Why Injections?
I hate needles, so if I have to get stuck with a 1-inch needle that goes all the way into the muscle, I better get a good explanation. Well, here goes: In order to absorb vitamin B12 when taken orally, either from food or mulitvitamins, we need both stomach acid and something called intrinsic factor. As we get older our stomachs tend to make less stomach acid. Sometimes this is due to our own immune system attacking and destroying the acid-producing cells in our stomachs.1 This common problem leads to less intrinsic factor being produced and less stomach acid. In fact, losing the ability to absorb vitamin B12 is the leading cause of adult B12 deficiency.2 This can also be a problem for people who are taking acid suppressors like omeprazole or antacids. If you are in this boat, taking vitamin B12 pills is mostly a waste… quite literally.
Vitamin B Complex Injections
Other B vitamins are available together in an injectable dosage form called Vitamin B Complex. This injection also includes thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), and pyridoxine (B6), but not folic acid (B9). However, a person is much less likely to have problems absorbing these vitamins than B12. So, unless your levels of B vitamins are drastically low (which can be shown with a blood test) and your diet and supplement intake is good, you probably don’t need a vitamin B complex injection.
Benefits of Vitamin B12 Injections
The first thing I noticed, even the same day I started B12 injections, was energy! That is reason enough to take them for me, but that was the only benefit I noticed from the shots.
However, if you are really deficient in B12, you may have megaloblastic or pernicious anemia. Symptoms include being tired all the time, shortness of breath, a painful tongue, flu-like symptoms, and even nervous system damage. If you have this kind of anemia, the benefit of the injections would be immense.
Vitamin B12 or B Complex Injections for Weight Loss
There aren’t any studies that show that B12 or B Complex injections or pills help people lose weight. In fact, no vitamin can directly help you lose weight. Vitamin B12 injections are mostly given at weight loss clinics because a lack of food typically results in less energy. So, it helps you deal with the side effects of dieting. For a better explanation of why vitamin B12 injections are used for weight loss read: Why Vitamin B12 Injections are Given for Weight Loss.
What Dose of Vitamin B12 Injection Should I Take?
To buy vitamin B12 injections and the IM syringes, you will need a prescription. So your health care provider will determine the dose. Typically 1 mL, which contains 1 mg (or 1000 mcg), is injected intramuscualarly once a week. It can also be given subcutaneously more frequently.
Side Effects and Disadvantages of Vitamin B12 Injections
The biggest disadvantages that I see is getting poked with a needle, paying a doctor, and waiting in his/her foyer for half a day in order to get this kind of treatment. So cost, inconvenience, money, and pain make up the list of cons. As far as side effects go, they are minimal, but the package insert lists others because they have to. They include: nausea, mild diarrhea, headache (listed on almost all package inserts), joint pain, and irritation at the injection site.
Other Dosage Forms
If you can’t absorb B12 or other B vitamins, you don’t have to limit yourself to injections. There are other forms that bypass the oral route of administration. A new dosage form is the B12 patch. You apply one patch a week and the only side effect that has been reported is itching or allergic reaction at the placement site. You can learn more about them or buy a box at B12patch.com.
Orally-Disintegrating Tablets are another option. You place a B12 or B Complex tablet on the tongue. It takes a few seconds to dissolve and a minute or two to absorb through the oral mucosa. These tablets are cheaper than the patch and injections, and they are more convenient.
Since poor GI absorption of B12 is more common with age, this makes B12 Orally-Disintigrating Tablets one of the best vitamins for men and women over 50.
References
- “University of Chicago Med Ctr: Megaloblastic (Pernicious) Anemia”. www.uchospitals.edu/online-library.
- Masnou H, Domènech E, Navarro-Llavat M, et al. (2007). “Pernicious anaemia in triplets. A case report and literature review”. Gastroenterologia y Hepatologia 30(10): 580-2.
photo credit: pete/comedy nose