OTC B12 in Greece/Zante

[Portia1974]

Hi all.

Plumbing the wonderful hive mind on here.

Has anyone managed to buy otc Hydroxocobalamin in Greece (specifically we'll be in Zante/Zakynthos). What would it be called there, roughly how much is it and what's the deal with bringing it back in my suitcase (do I need a doctor's letter for instance?)

Thanks in advance for any help.

Px

[wedgewood]

You can definitely buy Vitamin B12 ampoules over the counter in Greek pharmacies . But I don’t know if it is Cynocobalamin or Hydroxocobalamin. I remember a posting from our Chairman , Martyn Hooper telling us that the pharmacist somewhere in Greece had even injected him , as well , and the cost was really low .. I have often brought back ampoules of B12 in my hold suitcase from Germany and I’ve never had a problem . Perhaps someone knows more than me? Best wishes .

[Portia1974 in reply to wedgewood]

Thanks wedgewood appreciate it. On a side note....I bought some cyanocobalamin ampoules last time I did my b12 order with mycare.de with the intention of trying it and seeing if I was ok with it. (It's cheaper and seemingly more widely available). BUT I've since been put off because a) it contains aluminium and b) it occurred to me that I may have a reaction to cyano that I don't have to hydroxy. I haven't gotten around to looking into it any further. Any thoughts? Can people generally swap types of b12 to no ill effect? Whats the worst that could happen, right? Lol!

[wedgewood in reply to Portia1974]

Until fairly recently , Cynocobalamin was the only form of B12 available , and now is being discontinued as an injectable by the NHS here in the U.K. . Hydroxocobalamin is favoured because it is supposed to stay in the system for longer . A member on this forum always uses Cynocobalamin ( Clivealive )

It is in general use in the USA . Yes it’s more widely available and us cheaper , but it works well . I have never heard before that the solution includes aluminium . What puts some people off is the fact that it contains

a tiny amount of cyanide ( as much as an apple pip !) I have actually used both sorts , and never had a reaction . It was the first available safe injection of B12 , and has saved many lives - so I cannot say anything against it . You probably need to inject more often than you would need to do with Hydroxocobalamin

I haven’t heard of anyone having a bad reaction to Cynocobalamin . But you may hear from someone who has .

[Portia1974 in reply to wedgewood]

And again....THANK YOOOOOU! Px

[spacey1]

I've bought hydroxo in Zante, it's easily available in pharmacies, and quite cheap. Think it was about a couple of euros? However, they only did it in 2ml of solution (same dose, just more liquid) last time I checked. Ask for hydroxocobalamin or b12 and you'll be fine; most Greeks in resorts speak enviably good English (puts my terrible Greek to shame!)

I'm on Zakynthos right now, but I brought my b12 with me from the UK this time

[Portia1974 in reply to spacey1]

Oh wow! Thank you so much! Hows the weather? We head out there on Sunday.