Vitamin B12 injections help prevent or treat vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause fatigue, headaches, pale or yellow skin, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and constipation.

Clinicians prescribe it to treat a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by:

Although clinicians prescribe and administer it to patients to lose weight and increase energy and endurance during exercise, there is no evidence that supplementing with Vitamin B12 provides these benefits.

Vitamin B12 injections are required by patients who are deficient in this vitamin as a result of:

If a patient needs long-term therapy and has normal intestinal absorption, the Food and Drug Administration suggests giving them vitamin B12 tablets. However, many people are not able to absorb vitamin B12 well due to a lack of intrinsic factor.

How often you get vitamin B12 depends on your condition and the type of injection your doctor prescribes.

The available formulations of vitamin B12 injection are cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and methylcobalamin. However, hydroxocobalamin is preferred over cyanocobalamin because it has a longer duration of action. As a result, clinicians administer it less frequently. If you don't get enough vitamin B12 from your diet or you cannot absorb vitamin B12 effectively from your gut, you will need regular injections.

Also, you may need vitamin B12 injections more often at the beginning of your treatment. Before switching to maintenance therapy, your doctor would determine the frequency of administration.

A clinician's goal in administering a vitamin B12 injection is to provide the body with the amounts needed for its daily use and to replenish its stores for future use. The body can store so much vitamin B12 that it will take two to four years before an adverse change in your diet will necessitate a replenishment.

At the beginning of your treatment, you may notice that you are getting vitamin B12 injections more often than usual. This is because your daily needs must be met. As the vitamin builds up in your body, your doctor or nurse will give it to you once a month or every two to three months.

To achieve a longer duration of action, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that clinicians administer Vitamin B12 injections intramuscularly. Because of its water solubility, most of the drug is lost in the urine after intravenous administration.

A vitamin B12 injection starts working immediately upon administration.

Generally, you will begin to experience the waning of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency between 24 and 72 hours after administration.

However, if your deficiency is severe, you will begin to experience the positive effects after several weeks.

The cost of Vitamin B12 injections depends on your locality, your insurance coverage, the pharmacy you visit, the form and strength of Vitamin B12 you will be injected with, and whether you plan to inject yourself or have a medical professional do it.

You may get Vitamin B12 injections at a lower price when you contact international pharmacies and online businesses. However, you should be cautious about the risk of getting substandard formulations.

The symptoms of low vitamin B12 vary among patients. Most patients experience anemia. As anemia develops, you will gradually become pale and weak. You may also experience shortness of breath, a rapid heart rate, and dizziness.

Severe vitamin B12 deficiency damages the nerves, causing loss of sensation in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, confusion, loss of balance, dementia, difficulty walking, and loss of reflexes.

As the deficiency progresses, you become irritable and experience mild depression, delirium, and impaired mental function.

Though the vitamin B12 shot is absorbed faster than the pill, it is not better. The Food and Drug Administration recommends Vitamin B12 shots over tablets only for patients with difficulty absorbing the vitamin.

In most patients, the pills are just as effective as the shots. Research has discovered that high-dose oral B12 is as effective as an intramuscular injection at resolving vitamin B12 deficiency. The choice of a shot or pill depends on the cause of the deficiency, the severity of your condition, your budget, and your preferences. Pills are better for patients who want to avoid shots. They are also more economical.

The shots are preferable for patients with a severe deficiency and those who require immediate relief from certain symptoms. They are also the best choice for those with malabsorption of the vitamin. Clinical guidelines recommend loading doses of vitamin B12 shots in these patients.

In the United States, pharmacists who are certified injectors can administer a vitamin B12 injection. This is not the case in all countries. When looking for a Vitamin B12 shot, you should check to see if this is allowed in your host country.

If you choose to get your shot from a pharmacy, contact your preferred pharmacy to make an appointment.

All formulations of vitamin B12 injection are effective and have the same efficacy. However, most clinicians prefer the methyl cobalamin formulation of B12 to the cyanocobalamin formulation.

Vitamin B12 may raise blood pressure in some patients. Blood pressure elevation when on Vitamin B12 therapy may be an adverse reaction or a result of low levels of electrolytes.

Research has shown that vitamin B12 lowers levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine play a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. As a result, some clinicians postulate that vitamin B12 may be beneficial for patients with high blood pressure.

However, studies so far have not shown it is able to lower cardiovascular risks.

Vitamin B12 injections are available in two forms and from several manufacturers. These forms are methyl cobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and cyanocobalamin. Differences in brand names are a result of pharmaceutical companies' desire to create unique identities for their products.

