Accidental subcutaneous v. IM injecti... - Pernicious Anaemi...

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Accidental subcutaneous v. IM injection?

still_elsewhere profile image
24 Replies

Hi everyone! — since I don’t have a PCP at the moment due to a move, I just completed my first self-injection. It was so much easier and more painless than it used to be at the doctor’s / than I expected!

That said, I’m second-guessing my efficacy. I didn’t jab the needle 100% of the way down at a 90 degree angle — more like 80% or 85% of the way — and so I wonder if I accidentally gave myself a subcutaneous injection? If so, would that still be effective given PA?

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wedgewood profile image
wedgewood

B12 injections are effective with I.Mand sub-cutaneous methods . Here in U.K. self injectors get their B12 ampoules from German online pharmacies , where they are a non prescription item . On these packets it states that they can be administered by I.M , sub-cut and intravenous methods . I know that some members on this forum do use the subcutaneous method with success . So do not worry ! Best wishes !

still_elsewhere profile image
still_elsewhere in reply to wedgewood

This is reassuring — thank you!

I only have enough supply for 3 shots. I’m sure this has been posted on the forum before, but do you happen to know where those of us in the US might be able to source B12 and syringes from? This is going to sound a bit odd, but I’ve most often seen cyano. available through veterinary supply companies — do you know if that form would be safe for humans to use as well?

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply to still_elsewhere

I really don’t know if veterinary Cynocobalamin Can be used for humans . But you can obtain Human Cynocobalamin ampoules and.vials from Canadian online pharmacies ,without prescription .

Supplies for injecting B12 in USA .( Canadian online pharmacies ) Cynocobalamin B12 .

biosenseclinic.com Has Cynocobalamin in single use ampoules ( safest method) and multi-use vials .Also have needles

canadadrugsuperstore.com

Has same as above .

buy-otc.com

Also have multi dose vials and single use ampules .

——————————————————————————

Single use ampoules are the safest to administer B12. Several use vials are at greater risk of contamination.

_____________________________________________________

bulksyringes.com has needles and syringes

allegromedical.com ditto. ditto

shopmedvet.com ditto. ditto

It is safer to use single-use ampoules than multi-use vials in a domestic situation , because of the danger of contamination, and the fact that a vial is not used up quickly in a domestic situation , unlike an ampoule which is injected within a minute of being opened .

——————————————————————————

Looks as if mycare.de. (A German online pharmacy) will deliver to USA

Do register ,by clicking on the silhouette at the top . When entering your address , enter your country first using the drop-down list The USA is referred to as “ VEREINIGTE STAATEN von AMERIKA . Then the computer will accept the rest of your address .

You can obtain Panpharma B12 depot ( Hydroxocobalamin) single use ampoules 1mg. X1ml

And Hevert 1mg x 2ml “. “. “ “

I don’t know shipping costs .

—————————————————————————

B12 can be administered by either an Intra-Muscular or a sub-cutaneous injection .

For an I.M. Injection a 25G x 1 inch needle can be used .

For a sub-cutaneous injection a 30G x 1/2 inch needle can be used .

A long coarse needle , say 21G x 11/2 inches long, can be used to withdraw the B12 from the ampoule. This is needed because the needle is made blunt by touching the ampoule . This would make the injection painful .

This information is supplied to you by a private individual , who has been self-injecting for six years, using single -use ampoules.

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

Thank you so much for posting all of this info. Boy this is overwhelming 😳 soon I guess I'll be an expert like all of you. Haha

still_elsewhere profile image
still_elsewhere in reply to wedgewood

Yes, thank you — this is such a helpful and exhaustive list!

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

Hello there Wedgewood, can you tell me how many injections are in each bottle? The two bottles of B12 that I bought were $130 a piece and they have 33 day's worth of injections in each one. I give myself 0.03. I don't really know exactly what that means. But it equates to 12 cc's on the syringes that I have. My pharmacist did the math for me. Im just wondering if I've been totally screwed buying this pure vitamin B12 from pernicious anemia. Org. The b12 I'm getting now doesn't have the alcohol in it. Or any other preservatives but it doesn't have the rubber cap. I want to get the same B12 that everyone here gets, which is also the one my doctor was giving me. I just don't know how much to buy for a month supply. Thank you.

helvella profile image
helvella in reply to EllaNore

I give myself 0.03 ml I don't really know exactly what that means. But it equates to 12 cc's on the syringes that I have. My pharmacist did the math for me.

Afraid there is something wrong there.

One millilitre is one cubic centimetre.

Should something there be a weight (e.g. in micrograms) rather than volume (millilitres)?

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to helvella

Haha it's me. I don't know what letters are after the 0.03 but the numbers are right. And my needles are diabetic needles that I buy for my dog by the Box, they are U 40 1/2 CC syringes. I showed my pharmacist the dosage I was supposed to take and my syringes he did the math and told me to draw up 12 ccs

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply to EllaNore

I’m afraid that I can’t help you with this EllaNore . I see that you have not purchased from an online Canadian pharmacy (Cynocobalamin) . You have purchased powdered Methylcobalamin that is made by Oxford biosciences in U.K. from a company who is selling this product on .I am in U.K. , and know that that that powdered Methylcobalamin sells for £25.00 .a bottle and you have paid four times that amount. You also need saline to rehydrate it . I note that OxfordBiosciences will not sell to USA , I presume because they have an agreement with perniciousanemia.org

.It is always recommended to use single use ampoules where possible.( obtainable from the Canadian online pharmacies mentioned above) I know that Methylcobalamin is claimed to be superior to other kinds ( Cynocobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin) but I haven’t found it in anyway superior . I have tried all kinds , and they all work equally well for me .

