neurotransmitter production, including serotonin and dopamine. Deficiency can present identically to depression, sometimes leading to antidepressant prescriptions when B-12 therapy would address the underlying cause.

This isn’t regular tiredness

B-12 deficiency creates a different kind of exhaustion. It isn’t like being tired from staying up late or needing caffeine. This exhaustion hits at the cellular level.

Your cells need B-12 to turn food into energy. When you’re deficient, that process breaks down. You can eat well, sleep eight hours, and still feel wiped out because your cells can’t access the fuel they need.

Why injections work when pills don’t

B-12 injections skip your digestive system completely. The vitamin goes straight into your bloodstream, where your cells can use it right away.

Dr. Ntaimo uses methylcobalamin in her injections. This form converts to active B-12 better than the cyanocobalamin you find in most supplements. Your body has to work to convert cyanocobalamin, and if you’re already having absorption issues, that’s another hurdle.

Testing that actually tells you something

Dr. Ntaimo looks at active B-12 and other markers that show if your body is using what’s available. Many patients with “normal” B-12 labs still have symptoms because the standard test doesn’t tell the whole story.

We figure out why you aren’t absorbing B-12 properly and fix that alongside giving you what you need. Some people need weekly shots at first, others do fine with monthly maintenance once their levels come up.

Schedule your evaluation at Empowerment Med. Call our College Station office or book online. We’ll discover if B-12 deficiency is behind your fatigue, brain fog, or mood problems and get you back to feeling like yourself.