The form of vitamin B12 injection your clinician recommends for you will be stated in your prescription. If this is not the case, the pharmacist will seek clarification from them

After a vitamin B12 injection, avoid

It is best to completely avoid alcohol while on vitamin B12 injections.

After a vitamin B12 injection, you may feel unwell. You may experience fatigue, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and headaches after the injection. You may also experience joint pain, cramping, numbness, and tingling.

Other adverse effects you may experience include injection site reactions, indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. These feelings should fade quickly. However, if they persist, talk to your doctor.

You should not rub the injection site after a vitamin B12 injection in an attempt to ease the ill feelings as a result of the injection. Massaging the injection site will irritate the tissue and may increase your discomfort.

A vitamin B12 injection is given in the upper buttocks and thighs. It can also be injected into the deltoid muscle of the upper arm. The upper buttock is the most common site of administration.

Experienced clinicians commonly give vitamin B12 injections in the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. The outer anterior thigh is the easiest site of administration. However, administering it in the thigh may cause more discomfort than in the upper buttocks.

Though B12 vitamin starts working immediately, it may take a few weeks before your symptoms start to improve, and it may take months before you return to a healthy state again. The duration of your recovery from vitamin B12 deficiency depends on the severity of your deficiency, dosage, and how well you absorb the vitamin.

You need to adhere to your treatment plan to get optimal results.

After a clinical exam, your doctor may decide that you need to get vitamin B12 injections every day. To reduce symptoms and ensure adequate levels of Vitamin B12, clinicians often recommend that you take it daily until symptoms subside or disappear. Once your vitamin B12 level stabilizes, your clinician will prescribe monthly injections to maintain adequate levels of the vitamin and avoid future deficiencies.

If you are taking it for non-medical reasons, you do not need to take it daily. Clinicians do not recommend daily administration of vitamin B12 injections for non-medical purposes, even though you are not likely to experience any vitamin B12 toxicity.

If you are deficient in vitamin B12, you may feel more energetic. There is no evidence that vitamin B12 will give you energy right away. It enables the body to turn food into energy. It is not an energy booster.

Vitamin B12 supplements or injections will not give you an energy boost if your vitamin B12 levels are normal. If you are easily tired, speak with your clinician about the steps you can take to increase your energy levels or to rule out a medical cause of low energy. Your physician may recommend a series of tests, including one to determine your vitamin B12 levels.

It is perfectly okay to get vitamin B12 shots every week if that is how your doctor prescribes them. However, you should talk to a clinician about the best possible regimen. This is because you may not need a B12 shot every week. You may need to take it twice or three times a year for non-medical reasons. For medical reasons, your clinician may decide to administer it daily at first, then weekly, and finally monthly.

Apples, oranges, bananas, blueberries, almonds, and peanuts are fruits high in vitamin B12. Because fruits alone can't give you enough vitamin B12 to meet your needs, you'll need to eat vegetables and other vitamin B12-rich foods as well.

When you start taking vitamin B12, it stimulates lots of processes needed for normal body functioning. It helps make deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and helps the body use fatty acids and amino acids. It also plays a vital role in the formation of myelin sheaths that cover nerves and in red blood cell maturation.

If you are deficient in vitamin B12, its intake will support these body processes and gradually reduce the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.

The naturally occurring forms of the vitamin, methyl cobalamin and adenosyl cobalamin, are the best. The body easily absorbs them.

However, all forms of vitamin B12, in appropriate doses and regimens, would alleviate your symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. It will eventually supply your body with adequate levels to prevent future deficiency.

Your medical condition also influences which form is best for you. Patients with malabsorption of the vitamin would require injectable formulations. Hydroxocobalamin is preferred over cyanocobalamin because of its extended duration of action. Many clinicians also prefer methyl cobalamin.

People with malabsorption should take supplements or eat lots of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables and vitamin B12-rich foods such as animal meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy products.

Though B12 injections are much better absorbed than tablets, they are only better for patients with malabsorption of the vitamin and those who require immediate relief of the symptoms of a vitamin deficiency. This is because the body wouldn't be able to take in enough of the vitamin from tablet formulations.

High-dose oral supplements are an effective way to treat vitamin B12 deficiency in people with normal intestinal absorption. Compared to injections, oral supplements save a lot of money, have no side effects, and make people more likely to continue to use them.

Cobalamin is another name for vitamin B12. It exists in nature as methyl cobalamin and adenosyl cobalamin. The synthetic formulations are known as cyanocobalamin and hydroxocobalamin.

