Dear Canada, a question from a southern neighbor

[alice215]

Is B12 Hydroxocobalamin ampule available over the counter (without prescription) in Canada?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

injectable cobalamin is certainly an OTC medication in Canada but I'm not sure if it is hydroxo or cyanocobalamin - may even vary depending on where you are.

Hope someone from Canada does respond soon - I'm from the other side of the pond.

[alice215 in reply to Gambit62]

at this point either is fine. thank you for commenting.

[alice215 in reply to Gambit62]

when you buy these can you purchase a year's worth, is it stable? How are they packaged?

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to alice215]

sorry - bit too detailed for me.Think the packaging varies - don't think it is always single dose ampoules which is what we are used to in the UK.

Some people do manage to source B12 in the US - apparently you can get injections at slimming clinics but that's probably quite an expensive way of going about it.

[alice215 in reply to Gambit62]

yes I was wondering about the large ampules. I guess you would load multiple syringes at a time. I do need to figure that all out. With what dieting clinics cost I could more easily go to another country, crazy as that sounds.

[Bengie in reply to alice215]

There's usually a 2 year ahead date on them.

[chill234]

I'm in Vancouver Canada and I can get cyanocobalamin over the counter. There are a few compounding pharmacies that will make hydroxo or methyl - my naturopath sent in a Rx for me, but I think they would make it for you without one. Their phone number is 1-60-291-0638. - ask for the compounding pharmacy. Note: they will tell you it only has a 2 week shelf life, but my naturopath says it's exactly the same as what you could order fro Germany which has a 3 month shelf life

[alice215 in reply to chill234]

then probably the Cyanocobalamin would be my best bet. It's a 6 hr drive to Canada. I don't know how often we could do that.

So I can walk into any drugstore and buy it over the counter? and how does it come? a box of 20? Could I buy 5 boxes at once?

Thank you for this info, desperation in the USA. I'm already feeling the fog come back and vision blurring. The weekly loader dose was working very well but I only had that for a month. I can't slip back. I just can't.

[Gizmo in reply to alice215]

If you have a Costco card in the U.S. you can use it in Canada. Go to any Costco, to their pharmacy and one vial cyanocobalamin, 10 ml is enough for 10 injections. In Ontario cost is $3.89 including tax for the one vial. You can also get needles and syringes at Costco as well without a prescription.

[chill234]

Sorry to hear that. I don't know if different provinces might have different guidelines. In BC it is considered a vitamin, not a regulated substance. The drugstores here that I have checked at carry cyanocobalamin in the little bottles - I would guess about 10 injections per bottle. I think it was about $35. I imagine you could buy in quantity, but they may not carry a lot, so I would either phone ahead, or be prepared to go to several drugstores. If you want I can see if my drugstore will ship to the US