Because oral supplements are absorbed less effectively, you need to take them far more frequently than you would need an injection. While it varies from case to case, it's usually recommended that you take oral supplements every day.
A. Low B12 can cause anemia and fatigue. For many people with low B12 levels, a daily supplement in the form of a pill is as effective as taking a monthly muscle injection.
Two studies used 1000 μg/day oral vitamin B12 and showed no relevant difference to intramuscularly applied vitamin B12 with regard to vitamin B12 blood levels. One trial used 2000 μg/day vitamin B12 and showed higher vitamin B12 blood levels in favour of oral vitamin B12.
Both B12 vitamins and injections can help treat a B12 deficiency, although your body will absorb injections much quicker and more easily. We need more evidence to know if the pills are as effective as the shots over time, though some research suggests they work, especially when it comes to sublingual supps.
Getting Drugs To The Right Place
Compared with pills and tablets, a more efficient way of getting drug into the blood is to inject it directly into a vein. This way, all the drug gets circulated throughout the body and avoids degradation in the stomach.
Vitamin B12 is water-soluble, which means you can take it with or without food. (Water-soluble vitamins don't require fat content to aid absorption.) If you have a sensitive stomach, however, we do recommend taking supplements with food.
Then, depending on whether your B12 deficiency is related to your diet, you'll either require B12 tablets between meals or regular injections. These treatments may be needed for the rest of your life. Folic acid tablets are used to restore folate levels. These usually need to be taken for four months.
If your vitamin B12 deficiency is not caused by a lack of vitamin B12 in your diet, you'll usually need to have an injection of hydroxocobalamin every 2 to 3 months for the rest of your life.
The range of time that B12 injections can last will depend on factors like a person's metabolism and how often the injections occur. As a whole, the effects of vitamin b12 injections can last for a week.
As stated above, the tablets have been shown to be just as effective as the injections at treating low B12. Anyone who is newly diagnosed with low B12 will still have the loading dose. The oral treatment is for patients who are on maintenance B12.
Evidence-Based Answer
For increasing vitamin B12 levels, oral supplementation at 2,000 mcg per day is more effective than intramuscular supplementation at 1,000 mcg per day; however, 1,000 mcg per day orally is equivalent to 1,000 mcg per day intramuscularly.
For patients who are naturally B12 deficient, more frequent injections about once a month may be ideal. For other patients, an injection every three to four months may suffice.
B12 Injections: How Often? Generally, when treating a B-12 deficiency, you'll get a 1,000-microgram shot every day or two for the first week (2). After that, you may shift to once-a-week injections for one to two months, and then to monthly injections.
Increases Red Blood Cells
If someone is deficient in B12, they may suffer from anemia. This leads to fatigue, dizziness, and many other symptoms. A B12 injection can boost your health and prevent anemia. Energy levels will be raised due to the greater production of red blood cells.
How Often Do You Need a Vitamin B12 Injection? The usual frequency for intramuscular doses of B12 shots is every 10 days, followed by maintenance doses at varying intervals. After this period, injections can be administered once per month, which this frequency is enough to reverse the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Hydroxocobalamin starts to work straight away. However, it may take a few days or weeks before your vitamin B12 levels and symptoms (such as extreme tiredness or lack of energy) start to improve. Are there any long-term side effects? It's OK to have hydroxocobalamin injections for a long time.
How to raise your B12 levels fast. The most common way to treat B12 deficiencies is by adjusting your diet. If this is unsuccessful, vitamin supplements may be recommended. If you're looking to boost the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, you should eat more animal products, like meat, seafood, dairy and eggs.
To see how well it's working, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms such as tiredness and lack of energy. They will also give you regular blood tests to monitor the vitamin B12 levels in your blood.
Approximately 50% of the loading dose is stored in the liver for the body to use up slowly when needed. The 3 monthly injections therefore are just top ups. In other words you have plenty of B12 from the injections you have already received to last many months.
Methylcobalamin is the most bio-available type of Vitamin B12 which means the body absorbs it more easily. Naturally occurring, it is found in animal-based foods such as meat, fish, milk and eggs so Methylcobalamin B12 is readily available in many people's daily diets.
There are certain foods that also need a cut-down in case of vitamin B12 deficiency. “Some foods and drinks can interfere with vitamin B complex intake like alcohol, caffeine and processed foods, etc should be avoided completely,” Shah added.
“Take water-soluble vitamins on an empty stomach with a glass of water,” recommends Dr. Perez-Gallardo. And since it can be energizing, Dr. Perez-Gallardo says that the best time to take vitamin B12 is in the morning, so it won't affect your sleep.
It starts working faster. When you take a pill, it needs to start dissolving in your stomach before it can be transported throughout your body and get where it needs to go. With an injection, there is no delay, and the body can start using the injection immediately. It offers a better absorption rate.