Has anyone experienced insomnia after taking B12 injections?
I never had sleep issues my entire life. My doctor gave me 5 B12 shots for 5 weeks.
My sleep disappeared completely after 3rd dosage and when I told doctor about the side effects, he thought I am crazy. I was on sleep medications for 15 days and stopped it since I did not want to become dependent on them.
Later I tried melatonin 5 mg , which didn't work.
Has anyone experienced after the shots ? Does anyone know how to over come this?
I can get a big energy rush after my b12 injection. Therefore if I take it too late I can find it hard to get to sleep. I take the b12 injection between morning and early afternoon and my sleep isn't Affected.
Hi! Well, everyone is different. When I have my jab I feel so sleepy. It feels like my body finally got what needed and it relaxes me deeply. Cant do anything that involves attention /concentrantion in the next 2/3 hours because i will certainly fail. I can't sleep though, but i get really slow. ((Hugs))
Are your shots methylcobalamin, hydroxocobalamin or cyanocobalamin? Some of us find we have a strange reaction to one type, but are fine with another, so may be worth trying that if it's possible for you.
Methylcobalamin. I do not need more injections. I will do good with supplements. But its strange that my sleep has not come back even after 1 month of stopping the injections.
I have my brother too who is facing the same side effects as me which reassures that B12 shots are the culprit here
Hmmm, it's strange a few of us have odd responses to Methylcobalamin. I used to take it fine, but after injections were stopped for sometime and then restarted, I got a strange side effect where I became so weak and my whole body chemistry went weird. Not sure whether this was due to improper storage - it needs to be kept cool and in the dark otherwise can degrade - or for some other reason. I heard someone mention there is some genetic variant which may be at play here.
Anyway, hydroxocobalamin works great for me, so if you or your brother need to take injections again, do try that instead.
Also, just curious, when you say you can't sleep, how are you feeling? Just not tired, or system too hyped up?
The fact that you are still getting insomnia a month later means although it may have been triggered by the injections, your own body is keeping it on now and you have to see how to settle it.
Try meditation, yoga, see how your diet may be effecting things, get plenty of exercise... get out in nature, hands in the earth, feel the wind, sun, rain on your body... Supposedly an hour a day with you hands and feet in touch with the earth can do wonders for insomnia. Shower before bed.
Also, are you taking the supplements right now? If the methylcobalamin injection triggered this for whatever reason, may be best to avoid methylcobalamin in the supplements just in case something going on with that still. Should be able to get cyanocobalamin supplements to take instead.
Even I have weakness and very high appetite. No matter how much I eat , I feel hungry in 2 hours . But after eating so much , I don't put on any weight either. My brother and me both have got this extreme insomnia which has kept us awake full night .Plus we both have vivid dreams . The body is tired but the mind is very alert. I have realized late that I shouldn't have listened to doctor. I was doing all well . I had no symptoms of deficiency. Could have corrected it by supplements slowly. I regret taking it . Now we really don't know how to get our sleep back since we never had sleep issues our entire life. The only good part is our bodies are able to function without sleep so far .
Sounds really bizarre, hope it settles down soon and both you and your brother get a good night's sleep!
If you don’t have any more injections the B12 will soon go down and you’ll be back to normal. You can try hydroxocobalamin as that is standard used by most of us and GP’s.
The only time I have heard of this insomnia and vivid dreams is somebody not too long ago mentioned taking another B vitamin twice a day which caused them insomnia and vivid dreams, I not entirely sure but it might have been B6.
If you Google it this should come up.
I think all B vitamins stimulate metabolism and the brain. So if you’re taking any other such as B Complex or any other B vitamin orally that could be affecting you.
If not it could simply be the type you injected which will not be in your system for too long.
Meanwhile you can try taking something natural to sleep like Nytol one a night which I think is a high dose of valerian which does help a lot of people until your B12 levels from the injections drop.
Some people use CBD oil for relaxing and sleep but I’ve never tried it myself.
I would keep away from the type of B12 you injected and make sure you don’t take the same type orally.
We are not taking any B vitamins orally. But the injections had 100mg of B6 and 100mg of Niacinamide . May be its not B12 but B6 that is affecting our sleep. No idea how long its going to take. Its already been a month we stopped. The insomnia is so extreme for both of us that we stopped yawning, feeling drowsy no matter how much we exhaust ourselves.
We will try Nytol because we really need to sleep.
I tried oral methylcobalamin twice and each time I had very bad reactions. I felt really anxious, severe insomnia, etc. Try another form of B12 and see if it also causes insomnia.
My sleep suffered from the very first night following the start of B12 injections a year ago. It was tough and for me, as for others posting on this site, many of my symptoms got worse before they improved. I was waking every hour of the night and then not getting back to sleep after 3 or 4 am.
Sleep was slightly improving at Christmas time and I started reflexology and acupuncture earlier this year which seems to have helped hugely.
It's been a tough time but I do feel so much better now, so hang in there and do not despair.
