nhs b12 injections

[deewat]

I have crohns disease and have b12 injections every 3 months.. my problem my doctor will only give them every 3 months,and although they work for 2 months the last month is hell all my symptons come back,headaches,pain in legs shortage of breath heart palpitations etc.. does any one know if you can get injections in England ie privately or at chemist.

[Penni]

I get mine on prescription from my GP, I can either go too the walk-in clinic or self inject , this way I get them as often as needed. Currently this is once a month but lately I has been feeling worse so seeing doc next week too discus. Hope this helps

[honor1a in reply to Penni]

Hi Penni,

I live in Scotland & get my injection done by the practice nurse, I actually asked if i was to self inject, as someone told me I had to inject myself, i was not keen on doing that, to be told absolutely not, it has got to be done by a nurse or doctor as it is being injected into the muscle, i started getting B12 every week for 6 weeks then every 13 weeks, but time in between i was effectively losing 4 or 5 weeks, so now get them every 8 weeks xx

[shevie in reply to honor1a]

Why on earth you would be told that an Intra Muscular injection HAS to be done by a nurse or doctor, I have no idea! It sounds like they either don't want to give up control over you, or they think you're an idiot, and I am sure its not the last! Trust me, I do IM on my husband every other day, and on the intervening days he does his own sub cutaneous injections. they are easy peasy, its drawing blood OUT that needs a qualified person, or jagging straight INTO a vein. You can get ampoules of hydroxocobalamin from either goldpharma or mycare.de, just tap those into google. Both are thoroughly reliable. You can get ready mixed methyl cobalamin from b12d.org. That is a charity and doesnt charge, but if you can make some kind of donation, or even a little more than actual cost you will be helping to get methyl to people too poor to buy their own. Its a british charity set up by a GP. You make donations AFTER you receive the vitamin. All forms from the places ive mentioned are much much cheaper than you would think. Youll be able to get needles, sharps bins and syringes from medisave for instance. If you decide to go down that route then come back to us and we can advise on needle sizes etc. Dont hold your breath for help from your gp, you'll already know more about your own condition than he/she does

[deewat in reply to shevie]

thanks for replying but don't realy want to inject myself unless I really have to this my last resort. but thanks for info.

[wedgewood in reply to deewat]

I can only urge you to take the plunge and self-inject(sorry about the pun!) . I felt like you originally. But feeling so ill, I decided to go ahead, I felt sick! But after a double gin I did it! A year later, Im a different person! It is just a weekly routine now. I don't turn a hair. Do reconsider! Best wishes to you

[honor1a in reply to shevie]

Hi Shevie,

They don't think I'm an idiot, but I'm happy for them to do my injections, it's not an inconvenience to me, it's keeping the nurse busy too, maybe it's a way of keeping the surgeries budget in place, whichever the reason it doesn't bother me, I am not keen on ordering medical things from internet reputable or not, but I thank you for your feedback. Take care H xx

[deewat in reply to honor1a]

I hope I can get it every 8 weeks in England many thanks.

[mistygrey in reply to honor1a]

Hi

where in Scotland did you get diagnosed? I am trying to get diagnosed here myself but struggling.

Can I ask what your B12 level was also when you got diagnosed? mine is 217 ranges 180-2000.

[deewat in reply to Penni]

thanks for your reply. will try to get gp to do as you do many thanks

[Penni in reply to deewat]

That's great. When it comes too disposal of my needles my GP will also do this for free. I just take my sharps box in and they issue my with a free prescription for a new one.

[Hidihi]

hi deewat. you could try the Pernicious Anaemia Society (PAS )

Head office: 01656 769 717. they maybe able to help or signpost you.

Registered office: Level 4, Brackla House,

Brackla Street, BRIDGEND, CF31 1BZ, U.K.

Other Resources and links

b12d.org/

b12awareness.org/

martynhooper.com/

[wedgewood]

I have resorted to self-injection,as I could only get injections every 3 months,and it was taking an awful toll. I wouldn't have believed that I could do it, but it's routine now! It's easy enough to get the ampoules from abroad(Germany in particular) Needles are easily obtained here. If you decide to go down that path, get in touch ,and we will give you exact instructions. Very best wishes. P.S. You can go to a private G.P. at eg Nuffield, and he or she would do that,but the cost is enormous. The Hydroxo ampoules cost about £1.00 each. Methyl over £2

[deewat in reply to wedgewood]

Thanks for info.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

You can't get injectable B12 in the UK without a prescription because of the regulations controlling injectable substances.

You could go private but it tends to cost an arm and a leg as it would mean seeing a private doctor. May be worth seeing if nasal spray or sublinguals work for you - idea is absorption through another membrane that doesn't involve the gut. These aren't covered by the restriction on injectable forms and are going to be a lot cheaper than a private appointment.

You can also source injectable B12 from outside the UK and inject yourself but make sure you are using a reputable source.

In theory flooding the gut with high doses of B12 (>1mg a day) can work but if you have crone's that makes it less likely that it will work - 1% of B12 is absorbed outside the ileum.

[deewat in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks for your input you seem very aware of symptoms and crohns. will try for 8week injection and stand my ground with GP. self inject last resort.

ps tried sublingual spray...didn't do a thing..

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to deewat]

Have a former ex work colleague and friend who had chrons - don't know that I really know a lot just probably more aware of it as a result. It might be worth trying a nasal spray - idea is that it gets absorbed through the nasal cavities - risk with sublinguals is that stuff doesn't really stay in the mouth long enough and then it's down to the gut and flooding the gut as the way of getting it to work, which I doubt would be effective in your case as I guess you've probably lost quite a bit of the gut.