I went for a vitamin B12 injection. It was VERY painful. I felt it surging through my body and quickly felt faint. Had this happened to you?

[Vickynur]

I am a "recovering vegetarian" and as a result suffer from Anaemia. I was told by my doctor to change my diet and so I did with the help of iron supplements! I decided to go for a vitamin B12 injection just to boost my immune system but had a bad experience. It was extremely painful and I felt it surging through my body immediately and as a result felt faint - luckily didn't faint but had to rest a while! Has this happened to anyone else?

[Gambit62 Administrator]

what type of B12 was it? it's not unheard of for people to have adverse reactions to B12, particularly methylcobalamin. To be honest I wouldn't recommend a B12 injection unless you had a B12 absorption problem though if your diet included egg and cheese and your B12 is low that would imply that you do have a B12 absorption problem. There are plenty of vegetarian sources of iron - green leafy vegetables and lentils - but no sources of B12 unless you are using fortified foods.

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

Hi Gambit

I am a vegetarian verging on vegan although, since diagnosis, I’ve increased the cheese, eggs etc in my diet. My doctor had me on omaprezole for over six years which, speculating, is where my deficiency came from coupled with lack of b12 in my diet.

I had the loading doses and I am on injections 12 weekly.

I I don’t have an absorption problem why would you recommend not having the injections?

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Alfabeta]

because it isn't necessarily a one off solution - average levels to be okay in patients who have had B12 injections is well over top of the normal range for those who haven't.

Was the omeprazole related to stomach acidity - possible that the symptoms you had were early warning that you are developing PA and your stomach acidity levels are droping as symptoms of low and high stomach acidity overlap considerably - including acid reflux

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I had acid reflux a recurring problem for years. I think it was diet and lifestyle related - cheese is a regular cause of my acid reflux.

However, I became very ill and, after four years, I am still suffering from a signature symptom even though the other symptoms have gone altogether.

Are the injections likely to be harmful to someone who does not have PA?

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Alfabeta]

No known toxicity from B12 - just the possibility that if someone has one injection then they will need to keep on with them to maintain really high serum B12 levels.

[RJGFiona]

Hi sorry you had a bad experience, I have only had 2 up to now but they were ok more painful afterwards. Can I ask if you have been diagnosed with a B12 deficiency? And if a medical practitioner is giving you the injections?

[Strange96]

Hi

Can I ask where they injected you? (Body wise)

I had to have 6 injections, 1 every other day , to boost my B12 as it had made my iron drop to 7.3 at 37 weeks pregnant and doctors began to panic I would bleed severely after birth

I’m a needlephobe and I have to say I didn’t find the injections that bad. They did it in my lower back, almost bum . As apparently it needs to go straight into a muscle

I had numbing cream put in place first. So that might have helped

Maybe ask for some numbing cream if you have to have another one? And ask for it to be done into lower back / bum (much juicier and less painful haha)

Good luck xx

[pvanderaa]

You may want to try daily B12 supplements until your B12 level comes back up.

The severity of the over reaction to the injection is directly proportional to your level of deficiency before the jab.

The reaction means you need more B12. You also need folic acid and a daily multivitamin as these other vitamins and minerals in your body will get used up quickly after starting on B12.

[fbirder]

Severity of reaction has no relation at all to the severity of the deficiency.

The reaction doesn’t mean they need more B12.

With a decent diet nobody needs to take a multivitamin unless recommended by a real doctor.

Other vitamins and minerals (except, maybe, potassium for a few weeks if recovering from macrocytic anaemia and diagnosed deficient by a blood test) are not used up quickly after starting B12 supplements.

[Callo56]

Hi Vickynur, my first few loading doses were uncomfortable, I felt it going down my arm and felt faint. Then a different nurse gave me my injection and I felt nothing at all. The difference was she held phial in her hand before loading it into the syringe to bring it up to around about body temperature. If its a new or locum nurse I check it's 'warmed up' and no more painful injections or feeling faint!