Methylcobalamin

[Smartpants]

As I only get 6 good wks after my 12 weekly B12 injection, I've just found in Holland and Barrett 1000 /ug Methylcobalamin which you dissolve in under your tongue. So do you think that it will be ok for me to take during the last 6wks before my next B12 jab, as it's dissolved in your mouth will I be able to absorb the B12 as obviously I can't absorb it from my food via stomach? If it is ok, will it be enough just to take 1 per day as the dosage recommended?

[clivealive Forum Support]

That's what I do Smartpants - two squirts first thing in the morning.

Have you had your Folate level checked as this is essential to process the B12?

[Smartpants in reply to clivealive]

Thanks for getting back, no I don't think I have, I also found out that my last blood test about 9 mnths ago said my B12 was reading 3,000, although the nurse who told me this said that when you have the B12 jabs it's more or less a waste of time taking bloods as they don't give a true reading!!! So I'm quite confused as I still get the symptoms of deficiency 6wks before my next is due! Also the Methylcobalamin I've got is in a dissolvable tablet, will it still act the same as a spray do you know?

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to Smartpants]

I only have experience with the spray which I find very convenient

[majorcafan in reply to clivealive]

Hi Clive

Which spray do you use and where do you purchase it please? I am still asking GP to allow me injections sooner than every 3 months as I feel so ill well before next jab is due. Not having much luck though so spray sounds worth trying. I am in UK.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to majorcafan]

I'm not sure whether the moderators will allow me to "advertise" by naming names so I will private message you now.

[Footygirl]

Hi. As you can not overdose on a water soluble vitamin like B12 I would say go for it smartpants.

I gave up on pleading for B12 and now have started self injecting. I did 10 im injections over 20 days and as the neuropathy in my feet went I stopped. That was Christmas Eve. I am waiting to feel myself flagging from this wonderful strength I have achieved, after a year of lying in my chair just breathing. If it turns out to be monthly, or three monthly so be it. One injection.

Dont get me wrong I am not running marathons. With five autoimmune diseases I have waved vigour goodbye years ago... but to feel better in order to potter about is worth millions to me.

If the mouth absorbing extra intake solves your problem, well done. I would tell anyone, if you are suffering, its you and probably your family that is suffering not the doc. Do what you have to, stop wasting your life on feeling yuck when a possible solution is at hand.

Most GPs it seems from on here dont like giving more than one injection every three months. You would think it was coming out of their own pocket for goodness sake!

Good luck. Enjoy a more sustained period of better, marginally!

⚽️

I need to say it dont I? This applies to this vitamin only folks. Be sensible.

[Smartpants in reply to Footygirl]

Thanks for that Footygirl, I'll mostly try anything too just to feel a bit 'normal' in the last phase till my next jab!!! I thought you couldn't overdose on B12, but I wasn't 100% sure. I've only just started on it as a supplement, but wanted to check, it will probably take a while to take effect, so fingers crossed it will help. Take care.

[Lisahelen in reply to Footygirl]

Glad things seem to have taken a positive turn for you footygirl😃😃

[helvella in reply to Footygirl]

Just a note - you can overdose on water soluble vitamins. (Maybe not B12 but you say it as a blanket statement.)

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Studies imply that the amount of B12 you absorb from a sublingual is quite small and actually not much more than the amount that gets absorbed outside the ileum .... but it's a lot of B12 so enough could well get through to keep you just at the right level for you.

A small amount of B12 is actually absorbed 'passively' outside the ileum - somewhere around 1% so flooding the gut with B12 can result in enough getting through - the mount you would be taking would be 400x RDA so if 1% is absorbed that would mean 4xRDA getting through.

There is some degree of variation in whether oral works for people - and also in terms of which form of B12 - hydroxo, cyano, methyl - works best for people. There aren't issues with overdose so all you can do is try it and see.

Would recommend keeping track of your symptoms and rather than waiting until you are feeling quite bad start using it when the symptoms start to return.

[Smartpants in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit62, very interesting facts there. I do usually get the urge to want to eat lots (6 or more at a time) of eggs and believe it or not Marmite, not together, I might add, but it's only seems to be at around the times I'm getting symptoms of my B12 declining!!!! So maybe some of B12 found in eggs is actually getting through. I'm a great believer in listening to what your body tells you to do, so I try to go with it as much as possible, if that makes any sense!!

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi Smartpants. Just a quick thought...there are a number of ways of supplementing B12.

Tablets taken orally, sublingual lozenges (which dissolve under the tongue), mouth sprays (like the one clivealive uses), nasal sprays and patches.

Different things work for different people...and many use these - or a combination of these - for a boost between injections.

But what a shame that GP's won't simply prescribe enough injections to keep us well!

Hope you find something that works for you 👍

[Jackiekay]

Definitely the methyl spray. Absorbs much better than the dissolving tablets. Quadrupled my B12 level in four weeks. Took away almost all my symptoms and I can't absorb B12 through the stomach either and have never had any B12 injections! Good luck!

[helvella in reply to Jackiekay]

Which brand of spray?

[Jackiekay in reply to helvella]

Garden of Life Methyl spray. I live in the U.S. And purchased it from.Harvest Health. I am sure you could get it on line. Only about $15!! My life totally changed for the better!

[helvella in reply to Jackiekay]

Thank you. How many sprays in a pump? And how many sprays in a dose?

Looks possibly less expensive than BetterYou B12 Boost. But The Boost is a British product!

[Jackiekay in reply to helvella]

500mcg's per spray. 140 sprays per bottle. For some reason I only needed one spray a day to get my level up where my bone health specialist recommended 5 sprays per day but my body couldn't handle that. Please remember to get the methyl spray only I think Garden of Life only comes in that kind. The one that starts with the c is a synthetic. Since my body couldn't absorb anything through the stomach all synthetics were really bad for me. I just know this made such a difference I sure hope you can order over the internet if you have a problem let me know and maybe I can get some to you. I would be glad to help you if I can!

[helvella in reply to Jackiekay]

Both Garden of Life and BetterYou Boost are readily available in the UK - at least online. Thank you so much.

[Jackiekay in reply to helvella]

Please buy ASAP in four days my brain fog ws gone after months of insanity. Please let me know.how it works for you? Is your vitamin D low also? For some reason that helped me absorb vitamin D better but the only way I can get vitamin D through Foods. Portabella mushrooms have 70% of your vitamin D in them also if you eat five prunes a day is equivalent to taking vitamin D tablets. Believe me I have been doing everything I can to feel better and it's working

[Smartpants in reply to Jackiekay]

Thanks Jackiekay, just in case this is helpful to anyone, I've ordered online Garden of life Methyl from iHerb, it comes from the USA so unless you pay more for delivery you have about a week to wait for it to get to you. It cost me £12.34 inc p/p!!!

[Jackiekay in reply to Smartpants]

Please let me know if it helps you!

[Smartpants]

Thanks for the heads up on the spray being better. I'll definitely get some online. It amazes me that a lot of GP's don't bother telling you there is more out there to help with our horrible symptoms. It certainly wouldn't hurt them to!!!

[Jackiekay in reply to Smartpants]

I think most GP's either really don't know or just want to do injections. That is their first choice but with my severe allergic reactions it wasn't a choice and I had to do the research myself and glad I did! It worked for me. May not work for everything but for those it does, what a relief. No more injections, doctor costs or fighting to get injections and so low cost!