Can B12 IM injection products also go sub cutaneous?

[BlueBoyMico]

As the title, can I use the injectable products to either go under the skin or into the muscle or do I need to get two different products?

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi BlueBoyMico the same product either or both but into the muscle is probably best.

Have you had your Folate level checked?

[BlueBoyMico in reply to clivealive]

Clive I'm waiting for results back but am forging ahead in the meantime in anticipation of the 'your levels are fine' wall of ineptitude that I get from the GP given his initial behaviour when I presented my 10'ish years symptoms to him the other day. This is what he sent me to the lab with.....facebook.com/groups/5593958...

[topazrat]

You can inject B12 s.c. If you buy your B12 from abroad then it will say on the box that it is suitable for it. It isn't licenced for sub cut use in the UK, so it probably won't say that it is on the box if it is UK stock - but don't quote me on that

Sub cut gets absorbed slower than I.M, but it still works. You may get a Barbie pink stain at the injection site for a few days, but is gets absorbed fine and goes away.

[Interact in reply to topazrat]

Hi, can you tell me what needle size / colour you use please for sub cut injecting?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

just to say that it really isn't clear if subq or IM is better - slower release from subq could actually be an advantage.

It just seems as if IM was the method that was used initially and that hasn't really been subject to proper evaluation - its the same with not using high dose oral in the UK ... that mixed with the fact that licencing in the UK is driven by providers applying for licences.

[topazrat in reply to Gambit62]

I personally prefer the slower release of S.C. I find that the sudden rise caused by I.M injection can leave me feeling a bit jittery and give me a headache, which doesn't happen with S.C.

Maybe licencing in the UK for B12 will catch up with elsewhere one day - or maybe not

[fbirder in reply to Gambit62]

I've not found any evidence one way or the other for whether IM is absorbed faster than SC or not. Nor have I been able to find any way of predicting which would be faster using physical properties of a drug.

Some are absorbed faster one way, others are faster the other. The only general rules I could find are that absorption tends to be slower SC for a higher BMI and that IM absorption is faster from the biceps than from the thigh or buttock.

I really doubt there will be that much difference between the two routes.

[BlueBoyMico in reply to fbirder]

Fbirder back in my bodybuilding days (the 80's) we used water based 'cutting' drugs like Winstrol IV (don't let the IV part confuse you, it wasn't intranvenous intended just a 4th generation of the drug) and shoot them in the biceps or outer head of the triceps for fast absorption, if we wanted a more delayed release we'd hit the quads or traps (rear of neck). The ethos wasn't based on muscle size or density, merely on perceived blood supply. A smaller muscle 'may' have a richer blood supply and therefore a better absorption rate and effect I guess. And this subject always makes me wonder when some longer term users report 'bad days' despite a recent shot. If they self inject, use too short a needle or 'bad aim' and intend an IM dose but effectively give themselves a SQ shot, the slower release and effect may be the reason without them being aware. It may sound bizarre but when you're shooting thick oil based preparations and you miss the muscle and it ends up just under the muscle wall or just outside you soon see the oil-bump and you know. It's not always as apparent with a water based shot though.

[BlueBoyMico in reply to Gambit62]

I'm asking about the SQ method for two reasons, 1) I'm needle phobic but used anabolic and androgenic steroids in my teens, all injectable, so I'll have to man up again and just get on with it, but also 2) There may be a 'schedule' I can eventually arrive at whereby after the initial loading phase I can go to a slower release SQ plan, supplemented by 1 or 2 monthly IM's for that 'boost' if that makes sense. Initially I'll go IM for get levels up and working and get all that lovely repair work done though.

[ACritical in reply to BlueBoyMico]

I receive the injection at surgery in my upper arm,IM, and the monthly top ups I do myself SQ or get them done privately,IM.

I do not find much difference, SQ takes a day longer to kick in.

[BlueBoyMico]

That's god info Acritical, just roughly 1 day extra, so it can be 'predicted' and built into a weekly plan, subject to vary from person to person I guess, depending on their SC fat content.

Nice one!!!

[ACritical in reply to BlueBoyMico]

Just thinking 🤔 it has some times taken 3 days before improvements, might have waited too long before self-injecting SQ . I have a normal BMI, but enough fat to do the injection in my stomach

[BlueBoyMico]

I am planning to allow 2 days for the SC to kick in; it may not have the same pickup as IM generally as I don't think anyone has the same blood supply to their sub cutaneous fat as they do in their muscles and perhaps the 'rate' of blood travelling through the skin is at a much slower one than the muscles, if that makes sense. Yeah I know if you cut your skin it bleeds and clots pretty quick but I just think the IM is more effective perhaps with less wastage.