Methylcobalamin has its drawbacks when it comes to storage . It must be kept refrigerated. It is also not so stable as the other types of B12. Please refer to your pharmacist about injecting this product . Please take great care once the powder is reconstituted. There is a danger of contamination once it is reconstituted. Take advice on this from your pharmacist . Excercise total hygiene very meticulously.

Really sorry that I can’t help you on this . Best wishes .

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

That was great help thank you very much. I will never use that company again. I will buy the B12 from the same place that you guys are getting it and I will definitely do what my pharmacist says and my doctor. Thank you so much for putting me on the right track. I thought I could be on the wrong track thank you for setting me straight. I very much appreciate that. I got screwed out of $300. But that's okay live and learn. Thanks again!!! my best to you

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

I'm not sure if this is a multi dose or single dose bottle. I can't seem to find any other size. I searched for single dose ampoule but no luck. Thanks for any help.

B12 product
wedgewood profile image
wedgewood in reply to EllaNore

I see that you are on the canadadrugsuperstore.com site . . Great . You need to click on the arrow to bring down the drop down list of all the various sizes of B12 that they sell . The very last one on the long drop down list is —— 1000mcg ( that’s 1mg, a normal dose of B12 ) 1box ( 10 amp ( short for ampoule) x 1ml. $39.97 This is the one to buy in my opinion . The single use ampoule is the safest option in a domestic situation . In a doctors surgery it is a different environment . In a doctors surgery, the multi-use vials get used up quickly . Much quicker than in a domestic one . Contamination is the danger!

Of course you don’t have to use my suggestion , but I really recommend single use ampoules ! THEY ARE THE SAFEST OPTION , 👍

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

Then that is what I'm going to buy. Thank you so much I will definitely get the single use. I did click on that list that's when I didn't know what to choose so thank you very much. I see it's on sale as well. I'm excited and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you directing me.

MoKayD profile image
MoKayD in reply to still_elsewhere

Hi, I'm here in the US. I usually just get a prescription from my doctor for my B12 self injections which I pick up at my local pharmacy but a few months ago I ordered some vials of B12 from a Canadian company, Biosense Clinic. I ordered them for my daughter because her doctor is of the opinion that oral supplementation is just as good as injections. I tried one of her vials and it seems to work just fine.

still_elsewhere profile image
still_elsewhere in reply to MoKayD

That’s good to know! Yeah, I could keep picking them up one at a time from the pharmacy — but it would be much easier to get a few at once.

Rexz profile image
Rexz in reply to still_elsewhere

I am in the US and I get my preloaded 2,000 mcg Methylcobalamin subcutaneous syringes from this compounding pharmacy. They are very nice and ship anywhere in US.

Hopewell Pharmacy

1 West Broad Street

Hopewell NJ 08525

609 466 1960

hopewellrx.com

I inject once a week. They do require a prescription but here in US if you have PA I've found easy to get. Price is about $5 US per preloaded syringe. Plus overnight shipping costs. They usually ship 2 months worth at a time.

Best of luck

still_elsewhere profile image
still_elsewhere in reply to Rexz

Thanks so much for this info.!

Nackapan profile image
Nackapan

Yes it will be fine.I have both IM and sc. Hydroxcobalamin injections.

Still making notes about any differences .

Being doing sc for over 2 years now .

IM done at the surgery 4-6 weekly.

Only differences I've noted is IM can go in alot quicker

I've been hoping IM woukd last longer as in theory should? .

In my case it hasn't.

jade_s profile image
jade_s in reply to Nackapan

I'm not sure IM is helping better for me, either :/ Strange isn't it.

jade_s profile image
jade_s

Congrats on your first SI! 🥳🥳

I too was scared at first, and could barely get it all the way in. Don't worry, it will have an effect, and it'll get easier over time. 😄

still_elsewhere profile image
still_elsewhere in reply to jade_s

Thanks! It was reassuring to read about everyone else’s nerves / experiences here first — so good to have this community!

Rexz profile image
Rexz

I have been SI subcutaneous for over a year now and have had great success. I SI alternating between different spots on left and right thigh. So don't think you've anything to worry about. You may want to try subcutaneous first and see if that works for you.

wedgewood profile image
wedgewood

I don’t know if you already inject B12. I’m in the UK and maybe we do things differently here . If you are just starting injecting , then we have what we call a “loading dose ,” using single use ampoules . 6 injections over 2 weeks . Thereafter, an injection as often as necessary to keep the symptoms of B12 deficiency at bay . This varies from person to person . Some are fine on one injection every 2 months . You can inject as often as necessary ,because you cannot overdose on B12 . It’s advisable to take a modest daily folic acid tablet ( 400mcg) as it works together with B12 .;

EllaNore profile image
EllaNore in reply to wedgewood

OK thank you very much. Yes, I had my starting injections one a week for three weeks. (didn't seem like much compared to people here) and then I kind of went rouge and bought that powdered form so I could control my own care as the insurance only approved one injection a month. I feel I need more especially after reading everything here. But I am scared of the powder form, now that you all don't really care for it and I had my own concerns especially since it didn't have the rubber cap. I feel so much more confident with all your info and all the help here, so thank you. I see one package of that b12 is 10 injections. So I should get three of them if I want to do everyday. I think I will do once a week for now and then increase as I get familiar with my symptoms. Right now I generally feel terrible so it is hard to tell. Except that my feet are so much better. I feel my coordination is off and feel like I walk funny, not really stable. But better than it was. My organs seem to be waking up and they are not happy right now. So I feel once a week is good until my body adjusts. Again thank you sooooo much!!!

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