Hacker News Reader

Comment by notamy | Hacker News Reader

> I feel like vitamin D is utterly alien and mysterious. It is as if everyone knows it is there but nobody understands it very well.

B12 is another one — B12 deficiency is absolutely horrific to end up with long-term, and doctors struggle to treat it properly due to extensive misconceptions[0] (ex insisting it’s impossible to have issues with oral absorption / that injections aren’t necessary). It also often gets misdiagnosed as things like MS due to them presenting very similarly in terms of symptoms[1].

[0] https://www.mcpiqojournal.org/article/S2542-4548(19)30033-5/...

[1] Table 1, page 12 https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article...

View on HN

That’s what stopped me doing nitrous oxide…b12..

Rave culture will be hit hard in coming years.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366039/

That case study doesn’t include how much she was using, and in every case study of a hospital visit I’ve seen that included usage habits, it was extreme. Like daily usage for months.

It does, however, say:

> the clinical manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency have been noted not only in long-term nitrous oxide users, but also after a single exposure in those with susceptibility to vitamin B12 deficiency

Basically, there are several sources of susceptibility, N2O being one of them, and they add up.

Alcohol, Narcotics and a Vegan diet can all lower B12 levels so any of those together can cause a serious depletion.

Your assumption that I didn’t “sow my wild oats” is your first error.

Hopefully the sibling comments here will show why I might have reason to be concerned.

Eating a lot of nuts these days….

Honestly, could you point out where I assumed that? I don’t think I expressed that assumption. I certainly don’t hold it.

If you’re concerned about your own B12 levels, oral supplements are cheap and quite bioavailable. I do injections every 2 months since I find it more convenient than sublinguals daily. Every year I do blood tests and B12 is top of range.

Not that this takes care of everything for someone still using. If I remember right, N2O blocks the processes B12 are involved in. It doesn’t just deplete it.

I always made sure to take B12 when using nitrous

If B12 uptake is restricted biologically, it may well not be enough.

Besides, getting B vitamins from sources other than food is associated with cancer.

Steve-o begs to differ.

…always a reliable source for role model tips…

Like 5 out of 1000 people at raves do nitrous oxide where I’m at

Reply on news.ycombinator.com