B12 For Crohns

[Jamlady]

I have Crohns Disease and had a resection 10 Years ago, I have B12 Injections every 6 Weeks but would like to do these myself, does anybody else do their own ?

[wedgewood]

Many people on this forum do their own B12 injections . It means obtaining the B12 ampoules from certain online German pharmacies , because in UK, they can only be obtained on prescription ( ridiculous really ) I can’t reply in full to you at the moment , but will do so later . It’s all quite simple really , and luckily cheap ( buying in bulk , everything included about £1.20 for an injection ) I will answer a length later today . In the meantime others may answer your question before I get back to you . Best wishes . 👍

[Jamlady in reply to wedgewood]

Thank You Very Much

[wedgewood in reply to Jamlady]

Help for U.K. Pernicious Anaemia patients and others wanting to self-inject

B12 ( Hydroxocobalamin) ampoules can be obtained from some German online pharmacies . These pharmacies are strictly controlled by the German Health authorities.No prescription needed in Germany . Many members of this forum use these pharmacies , and they are very reliable .

Search for Rotexmedica vitaminB12 depot . Don’t forget “depot” because otherwise you could accidentally order B12 Cynocobalamin which Rotexmedica also produce. Cynocobalamin would work for you , but the NHS uses Hydroxocobalamin. Cyno is cheaper . These ampoules are 1mg x 1ml

bodfeld-apotheke.de. ( In German, but can be obtained in English from a drop-down list in the top right hand corner of the site )

versandapo.de ( In German only ,so you might need a translation app , or use Google Chrome )

These pharmacies use a courier to deliver , taking about 4-5 days . At the moment it costs €9,89 , no matter how many you order ( I order 100 at a time , and they have a use-by date of 2 1/2 years hence ) You can pay with PayPal , a card or Amazonpay .

I have registered with the above pharmacies . It makes it so much easier when you re-order .

amazon.de ( German Amazon )The disadvantage here is that the several pharmacies who sell b12 ampoules through amazon.de , do not all deliver to the U.K. You need to trawl through till you find one that does . Some times the first one to appear will send to UK .

Needles, syringes , swabs and sharps disposal boxes can be obtained from medisave.co.uk . Always buy 100 of every item ( no, not the disposal boxes!)

I buy long withdrawing needles 21G x1 1/2 inches, because the extraction process blunts the needle on the glass ampoule .( ouch!)

I use a 25 G x 1 inch injecting needle .

Open the ampoule using the swab to avoid nasty cuts .The weakest place on the ampoule is marked with a spot on the neck.

If you have trouble with this, a device , ampoule opener , about £3.00, obtainable from amazon.co.uk

exchangesupplies.org also supply needles and syringes .

I use a 2 ml syringe although the ampoule is 1ml , to make sure I get every last precious drop of B12. Insert the extracting needle to the very bottom of the ampoule . I pull out the plunger , and inject the air SLOWLY into the ampoule . Then when the plunger is pulled out for the second time, every last drop of B12 is in the syringe . Then put on the injection needle , and expel the air until a tiny droplet of B12 appears on the end of the needle . Now you are ready to inject into the middle outside third of your thigh , which is where the muscle nearest the surface . (vastus lateralis ) If you are needle phobic there is help in the shape of a device called an auto-injector . Available from a Danish company unionmedico.com costing about £100.00. I don’t use one, but I’ve heard good reports .

You can find videos demonstrating Intra -muscular injections . Some are good , others not so . You can also inject sub-cutaneously , but I know nothing about this method .

If you are injecting B12 for the first time, you should have someone nearby, in case of anaphylactic shock . This is a very rare reaction , but I feel obliged to tell you . Do not worry about overdosing on B12– it’s water-soluble . It is not possible . That’s a proven fact

I have been self-injecting for 4 years now , and I don’t turn a hair . But I cannot tell you how nervous I was the first time . I was shaking like a leaf .🌿. But it has changed my life. Best of luck 🍀.

[BurntToast]

My GP agreed to let me do my own B12 injections so I have the ampoules on repeat prescription. Ask your GP, they might agree. I could ask the surgery to give me needles and syringes too but I like to do it subcutaneously instead of intramuscularly so in order to get shorter needles I buy my own from the exchange supplies website. I just buy ten at a time so the dates don't run out before I use them. They cost almost nothing.

[Baggy8]

At my request, the practice nurse showed me how to self inject and gave me a further 2 ampoules, syringes, needles and sharps box. I now have a a six monthly presctiption of 3 ampoules, so am still 'on the radar'. I just buy the additional ampoules and equipment to suit my needs.

Mine is certainly not a B12 savvy surgery, so I was surprised how keen they were to agree to my request. But it obviously saves them money...