Happy

[Galixie]

I'm celebrating an odd achievement. Ever since I first started getting B12 I have been struggling with dosage and frequency. I've known for quite awhile now that I do best with weekly injections, but I have struggled to make those happen in a reasonably priced way. I have finally gotten a prescription for weekly cyano injections and my current insurance does cover them. (Previous insurance didn't cover B12 injections because it was 'only a vitamin' and current insurance didn't cover methyl because it came from a compounding pharmacy.) Since 2008 I have watched the price go from $1.50/ml to $7.50/ml. With this new prescription, my copay means I am only paying $3.75/ml. Woohoo! With my extra windfall, I splurged on a travel case that happens to perfectly fit one month's worth of tiny vials.

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Galixie It's good to hear from you again.

Do you know what your Folate level is as this is essential to process the B12 you are injecting?

By the way I'm now on three weekly cyanocobamalin after 45 years.

I wish you well.

[Galixie in reply to clivealive]

It hasn't been tested since last year, but at that time it was 17.3 ng/mL with a reference range of >2.79.

I do always take a folic acid supplement on the day of my injection. I found awhile back that I get canker sores if my folate dips, but I don't get them when my folate is at a good level.

Hooray for finding the right amount of treatment!

[tflynnhk]

A couple of years ago i heard there was a shortage of injectable B12 in the some countries. It was a fad to get a shot as a pick-me-up. The low stocks and popularity caused the price to rise, in those countries.

No such fad would every happen here. I pay $3.90 for a 10ml bottle, that's $0.39/injection.

[Galixie in reply to tflynnhk]

In the US there was a shortage due to an unforeseeable confluence of events. First, American Regent (the US manufacturer) had to halt production due health code violations. They had to get up to code before they could resume manufacturing. That took quite awhile. Then there was a mine collapse in South America that trapped a bunch of miners. The survivors of that event all needed to be treated with (a lot of) hydroxocobalamin. The available supply of hydroxo was already stressed due to the cyano shortage and was futher stressed with the sudden additional need.

Prices did rise for cyano after American Regent's production resumed. It is most like a case of the manufacturer, which has no US competition, raising prices to help recoup lost revenue. And it is clearly a case where the lack of competition and/or price regulation have allowed an excessive increase.