I don't understand why the injections are causing insomnia when its supposed to help us sleep better. And it's given us a new thing to worry because we never had sleep problems our entire life. It's not fair that doctors do not know about this side effect
My GP and nurse were adamant that the insomnia was nothing to do with the injections, but it does seem to happen to a minority of people. I also find a small dose of Doxylamine helps hugely and take an eighth of a 50mg dose when I need to.I hope things improve for you soon, my body seems at last to be settling down and I do now feel better than I have for a long time.
I hope they do more research on side effects and how long they last. And doctors should also know that people who do not have PA don't need injections... Can do well with supplements
Hi, how is your sleep now? How long did it take to return to normal. I am in the same situation and desperate for help.
My reply 12 months ago was a year after my B12 injections began and it took several months after starting the course for things to really improve. I am now having the B12 jabs two months apart as opposed to 3 monthly. I have also found that taking Magnesium Threonate has helped with the sleeping, and I still have acupuncture once a month. I purchased a sleep pebble having read about it somewhere on this website and I think that has had a huge impact on my sleeping. Happy to discuss this if you want to know more.
I have read on these boards that symptoms often get worse before things get better and that was definitely the case with me, hang in there it's worth it in the end!!
Hi, like many my sleep depends on what time I have my injections. My usual routine would be to have my injections at 9am, sleep for a few hours and then continue the day. My sleep is usually effected on the first day of my injections but mainly due to the rushing sensation I feel in the evening and the fact I have had an afternoon nap. I am usually back to my usual sleeping patterns the following day. If I have my injections on the afternoon I count sleep out until the early hours of the following morning.
have you got your sleep back?
Hi Nish12. I joined this site so I could respond to your message. I too took a B12 injection and I haven't been able to sleep since. I have been reading different studies and insomnia is clearly a side effect of high B12. I am just wondering how is your sleep now? How long did it take for your sleep to go back to normal? I need some hope that my sleep will return.
I am going to see my doctor tomorrow and ask for melatonin.
If anyone could respond with some insights I would greatly appreciate it.
I have insomnia for about 6 days after methylcobalamin injection (1000mg). I can’t seem to maintain my levels without them though and then my hands have electrical sensation and pain as well as all the other b12 deficiency symptoms. I’ve been doing weekly since august and I look forward to sleeping again. How did your situation turn out?
Hello. Would you please please tell me whether your insomnia improved? I'm going through the same thing and just heartbroken and so terrified.
I had 2 doses of Methylcobalamin (1 week apart) and I haven’t had a proper sleep after the second shot.
It’s been 8 days now that i’m tossing and turning and then sleep kinda takes me at around 2-3am. This is an absolute nightmare and the worse part - I didn’t need B12 shots.
Can anyone share their success story or advice on how I scan restore my sleep? I pray this isn’t a life long condition because it’s absolute torture.
For me not thinking about sleep, helped me to sleep better. Do something really boring , like reading a subject or book that u don't like . It will instantly make you feel sleepy. Gradually your sleep will improve. Melatonin will definitely help . You can try that .
exactly! This is what Daniel at the sleep coach school calls Natto, his insomnia treatment programme : m.youtube.com/playlist?list...
I followed it for a couple of months with his Bedtyme app and completed resolved my insomnia.
My Vitamin B12 is 1132 pmol /L 9 days post B12 injection. Insomnia has started to improve.. but i’m concerned it’s still so high 9 days later, is this normal?
Incase anyone reads this: it took 10 days to get back to normal sleep, which tells me my B12 levels are going back to normal, this was a nightmare.
Lesson Learned:
Don’t take B12 injections unless all else fails and you’re sure you need it.
I have same issue not able to sleep. Can you advise
I received 1 IV Friday....I haven't slept more than 10 hours since Friday morning. It's Tuesday
Methyl-cobalamin is the most effective form for me and did effect my sleep adversely. I did not view it as a side effect rather that it was effecting change. My sleep is now still not 'normal' I do get the sleep my body needs to heal which is what is important to me.
How is your sleep now? I haven't slept through the night for nearly 2 years since my loading doses?
I am facing the same issue. Earlier b12 was less. Around 100 because of this I was not getting proper sleep. Now after taking MethylColabamin for 5 days a row my sleep has gone. I hardly sleep for 4 hours. Tried melatonin but not much of help. Mind remains alerted after i wake up. Unable to sleep for 2~3 hours. Later will get some 15 mins sleep.
Please suggest me some resolution. I have stopped all supplements and MethylColabamin 2 months back and even then the same sleep deprivation.
Last 2 months back due to B12 injection my b12 was 1600. Now its 693. But even then my sleep is not coming back. Earlier i used to sleep for nearly 7.30 ~ 8 hrs peacefully.
Once a depleted system gets the B12 it needs it may start using that B12 in processes that require other vitamins and minerals, in this way the B12 injection can leave you depleted in other vitamins and minerals. This depletion can lead to cramps, insomnia etc. Potassium depletion may be the most common, but it may also be iron, magnesium, another B vitamin etc.
B12 deficiency, digestion and insomnia
loss of appetite due to Vit B12 shots?
How long before your improvement from b12 shots plateaued? 
Vertigo, heart palpitations after 4th shot of Neurobion. 
