B12 IV vs B12 shots

[Andrianna]

Hi Everyone

Can I get B12 through one of these new med spas that give IVs? Does anyone know if it's as effective as getting a B12 shot?

Thanks for any tips!

[fbirder]

No, it will be a lot less effective.

When B12 enters the bloodstream. It participates in two competing processes. The liver will attempt to store as much as it can, at the same time the kidneys will be flushing B12 out of the body.

The way the kidneys work is to filter all of the B12 out of the blood, then it reabsorbs B12. But that reabsorption process has a limited capacity. If there's a lot of B12 in the blood then a lot goes out in the urine.

With an IV dose You get all of the B12 into the blood instantly. Levels rise to astronomic heights. But as soon as it enters the kidney almost all of it will get out in the urine, before much has had a chance to get stored.

When you inject IM the B12 slowly moves from the injection site into the blood, taking several hours. That means that you have lower (but still high) levels for a much longer time. Less gets flushed out and more gets stored.

Ideally, you would want an injection that slowly fed the B12 out over several days/weeks. And some people are working on on it.

You'll find people on the Interwebs extolling the virtues of every type of IV vitamin. It's almost certainly the placebo effect. It's well known that an IV placebo works better than an IM placebo, which works better than a red pill placebo, which works better than a blue pill placebo (I went to see a great lecture about the placebo effect a few years back).

[wedgewood]

I would say that you are best off self-injecting with B12 Hydroxocobalamin . ( financially best off as well , as this is so cheap-about £1.20 for an injection, everything included ) Intravenous has no advantage except , it has a quicker effect , but the cost is very high . You cannot self-administer intravenously .It is also a much more risky procedure , and you must be 100% sure that whoever gives it is a competent professional . Don’t know who would be giving it in those so called medical spas. I would never consider B12 IV injections . Best wishes .

[Andrianna]

Ok thanks to both of you! Cancelling my appointment!

[Statesideheather]

I've had B12 IV several times. There is B12 in a banana bag. I don't go in specifically to get a B12 iv but if I'm already getting a push or a drip, I will ask to have b12 added as it's only a few bucks to.add. I can't tell you if it's had any effect as I still get regular injections and anything I notice After an iv could be from any thing else administered. So...I wouldn't spend the money just to get a B 12 IV. But I will still add it in to other things.