B6 Blood Testing and B12 levels

[veggiemom1436]

I have been searching all over the place and can not find anything to help answer my question!  I recently had blood testing done for B12, B7, B1, B2, B6 - it's been a trainwreck.  First, they didn't send my samples out properly.  Second draw, they sent my samples out properly, but one of them came "unfoiled" and was exposed to light.  Third, they could not report my B6 "due to possible interfering substances".  I specifically asked the lab what this meant and they said it was just a general statement and that they really have no way of knowing why or what was interfering.  I'm just wondering if anyone has ANY ideas at all.  I need to go back and have this redone, but I'm not sure if there is a point in it if one of my meds are producing some sort of "interference".  I take various vitamins, few herbs, and I'm on a few RX's. The most the lab could tell me was "avoid alcohol and vitamins for 24 hours".  

Another question I have is regarding B12.  I had mine tested in February, then they re-tested it (they weren't supposed to) approx. a month later.  In that time it had fallen 100 points.  It was 520, then it went down to 419.  This is significant to me considering my levels have always been in the 500's-600's.  Can certain meds, stress, anxiety cause a drop so quickly?  I've been a vegetarian for 10 years and my levels have always remained fairly stable. I am under severe stress/anxiety right now, though.  

Thanks for any input!  

[Paxiled]

This is why the only real way to test nutrient levels is to test regularly over several days or weeks, which only a few holistic nutritionists will do and it's expensive.  Naturally we all vary on our levels throughout the day and over several days.  I wouldn't worry about it too much for just one test, but do keep an eye on it, as vegetarians often can't get enough B12 in their diet since it's primarily found in animal food.  (Sprirulina does have a lot, but there's some controversy over how well algaes are absorbed).  As for not taking you vitamins, if you regularly take them you definitely want to take them when you get tested because, for example, B6, while you want enough, you don't want too much -- some people get a neuropathy from taking high doses, though not most.  So I'd think you'd want to test having taken your vitamins since that's part of your regular regimen, and since it'll tell you if you're actually absorbing what you're taking, a big problem with supplements which vary quite a lot in quality. As for the interaction with stress and meds, certain meds do interfere in several ways with certain nutrients, but each is different in what it interferes with.  Meds often also interfere with digestion, which will indirectly affect nutrient levels.  An example are antidepressants, which for some reason seem to often interfere with magnesium absorption.  Stress, of course, can interfere with anything, but particularly is connected to B vitamins, though you've got a chicken and egg problem there.  Low levels of B6 and B12 can cause stress, since they help regulate the nervous system, particularly B6.  So do other B vitamins.  And B6, folate, and B12 have a balance between them that controls homocysteine, so that can be upset by an imbalance in any one of them.  As to your tests, sounds like the lab is totally screwed up.  Can you find another?  This is so bad sounding I might report it to the proper regulatory authorities -- I mean, after all this, would you trust their results?

[veggiemom1436]

Thanks Paxiled.  

See, I just took everything that I always take, but they are saying not to.  Now, I don't know if that is because something could possible interfere with the test or what.  I can not find ANY information at all online regarding substances that would interfere with a B6 blood test.  I don't even know how they would come to that conclusion and it's driving me nuts because I don't know what it means!  I have Chronic Lyme Disease and I also have severe (very severe) health anxiety, so one *off* thing sends me in a downward spiral.

They have to do the re-draw (again) because insurance already paid for it.  You'd think Quest would have their stuff together, but apparently not.  I didn't realize this would be such a huge nightmare.  I had one phlebotomist tell me that the reason they couldn't test for B7 was because my blood was too thin (she had no clue what she was talking about), then I was told by the service center that it was because it wasn't light protected. So they obviously have issues with communication and following procedure.  I am going to a different lab site this time.  I would have gone to our local hospital had I known it was going to be such a nightmare.

I've been kind of lazy about my B12 supplements since my levels have always been pretty good, but since I got my last results I've been supplementing with sub-lingual B12.  I'm pretty sure that the antibiotics I've been off and on for Lyme Disease can deplete my body of pretty much everything....