With an allergic reaction to B12 injections, what is the reaction to?

[Gillybean1]

I currently take sublingual Hydroxycobalamin by Biocare, with no problem, in fact a staggering improvement, but a long way to go and contemplating self injecting (long story)

When people have an adverse reaction to the injections is it the fillers they react to or the Hydroxycobalamin?

And is a negative reaction immediate?

I would appreciate any advice please.

Kind regards, G.

[Nackapan]

Thd first ever B12 njection should always be done under medical supervision . Reactions seem rare

Buf if for some reason you had one you would need immediate medical .

I imagine you could react to anything given by injections.

So not sure if b12 or preservatives.

One brand made me feel very ill but I dudnt go into anaphylaxtic shock

[Gillybean1 in reply to Nackapan]

Ok ,thank you Nackapan, and for taking the time to reply.

Every best wish, G,

[Gambit62 Administrator]

an allergic reaction in the strict sense is one like anaphylactic shock - it is extremely rare.There are known side-effects to B12 injections - the most common is probably rashes caused by bacteria in the skin responding to higher levels of B12 by secreting toxins that the skin reacts to.

People can have reactions to anything - including preservatives used.

[Gillybean1 in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit for making clearer, and for your time,

Every best wish, G

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

A few links that might be of interest

BNF Hydroxycobalamin

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/hydrox...

See side effects section.

I have come across articles about people occasionally reacting to acetic acid. I think acetic acid is in B12 ampoules.

Have you been tested for sensitivity to acetic acid?

Have you been tested for allergy to cobalt?

B12 has a cobalt ion in its structure.

Articles about anaphylactic reactions to B12

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/223...

sciencedirect.com/topics/me...

I am not medically trained.

[Gillybean1 in reply to Sleepybunny]

Thank you Sleeepybunny. Lots for me to read up on. No I have not been tested specifically for either acetic or cobalt, but have sensitivities (hives) to many things over the years, interestingly my histamine response to insect bites has been greatly reduced since taking sublingual B12, not noticed this before when I have taken B Complex for 20 years+ or B12 supplements the last year.......

Thank you for taking the time to reply, every best wish G.

[nomizo]

Dear Gillybean,

I have been injecting every two weeks for 32 years - mostly self injecting. (Self injecting is easy, but has to be done properly.)

OK, sometimes the injection stings a bit, but not much, and it goes off after a couple of minutes. As someone mentioned, the injection contains acetic acid. It also contains sodium chloride. In other words, it contains salt and vinegar. (So you could put it on your fish and chips though it might be a tad expensive.)

My experience is that in the UK I have a one ml injection containing one mg of hydroxocobalamin. I once ran out when in Greece. It was easy to get some more, but it was three mls for one mg of hydroxocobalamin. It stung like mad, for a few minutes. I therefore concluded that, for me, and I do not know about you, the reaction such as it is, is to the salt and vinegar. But, as I said, you might well be very different from me. I therefore think it would be as well, as Nackapan said, to self inject the first time under medical supervision.

[Gillybean1 in reply to nomizo]

Hi Nomizo,

Thank you for your reply, very kind. You made me laugh, so you needed a bigger portion of fish and chips in Greece !!!

But now I will bear that in mind ,to not do it alone, I presume that any undesirable reaction happens on the day and pretty quickly, so best to be supervised.

Every best wish, G.

[MoKayD]

The only side effect B12 injections have given me is feeling better. 😀

[Gillybean1 in reply to MoKayD]

Dear MoKayD, Haha brilliant cheers to that........and maybe I can be new again too.

Every best wish, G