I'm or sub cut for B12

[Jonan71]

Hi all I am considering self injecting and wondered which was better/easier? im needles look so big

[fbirder]

I worked on the assumption that IM is probably better as that's what the doctor uses.

[Jonan71 in reply to fbirder]

Do you self inject

[fbirder in reply to Jonan71]

I sure do. Once a week.

[Jonan71 in reply to fbirder]

For how long?

[fbirder in reply to Jonan71]

8 months now. While having my loading doses I asked the nurse to show me how to do it. Then I ordered the stuff as detailed in this thread healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...

[Jonan71 in reply to fbirder]

What symptoms did you have

[fbirder in reply to Jonan71]

Fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, balance problems, brain fog

[jillc39 in reply to fbirder]

I am interested to read you have peripheral neuropathy (I do too) and not many people seem to list this symptom.  I am prescribed gaberpentin.......

[fbirder in reply to jillc39]

Peripheral neuropathy is a fairly common symptom. It does seem to be the earliest neurological symptom.

I, too, take gabapentin to try to minimise the sudden stabbings that wake me up.

[deniseinmilden]

I also think IM is best but know lots of people do SC and that is better than not doing injections! 

I inject every day and find it fine.  The only problem is getting your head around the idea - once you try it you won't look back.  

Look up my profile and see my post "My Experiences" for more information. 

Go for it!  Good luck with feeling better soon. 

[Lisahelen]

Ive watched afew videos on utube, seems the worst part is the initial needle breaking the skin. Mind over matter, got to think only of the benefit! Thats how its going to be for me when i need to do it- which i think will be soon.

[Galixie]

I've done both. I found subcutaneous easier to do, but it isn't what I do currently. It was mentally easier to use a shorter needle. There were a couple of downsides about it for me though. The first was that, while B12 can fit through an insulin needle (gauges between 29 and 31), and those thin needles are virtually painless to inject, I found that I was prone to accidently bending those needles when drawing up the B12. It's not a good idea to inject with a bent needle, so that would sometimes be a dose wasted. The other downside is that 1ml is kind of a large amount to inject subcutaneously which meant I ended up injecting smaller doses more frequently. On top of that, for whatever reason, the subcutaneous injections seemed to wear off faster than intramuscular injections did. I ended up having to inject daily to stay at an even keel. I have since gone back to intramuscular injections. I also switched from cyanocobalamin to methylcobalamin and that has seemed to help.

Finding what works is a very individual journey. Don't be afraid to try something different if what you're doing doesn't quite seem to be working. Also, if you can get a professional to teach you how to do the injection, it is really helpful and can boost your confidence.

[Jonan71 in reply to Galixie]

Thank you I think I'm just nervous like you say. I don't know whether to give the vitamins I'm taking for my D deficit a chance to work or just go for it? We have a nurse at my college who said she would help me so that's good

[hunny59]

Personally I do subcutaneous with an insulin needle as they're nice and fine and I get them free from my local needle exchange.  I'm too much of a wuss to try IM

[DogInTheDisco in reply to hunny59]

can i ask how long it takes for you personally to feel the effects from a sub cut injection? my sister injected me for the first time with 1 ml B12 subcut 24 hours ago and i don't feel any less fatigued

[hunny59 in reply to DogInTheDisco]

Hi there - having taken a look at your other posts and results, it seems to me that your folate and iron are also a bit low. B12 needs good levels of folate and iron (about the middle of the range for ferritin and around 15 for folate) to be effective. Even though I had good levels of both when I started self injecting, I found that I needed daily injections to feel anywhere close to normal - you'll find on here that there is a huge variance in what works for different people - some manage on weekly or monthly injections and some need daily to function. After 2 years, I'm down to once a week but take still have to make sure I take Vit D, K2, folate, iron, magnesium on a daily basis. It can be a very long hard road but you'll find plenty of support here, as you're already finding out

[DogInTheDisco in reply to hunny59]

Thank you so much, your list of the supplements you take is particularly helpful as i'm overwhelmed with the list of things that could help/i should try.

I do feel like I should invest in the supplements you've mentioned to give my body the best chance at feeling better. I wonder if they will be absorbed as oral supplements, as I think my stomach acid level is low and this may be an issue contributing to my lack of B12, but I suppose it's worth trying? So hard when you're on a tight budget!

[hunny59 in reply to DogInTheDisco]

Yes, absolutely - I'm with you on that one! Good quality supplements aren't cheap but try budgeting for one at a time - folate and iron at the top of the list to help the B12, You'll find lots of advice from the admins on here about the best time to take them and how best to help yourself. I've gained an enormous amount of help from here and there are always plenty of people to support you

[Rebecca85]

I do sub cut methyl with insulin syringes from my local needle exchange aswell. They work for me. I began last October and since then with frequent injections my neuropathy has markedly improved. I have weaned my gabapentin from 1800mg to nothing. I have gone from being in severe pain and stumbling around to walking normally with few nerve pains.

[Jonan71 in reply to Rebecca85]

Hi thank you I have just ordered supplies for im how often do you inject 

[onyx33]

I self injected on alternate days for approx 6 weeks, initially in such a fog just got on with it,  surgery gave me equipment but didn't show me how to do it, looked it up on internet and injected into thigh muscles.  It was okay and painless, hurt on just 2 occasions and bleeding afterwards, think I hit blood vessel.  Injecting yourself with 1.5 inch needles though, is not for everyone and I began to find it harder the longer I continued. I would like to try  the sub-cut as smaller needle and not into muscle but don't know if this option is available in UK , have you been offered a choice.

[Jonan71 in reply to onyx33]

Hi my doc won't inject more than 8 weekly so going to do myself you can get insulin ones for sub cut I am worried about getting the right place in my thigh 

[onyx33 in reply to Jonan71]

I expect your surgery would show you where to inject and reliable instructions on internet as well, clear and easy to follow. I tried self injecting in my arm initially but found the angle difficult, easier in to outer thigh muscle. Good Luck.

[Jonan71 in reply to onyx33]

Thank you

[onyx33 in reply to Jonan71]

I did ask for shorter needle's after a while and was given 1 inch one's , these were just as effective and I found them easier to use.