The naturally occurring forms are the ones that the body prefers. Cyanocobalamin is the most common form found in fortified foods and supplements.

B12 is not the same as folic acid. Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9. They work together to make red blood cells and nucleic acids in the body.

While you can meet your daily needs of folic acid by following a vegan diet, you cannot meet your daily needs of B12 by doing so.

Also, people don't have trouble absorbing B9, which is different from B12. Vitamin B12 needs to bind to an intrinsic factor before it can be used by the body. Vitamin B9 is immediately hydrolyzed and absorbed into the body from the gut.

People who do not consume enough vitamin B12, have malabsorption of the vitamin, or whose bodies do not store enough vitamin B12 are at risk of deficiency.

Vegans and their children, in the case of a breastfeeding mother, are those who frequently present with a vitamin B12 deficiency due to a lack of it in their diet. Other people are unlikely to be deficient due to insufficient B12 consumption.

In addition, patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and a lack of B12 intrinsic factor are at increased risk of B12 deficiency due to malabsorption. Patients who have had bariatric surgery for weight loss, as well as surgery that has removed the B12-producing portion of the small intestine, are also at risk of B12 deficiency due to malabsorption. Older adults are also at risk of B12 deficiency due to malabsorption.

Patients with liver problems are also at risk of not getting enough B12 because these problems can make it hard for the liver to store the vitamin. The liver stores the majority of the body's vitamin B12.

Medications that reduce the amount of B12 in the body, reduce absorption, or prevent the formation of B12 intrinsic factor should not be combined with vitamin B12. Proton pump inhibitors, antacids, and histamine (H2) receptor blockers are examples of such medications.

Methyldopa, metformin, macrolides, neomycin, and clofibrate are some other medications that should not be combined with vitamin B12.

To ensure the efficacy of your B12-containing medications, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Foods rich in vitamin B12 include animal liver and kidneys, clams, sardines, beef, fortified cereal, tuna, trout, salmon, milk, dairy products, fortified nondairy products, and eggs.

Though plants contain low amounts of vitamin B12, it is abundant in nutritional yeast, fortified foods, cereals, and some algae, such as the popular Asian seaweed used in sushi, as well as edible mushrooms.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by inadequate amounts of the vitamin in the body. This inadequacy can be a result of inadequate consumption of B12 in the diet, malabsorption, and liver disorders.

Also, certain medications that interfere with its absorption can cause vitamin B12 deficiency when taken for an extended period. Such medications include metformin, omeprazole, antacids, and cimetidine.

Yes, you can take multivitamins with B12 injections. High levels of vitamin B12 are not dangerous because any extra is passed out of the body in the urine. However, you should speak to a doctor or pharmacist to help you decide if there is a need to take both medicines together. This is because if you adhere to a balanced diet, you are likely to get all the recommended daily allowances for optimal body functioning.

Except if you have a moderate-to-severe vitamin B12 deficiency, you do not need to take vitamin B12 injections daily. Clinicians give the injection daily to patients who have severe symptoms before switching to weekly or monthly doses to prevent future deficiency.

Patients who receive vitamin B12 injections for non-medical purposes do not require daily administration.

A pharmacist can provide you with a B12 injection. If you prefer not to have it administered in the hospital, a certified pharmacist can do so. If you are familiar with the procedure, you may also choose to administer it to yourself at home.

However, before receiving a B12 injection at a pharmacy, you must present a legal prescription. If you do not have a prescription, they can refer you to a doctor, who will determine whether you require one.

Though there is no set time for taking vitamin B12 injections, it is best taken in the morning due to its role in energy metabolism. Increased energy metabolism may interfere with your sleep.

The best place to inject vitamin B12 is where you feel most at ease among the locations where it can be administered. Most people who self-administer choose the middle third of the vastus lateralis of the thigh because it is the most convenient location for them. Others will prefer the deltoid muscle of the upper arm or the dorsogluteal site on the buttocks if someone else administers them.

Following a B12 injection, the majority of patients experience pain and swelling at the injection site. Itching, fatigue, headaches, and dizziness are also possible. Others may experience numbness or tingling at the site of the injection. After administration, these feelings should subside. If they do not, consult your doctor.

Follow these steps when administering vitamin B12 injection intramuscularly:

Subcutaneous administration of injections is no longer recommended. If you choose a subcutaneous route, administer the injection at an angle of 45°.

Though you can inject very high doses of vitamin B12, you would not suffer from any toxicity. This is because the excess vitamin would be excreted by the body. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin.

Foods and drinks that interfere with vitamin B12 absorption and metabolism should be avoided. Examples of such foods and drinks include alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods.

