i live in the uk. I was only diagnosed with b12 deficiency in February. I had a blood test to extreme fatigue and got a phone call with no explanation saying I had to start my injections straight away. Then on my 2nd shot, the nurse mentioned about me having this for the rest of my life as my body wasn't absorbing it naturally. After the look of shock on my face, she realized nobody had told me why I needed the injections and she just printed me some stuff of the nhs website. Great care! not!!
I had my last shot on 18th October. in the last wk I have had no energy, so tired but struggle to sleep. I have been getting restless legs, last Saturday night I couldn't feel my body. it's like it went numb so I ended up falling asleep. following day pins and needle son my left side, brain fog. so basically a lot of my symptoms have come back but I am only 6 wks in my 3 months. I am not going to last.
I took my son to the gp the other day and she asked me how I was coping with my injections. I said not great after a few wks I feel awful again. All I got was " oh sorry to hear that" so I know I wont get them more often than 3 months.
They say it'll take some time for my body to adjust to the b12. but I don't want to wait for it to "adjust". what if it doesn't? I want to feel ok now.
I have managed to find a private clinic which gives b12 injection at a cost of course. £35. so I am having it done on tomorrow morning. but can't be paying £35 each time I feel awful. I have been reading a lot of posts about a lot of people self injecting. and I am looking to possibly do the same. but I don't know where to start. I hate needles so i'll need an auto injector or something like that. What size needles to get? syringe? which b12 is best is it cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin? and where to get it from? I know in France they can buy cyanocobalamin over the counter.
any advice/help would be grateful before I make my decision to jump into the world of self injecting.
You can buy B12 Hydroxocobalamin , which is the kind of B12 that thr NHS uses , from German online pharmacies.. I use 1mg x 1ml ampoules from Rotexmedica . I get them from versandapo.de . Also obtainable at bodfeld-Apotheke.de . These sites are in German so you may need a translation app. You can also buy them at Amazon.de which has a site in English . You need more than one supplier , because they sometimes run out . Look for “ Rotexmedica B12 depot “ Depot indicates that it is B12 Hydroxocobalamin . They come in packs of 10 , and multiples thereof .
, or 100. . Buying 100 at a time is often the most economical Their use-by date is usually 2 1/2 years hence. Depends how often you inject .Needles syringes , swabs and sharp boxes from medisave.co.uk
Best wishes .
P.S. You can get 1mg x 2ml ampoules made by Hevert .
I use a 23g 5/8" needle for intramuscular injections. For subcutaneous; a 27g 5/8". To avoid blunting the needle; I draw up with a 18g blunt drawing needle. These are also called mixing needles by manufacturers. I prefer a 3ml syringe.
The wider and longer 18g needle makes it easier to draw up the b12 solution out of the ampoule. Then the needle can be swapped over for the one intended to inject with. After purging the air; the injection can go ahead at a alcohol swabbed site.
Allowing at least 30secs for the alcohol to evaporate after swabbing and: Ensuring the needle does not get blunted makes for a lot less painful injection. Many people also find holding the ampoule in their clenched hand to warm it prior to injection also helps.
I use "Exchange Supplies" for my injection supplies. They sell pretty much everything required except the b12 itself.
thanks for the info.i appreciate it
well I have done it. after melting down at work twice in the last 2 wks. I got so upset because I couldn't find my master keys for work, that I decided to do it.
I have bought my b12. they'll be here in the wk or so.
now I just need to buy the needles.
what size syringe do I need?
• in reply to
I use 2ml syringes and 21g x 1.5" needles for draw up and 25g x 1" needles for injecting. I did use 23g x 1.25" for injecting but find the thinner ones are less noticeable. I also use an alcohol wipe on the skin surface, letting it dry off before I inject, and a spot plaster.
Thank you very much, i'll order them later on. i'll work out how to dispose of the sharp boxes once I start.
Yes those syringes look good. My sharps bins are yellow if that helps
thank you
well I ordered my b21 from mycare.de. just got an email (in german) but in what I gather they don't have any of the rotexmedica depot b12. I think they are offering an alternative which is b12 hevert. it is more expensive too. has anybody used this one before?
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