Hi everyone hope you are all well & had a lovely Xmas.
After fighting & failing still to get more b12 jabs being made to wait for the consultant to right her report to my gp who said she was going to reasearch B12 & effects on memory ect & worrying about my health which is scary i have decided to self administer. my friend has got me some B12 vials from Spain from were he lives and bringing them today I need advice on which needles are best to use i have looked at 25 (orange) needle & 1ml syringe will the 25 size be too small for the liquid will i need 23/24? any advice from anyone who self administers would fab.
Best regards as always xx
Written by
MissD1503
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I self-inject - have done so for over 2 years . I use a1ml ampoule with a 1ml syringe . I use a 21G x1 1/2 “ Terumo Agani needle to draw out the B12 liquid ( because in extracting the liquid the needle gets blunted on the glass ampoule ) Then I use a Terumo Agani needle 25G x 1” to inject into my thigh. This is the finest needle I can find at 1”length . I inject into the outer middle 1/3 of my thigh where the muscle is nearest the surface . ( always use a swab to clean the area ) Such a fine needle is absolutely pain free . Dispose of used needles into a sharps box . My local chemist will accept the full box for disposal. You can obtain Hydroxocobalamin B12 from German online pharmacies . I have used ” versandapo.de in English” for over 2 years . Excellent and professional service . I pay €55 for 100 ampoules +€8 for courier .
You can view videos on U tube of self injecting .I wish you all the best with your injections . A new life awaits you !
Is this the one you get my friend brought me 5 in a box & are 2ml vials too it is cyanocobalamin is this ok to use as its not natural i have just read.
Yes , that is the German pharmacy I use , as do several members of this forum . If you type “in English” after the address , you will get the site in English or click on the Union Jack 🇬🇧 at the bottom of the page .
I get needles, syringes , swabs and sharps disposal box from Medisave .com . Also a reliable site . You can also obtain those items from Amazon U.K. I believe .
Best of luck with it all . It will seem difficult at first . But press on and after a few times , it will be a doddle , I promise you . Self injecting has changed my life , and I’m over 80 !!!
Yes the Cynocobalamin form of B12 was used here originally , but it has been found that the Hydroxocobalamin form is stays longer in the system . It is widely used still in the US . It will work OK . A member Clive alive uses it . Also when it is added to food stuffs Cynocobalamin is always used . Sonestch out when you order and enlarge the picture of what you look at and make sure you order Hydroxocobalamin .its always printed on the carton . The NHS here uses the Hydroxocobalamin form . There is another firm called Methylcobalamin which is difficult to obtain and very expensive . I have tried it and have to say that for me it wasn’t any better than Hydroxocobalamin which I use now .
there are actually 4 forms of B12 that can be used for treatment - the fourth is adenosyl cobalamin.
All forms of B12 used for treatment are artificially produced.
Methyl and adenosyl are the two forms used in processes in the cells but the widely assumed advantage that these will require less processing just doesn't match with the way the body actually processes B12 and there have been some reported cases of people who can't convert methyl to adenosyl so taking methyl would not be the best form for these people.
Both methyl and adenosyl are a lot less stable than cyano and hydroxo forms.
People vary very much in how long they retain diffferent forms of B12. In general people retain hydroxo 2x as long as cyano but there are a lot of people where the reverse is true so it can pay to try out different types to see what works best for you - and you can also mix and match.
Thank you thars great i havev5 viles of cyano that my friend brought me had one yesterday i have ordered the hydoxo to use which will be here this week. Thanks again for the advice x
Don’t forget , you also need plenty of Vitamin B9 also called folate or folic acid . It works together with B12. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT . You can obtain folate from leafy green vegetables , peas or folic acid in tablet form . REMEMBER THIS !
I use 30G 1". There is a little back-pressure on 30G injection,
30G is HALF the diameter of 25G. I called Customer Service at Pharma co that sold cyanocobalamin and talked to a nurse who said using 30G or more is fine for cyanocobalamin - you'll just have some back-pressure.
I use 30G x 1 - BD PrecisionGlide needle #305108, or #305128 (I was told one of these is BD item# used in Europe and is cheaper - They are the exact same needle).
I tried the diabetic needles (high G, short length of 1/2" or 5/16") but anything less than 1" IM does not help me at all.
I self injected yesterday for the first time after dithering for months mainly because I was anxious about doing it but it turned out to be simple; I am amazed I am saying that.
An Administrator put the following reply a while back but some of the links don't work but all you need to is key in the info to Medisave search engine and it comes up, that's what I did. healthunlocked.com/pasoc/po...
Here's a YouTube link youtu.be/Xp9V5Ygotc4 I followed his advice but used a green needle to draw up and a blue to inject into my thigh. I'm doing it every other day until I or my husband notice an improvement (I have neuroloigcal symptoms along with nearly every other symptom of PA).
The orange needles and 1ml syringe are fine for injecting into the deltoid muscle! Draw up with one needle and change needle to inject. Injecting slowly to avoid a painful arm, gently rubbing the area. It will take a couple of days before you really feel the benefit. Hope this helps.
Please be careful taking folate without a blood test be it can be dangerous! You might like to read this article.
Toxicity
There is no health risk associated with folate intake from food. However, there is risk of toxicity from folic acid found in dietary supplements and fortified foods. Folic acid is used to treat a folate deficiency. However, a folate deficiency is virtually indistinguishable from a vitamin B12 deficiency. Large doses of folic acid given to an individual who has a vitamin B12 deficiency and not a folate deficiency can cause irreversible neurological damages. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has established a tolerable upper intake level for folate. For children 1 to 3 years the limit is 300 mcg daily, for children 4 to 8 the limit is 400 mcg daily, for children 9 to 13, the limit is 600 mcg daily, for adolescents 14 to 18 the limit is 600 mcg and for those 19 and older the limit is 1,000 mcg per day. Intakes above recommended limits increase the risk of adverse health effects.
Signs and Symptoms
Having too much folic acid in the body can result in a variety of signs and symptoms. Less serious side effects include digestive problems, nausea, loss of appetite, bloating, gas, a bitter or unpleasant taste in the mouth, sleep disturbances, depression, excessive excitement, irritability and a zinc deficiency. More severe signs include psychotic behavior, numbness or tingling, mouth pain, weakness, trouble concentrating, confusion, fatigue and even seizures. An allergic reaction to folic acid may cause wheezing, swelling of the face and throat or a skin rash.
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