Even though caffeine makes it easier for the stomach to absorb vitamin B12 by making it more acidic, it lowers the amount of B12 in the blood by making it easier to get rid of. Chronic alcohol intake reduces the absorption of vitamin B12 in the gut by inhibiting the production of intrinsic factors.

Vitamin B12 has been significantly depleted in processed foods. Therefore, their consumption is not encouraged. Instead, consume vitamin B12-fortified foods if you do not have access to adequate quantities of animal products rich in the vitamin.

The fastest way to fix a B12 deficiency is by taking injectable formulations of the vitamin. Injectable formulations are readily available for the body to use, unlike tablets, which have to undergo absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.

However, vitamin B12 deficiency requires chronic therapy. This is because some of its symptoms would not resolve until after a few weeks. Some may take years, for example, neurological symptoms. Therefore, you should be patient with your clinician’s treatment plan. Also, talk to him or her to address any concerns you have.

The best way to naturally increase your vitamin B12 levels is to consume fruits, vegetables, and animal products rich in the vitamin. Examples of vitamin B12-rich foods include animal liver and kidneys, milk and dairy products, clams, sardines, beef, eggs, and fortified non-dairy products.

Vitamin B12-rich vegetables include nori and shiitake mushrooms. Generally, it is present in trace amounts in vegetables.

Also, you should avoid foods and drinks that interfere with the absorption and metabolism of the vitamin. Such foods and drinks include alcohol, caffeine, and unfortified processed foods.

Eggs are a rich source of vitamin B12. So they can increase your level of the vitamin. One boiled egg can provide 25% of your recommended daily allowance. As a result, four eggs per day would provide your daily allowance of the vitamin. You do not need to eat the whole egg. This is because most of the vitamin B12 present in the egg is present in the yolk.

B12 injections are not harmful. However, you may suffer adverse effects from taking it. Some of these effects are headaches, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, muscle weakness, numbness, and tiredness. They wane immediately after taking the injection. If they persist, you should speak to your doctor.

Also, there is no toxicity from taking vitamin B12 in very high doses. This is because the body excretes excess amounts in the urine.

Vitamin B12 tablets come in different brand names. The form of vitamin B12 available in tablets is cyanocobalamin. It also comes in combination with other vitamins. Common brand names for vitamin B12 tablets include Cobex, Crystamine, Prime, and Eligen B12.

Two eggs per day cannot provide your daily allowance of vitamin B12. So, they aren't enough unless you also eat other animal and plant foods that are high in vitamin B12. Examples of such products include meat, fish, cheese, oranges, almonds, blueberries, and fortified cereals.

You would need to eat four eggs daily to meet the recommended dietary allowance. You should eat animal and plant products rich in the vitamin rather than focusing on a specific product.

Adults with low vitamin B12 levels may feel unwell. Low vitamin B12 can cause tiredness, shortness of breath, pale skin, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, memory loss, depression, and anemia if it is not treated.

Very low levels of the vitamin may lead to nerve damage and other neurological disorders. Patients with nerve damage caused by a lack of B12 may lose their balance and feel tingling in their hands and feet all the time. The nervous system may take years to return to optimal function if it is adversely affected by low levels of the vitamin.

What are the signs and symptoms of too much B12?

There are no signs or symptoms of too much vitamin B12. The body excretes excess amounts of the vitamin in urine.

Elevated B12 levels in blood tests are an indication of another medical condition, such as diabetes or cancer.

There is no best way to take vitamin B12. The best way depends on a patient's preference and medical state.

The oral route is an economical and convenient option for most patients with normal intestinal flora and absorption. It also allows for easier adherence and does not have adverse effects compared to outer routes.

The intramuscular route is best for those with severe deficiency and who require immediate relief from their symptoms.

Generally, vegetables are not a good source of vitamin B12. They contain only a trace amount of the vitamin. The vegetables that are a good source of the vitamin are dried seaweeds (nori) and shiitake mushrooms.

Serum levels of vitamin B12 less than 200 pg/ml are a sign of deficiency. Deficiency is confirmed by checking the levels of serum methylmalonic acid. A high level of methylmalonic acid confirms a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Some patients may not know they have dangerously low levels of the vitamin because they may not show signs of its deficiency. This group of patients may suddenly experience severe symptoms. For some, the symptoms develop gradually.

Though vitamin B12 deficiency can cause weakness in the legs, weakness of the legs is a classical symptom of vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency.

Other vitamin deficiencies that can cause weakness in the legs include vitamin D deficiency and folic acid deficiency.