HOw do you give a Vitamin B12 shot?

Question

Do they come prepared ?
Do you have to aspirate? Does it go in the deltoid ?

someone asked me if I knew since they have to start giving them to themselves and I said I would help them to find out. Its just research.

Answer 1

If you are in the position to offer someone else or yourself cyanocabalamin then you should KNOW how to administer it...

Shouldn't you?

If you don't know, don't do it! Plain and simple! You could really hurt someone by giving a shot wrong so why would anyone tell you that?


Okay good... I feel better now! Thanks for clearing that up...You just never know on here...

I would never tell someone how to do anything that dangerous on their own when they shouldn't be doing it!

Ask the doctor who prescribed it he should have specified on the script... or call the RPH who filled it and ask him?

Answer 2

Vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed or used by the body until it is combined with a mucoprotein made in the stomach and called intrinsic factor. Once the B12 becomes bound to the intrinsic factor, it is able to pass into the small intestine to be absorbed and used by the body. Vitamin B12 deficiency is sometimes seen in strict vegetarians who do not take vitamin supplements, and those who have an inability to absorb the vitamin (usually from a failure to produce intrinsic factor). Although enough B12 is stored in the liver to sustain a person for many years, a deficiency will cause a disorder known as pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia causes weakness, numbness of the extremities, pallor, fever and other symptoms. Mouth irritation and brain damage are also common consequences of B12 deficiency. However, these very serious effects can be reversed by vitamin B12 shots. Shots are needed because the deficiency is often caused by an inability to absorb the vitamin when taken orally. As we age, our stomachs have an increasingly difficult time producing intrinsic factor. Many doctors recommend that people over 60 have their vitamin B12 levels checked, to see if a B12 shot is needed.

It's easy to get adequate amounts of vitamin B12 from food sources, because you need so little of it. So there's really no need to take a supplement unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Doctors often prescribe shots for those who have trouble absorbing vitamin B12, however. A typical regimen for someone who has been low for a while might include a daily shot of 100 to 1,000 micrograms for one to two weeks, then a weekly shot that provides between 100 and 1,000 micrograms to normalize B12 stores. This is followed by monthly injections of 250 to 1,000 micrograms.

If you have absorption problems, doctors recommend using sublingual B12 tablets--normally placed under the tongue--or a B12 nasal gel. Both are available in health food stores. For those without absorption problems, oral tablets are available, but doctors recommend both sublingual tablets and nasal gel as alternatives.

Vitamin B12 supplements are considered extremely safe; even huge excess doses are harmlessly excreted in your urine. If you get injections, there may be some discomfort at the injection site, and in rare cases, sensitive people could have allergic reactions to B12. If you have any of the following conditions, you should check with your doctor before using B12: folate deficiency, iron deficiency, any kind of infection, Leber's disease, polycythemia vera or uremia.

Answer 3

danE took the time to cut and paste an entire article without even answering your question. I can't believe the level of competence shown on this site. I have answered your question in your duplicate post