Hi. I am starting my self injecting B12.. is there any best time of day to do it. I thought probably first thing in the morning. Thanks in advance
Note by admin: responses to this post have been edited by Admin to remove some comments relating to a information circulating on a B12 group on facebook
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maypole66
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Hi stevepurkiss.... I am worried now, did not know i needed to take folic acid prior to B12 injection, thank god i asked. I believed i just did the injection!!
Maypole66. For clarification...please don't worry...there is NO requirement to take folic acid one hour prior to your B12 injection.
At the commencement of treatment, when B12 is deficient or low, taking folic acid first can be positively harmful (in rare cases it precipitates sub-acute degeneration of the spinal cord). Medical advice in this case is to commence B12 injections 24 hours before taking any folic acid.
About folic acid - best way to manage this is to ask your GP to test your folate levels prior to supplementation - some people need it and some don't. Over supplementation on a regular basis can cause side effects and research indicates that folates can be Neuro-toxic at high levels (i.e. if consistently over-supplemented).
Some do take 400mcg folic acid as a maintenance dose but I found that once my initial deficiency had be treated, that was too much for me. Where there is an absorption issue or where other medications Imoact on absorption, higher doses may be required - the best way to identify actual requirements is through initial and the periodic testing of folate levels until the right maintenance dose (if needed) is determined. We're all different 🙄.
People do differ as to the best time to inject.
Some get sleepy so inject in the evening. Some get an energy boost so inject in the morning. For some, it makes no difference whatsoever when they inject. It's a matter of working out what works for you.
Thankyou Foggyme. I will start B12 tomorrow morning. I have ( green ) 1.5inch needle for drawing up serum into syringe. ( blue ) 1inch needle to inject. I have also had bloods done today, paid private by recommendation on here. Thyroid 11 plus. Hoping to hear from them soon
Morning Foggyme I self Injected this morning. No pain putting needle into thigh. But I must have gone into a vein 😓 because on withdrawing needle I bled a bit. Will B12 serum still work? Or shall I do again?
Well done on the SI - will be less scary the more you do 😀.
Bleeding a little after a jab happens sometimes - not a problem and nothing to worry about. Just apply a little direct pressure until it stops, if it happens again.
B12 will still work - it’s all safely in the muscle or subcutaneous tissue (depending on mode of injection.
Hi. I had " loading dose " .. 6 injections over 2 weeks. Then they said every 3 months. But, the reason I am going to self inject, is because I started to feel poorly within 3- 4 weeks of loading dose. Dr refused to allow me another injection before end of December. I am going to continue 3 monthly at surgery just to keep in the loop for blood tests, but self inject weekly to see if this helps my symptoms. Pins & needles coming back with vengeance, muscle and joint pain is bad, cannot kneel down! Lower back pain, tiredness etc etc
For me, morning injections work best or at least anything other than evening. Evening injections tend to make it difficult for me to get off to sleep. Have a tinker and see which time of day works best for you. Good luck
Mthfr...think we may have had the folic acid conversation before so excuse me if I'm repeating here. So, for clarification...to quote fbirder :
There is a massive amount of misinformation out there about how folic acid is dangerous and how people should only take methylfolate as that is the 'natural' form used in the body and is better absorbed than folic acid.
Almost every one of those statements is totally wrong (methylfolate is one of the forms of folate used in the body).
For the vast majority of people folic acid is just as good as methylfolate, if not better. It is easily converted to the different forms of folate needed in the body.
Further comments on MTHFR and folic acid can be found in reply seven on this post:
Hi maypole66, good to see you taking change of you. I have found the best time is just as I am about to get into bed as I am nicely relaxed then there is the night for it to start working. I have everything ready on a bedside table and sit on the edge of the bed so whichever thigh I am aiming for is in exactly the right place. Make sure you have plenty of light though.
Hi. Good of you to remember. I feel so much better for SI every other day. I have also added Folic Acid, I take daily. I still have odd days, especially if I have had stressful day at work. I feel I am upon my B12 deficiency. I paid to have my Thyroid bloods done. Shows my Thyroid is starting to struggle. But once again, Dr says it is fine!! Thankyou for taking the time to ask.
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