I started self injecting vit b12 towards the end of August. I don't have pa diagnosis. Have Hashimoto's and very low serum b12 with loads if symptoms. Did every other day methyl injections for 3 weeks then started to see how long I could go between injections. On methyl I got to 3 days before symptoms started coming back. Then started using hydroxocobalamin and have able to get to 6 days before symptoms came back with a vengeance. Mainly brain fog and sore feet. Started making mistakes at work and noticed working memory difficulties were back, and yesterday could hardly walk. So very obvious return of symptoms not at all subtle. Yesterday I injected 1500 of hydro. Woke up today a bit better.
My question is.... How long do most people manage between injections and is it ok to inject more frequently to stop symptoms coming back?
Lu x
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Lulu_65
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You must not worry about how often you need to inject . Any unused B12 will simply be excreted in your urine . I have heard of patients having to inject twice a day . There is a Dutch medical document to explain that there is absolutely no danger of overdosing on B12 , as it's a water-soluble vitamin . Every one has a different period of time they can wait between injections . I inject weekly -You may eventually be able to stretch the time between jabs . It's early days yet. Don't get impatient ! Best wishes .
See if the 1500 lets you drag it out for a week - it makes it so much easier to keep track of when the next is due.
That's what I do. Sometimes I'll add another if I want to be sure of feeling OK. I'm off to Wembley for the NFL game tomorrow, so I had an extra jabe yesterday.
Hi wedgewood and fbirder that's good to know it's safe to inject as often as needed. Looking back on this past week I should have injected on Monday or Tuesday so I will go with twice a week.
I was thinking about alternating methyl and hydro so I have one of each every week.
I was thinking about alternating methyl and hydro so I have one of each every week.
People do respond differently (for unknown reasons). Personally I hated methyl so much that a gave away my unused ampoules.
If hydroxocobalamin works as well as, or better than, methylcobalamin then I'd just inject the hyd oxo twice a week. After all, it tends to be cheaper, easier to find and more stable.
That's interesting fbirder ... I have noticed (in the short time I've been injecting) that methyl works very quickly on energy levels but the good effects wear off quickly ... Whereas the hydroxo takes longer to work but the good effects last longer. Also the tinnitus and sore feet are better treated by the hydroxo than the methyl.
I'm only using the methyl as I still have some left to use up. Going forward I will only be buying the Hydroxo because I do prefer the effects compared to methyl (and it's cheaper !)
Hi I can't pin point exactly as it was gradual, although the return of the memory and focus problems recently seemed to be quite sudden. I saw a distinct improvement in my working memory after about 4 weeks of loading.
It's scared me how quickly I deteriorated when i got to day 6
Lu, thanks for responding. Had your memory been poor for a long time? We just started shots a few weeks ago so I'm trying to stay positive. Probably too soon to tell...
Hi. I'd been remarking to people for several months that my memory had got really bad. It got so bad that a few times I'd be driving along in my car and would have to pull in to the side of the road to try to remeber where I was actually driving to! Very scary. I'm only 50 and actually started wondering if I had early dementia. I'm not yet as sharp as I used to be (hoping I will get better as time goes on) but I have had big improvement since self injecting
That is scary but not uncommon I think. And so many people are being written off as having dementia when all they need is B12. My mom went un-diagnosed for years.
Congrats on your improvement! Keep going with your B12!
I'm so glad you've had good results in getting memory back Lulu.
Interestingly, going through old links looking for something else today, I came across this and am wondering whether it is the methylcobalamin that has helped ? :
"Compared with other analogs, MeCbl is the most effective one in being uptaken by subcellular organelles of neurons. Therefore, MeCbl may provide better treatments for nervous disorders through effective systemic or local delivery."
Thanks for sharing that. I definitely get different results from methyl and hydroxo. I'm alternating them at the moment but I think I need to experiment to see what works best. I want to see if using both is more beneficial
I'm on weekly cyano but take half on Monday and half of Thursday, as I self inject. So it is 3 day between two and 4 days to the next. I last about 3 days.
But it really all depends on how much stress I'm under, stress just consumed B12.
I supplement with methyl sublinguals 2x 5000 mcg to fill in the gaps and 30 minutes prior to meetings to clear my head during a meeting,
I also spread my folic acid throughout the day to stabilize and fill in as well.
I hadn't thought about stress using up b12 quicker
I had a demanding week at work including some intense brain work and some travelling. I wonder if that contributed to my decline towards the end of the week?
The first year I was injecting high doses daily and sometimes twice a day as I had severe neurological issues. As other posters have said it is excreted.
I'm testing the time between injections slightly differently.
I started off injecting on alternate days and had results very quickly. I think I've caught my B12 deficiency quite early and the symptoms of numb fingers and toes ( slight numbness,not total) and dizziness and shortness if breath improved after just 5 injections. I'm now leaving 2 days between injections and will carry on like this up until the tiredness lessens noticeably.
I feel leaving a long gap between injections early on might make the levels see saw and I'd rather try to keep them on the level, though higher than they were.
I have been self injecting for 18 months now daily 1ml hydroxocobalamin. I've tried to cut to every other day and each time get a serious return of neurological symptoms within a week. So I'm resigned to remaining on dailies to stay well. However I do a long walk or a run every day with my dogs and I understand from others on this forum that excercise uses b12. Best of luck with your recovery, the memory fog is really scary I remember it all too well.
I understand from others on this forum that excercise uses b12
If it does increase B12 requirements it's just a teeny bit. Even people doing extreme exercise (triathlons) show no change in B12 - karger.com/Article/Abstract...
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