Liquid B12 (oral): I have upped my bi... - Pernicious Anaemi...

Pernicious Anaemia Society

32,177 members23,347 posts

Liquid B12 (oral)

Erainy profile image
7 Replies

I have upped my bi-weekly injection to weekly for now. Also it may not be effective but I'm thinking of getting a bottle of liquid B12 (methylecobalamin) for inbetween period. Should I get 1mg or 5mg one? I know it's a kind of how long is a piece of string question but any advice would be appreciated.

Another thing, how much Folate should I be taking?

Thank you.

Written by
Erainy profile image
Erainy
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
7 Replies
wedgewood profile image
wedgewood

An injection will always be more effective than anything else

. A 400 mcg daily tablet of folic acid is ample . It’s the amount recommended during pregnancy .

Technoid profile image
Technoid

Liquid methylcobalamin is the least stable form and is very light sensitive.

Ref: "experimental data suggested that the methylcobalamin injection solutions should be protected from light completely "

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/310...

Unless you find this form has significant advantages for you it might be better to consider more stable forms. All B12 forms are broken down to cobalamin in the body before being rebuilt and used in the required active forms so the fact that methylcobalamin is one of the active forms of B12 is not as meaningful as supplement companies sometimes like to suggest that it is.

The appropriate dosage is whatever works best to alleviate your symptoms.

charks profile image
charks

Always buy the strongest strength as it is going to have to be absorbed via passive absorption.

Pickle500 profile image
Pickle500

I think very little is absorbed from sublingual so best to get as much as you can. I take 4-5 3,000mcg doses per day.

Try to avoid ones with flavourings or colourings as they can leave a bad aftertaste but also may build up additional toxins you don't want.

Scott-rock profile image
Scott-rock

I find the BetterYou spray gives me a boost, it’s methyl cobalamin.

I used it after my hernia surgery and the anaesthetic depletion of my b12. Even though I was taking injections eod.

Cherylclaire profile image
CherylclaireForum Support in reply to Scott-rock

I found the Betteryou spray did nothing at all to help me between B12 injections. So disappointing and expensive. No harm in trying, though.

We are all different - which is why the more supportive your GP, the better.

I had a three-month supplement of ferritin and folate; both were low within range and my gums were bleeding and hair still falling out despite B12 injections. After that, folate and ferritin were regularly monitored - quite erratic, difficult to get raised to a useful level and stabilised there. This took about two years to get right for me with the GP telling me what I needed to get based on blood test results.

She did not see any point in checking B12 level as she knew it would remain very high.

I would not want to have to guess at if/when I needed folate and/or ferritin and how much, when to stop etc. Unlike with B12, there can be adverse effects if either ferritin or folate are high.

tomdickharry profile image
tomdickharry

I was doing that whilst injections were unavailable. I needed massive amounts, 25000 micrograms daily, to do anything. Also it had a bad effect on my bowels as it's full of sweetener. Sorbitol is laxative. Don't overdo the folic acid unless tests indicate it, it can mask and interfere with B12 levels and symptoms.

You may also like...

PA and oral B12 supplements

initial booster course of 6x B12 injections with a plan for 3 monthly injections for life (based, I...

Oral b12 or injections

with low b12(130) had loading injections, not heard from gp since. I started self injecting...

Oral (passive) treatment of B12

treatment of B12 is shaky. This could just mean that for many PA has to be treated by injections...

Vitamin B12 liquid drops/sprays

I get injections every 3 months. Still constantly tired throughout. Has anoyone taken the liquid...

Oral B12

enough to sustain my b12 levels without the injections, but i want all the b12 i can get! Anyone...