How long to absorb 1.0 ml IM injection?

[Tiredo]

Subcut injections give me little benefit, so I inject 1.0 ml I.M. into my thigh.

How long does it take for that fluid to be absorbed by the leg muscle?

I ask the question because if I start walking aound too soon after the injection, the liquid will get squeezed by the leg muscle. Even if liquid doesn't come right out to the skin, it will be absorbed by the subcut fat which means it won't do anything for me.

[fbirder]

If you stick it in your body then it must get into the blood. The only difference the route (SC, IM, IV, IP, etc.) makes is the speed at which it gets into the blood. Nobody seems to have tested how long it takes for the B12 to get out from subcutaneous fat, but it will be roughly the same as it takes to get out from the muscle - (it starts getting into the blood after a few minutes and takes three to six hours for nearly all of it to go).

If you inject IM then the B12 will not leak out through the skin. Nor will it leak into the subcutaneous fat. Nor will moving the leg muscle squeeze the injection out. It will stay there as a depot in the muscle and slowly leach out. If it were to get squeezed out then it wouldn't get absorbed by the fat (B12 is water soluble - not fat soluble) and I'm sure you would notice if you had large pink stains on your leg if it leaked onto the skin. Although that might get masked by the blood other fluids leaking through the same hole.

[Tiredo in reply to fbirder]

fbirder When I first started injecting I used a shorter needle and would stand up and walk around straight away. The injection fluid would come straight out and in quite a large quantity.

I figure this would also be happening to some extent deep down in the muscle even if the liquid didn't reach the surface. The problem for me is that the liquid may pass into the fatty tissue where I find it is ineffective. I can see that the liquid should eventually be absorbed from the fat but be delayed. However this just does not work well for me and I get a very poor response.

In fact, for that reason I don't use the 'z track" method of stretching the skin, as I want to prevent the injection fluid going into the stretched fat -- which is what the method uses as a seal.

[deniseinmilden]

If it's in your body, it's in there!

Absorption rates vary from person to person.

If you feel you need to do more jabs then do - only this way will you catch up with your needs. The rate will be irrelevant then because you will be constantly topping up your levels and the tissues, whether fat or not, will be releasing it at the rate you need it.

Some people need 2 jabs per day and some of those need to use extra strength ampoules when they do.

If you need it, you need it.

You may well also benefit from a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate, potassium, magnesium and iron, maybe vitamin D, ideally from your diet.