What Can I Do If I Have A Vitamin B12 Deficiency?

The customary remedy for vitamin B12 deficiency is a vitamin B12 injection. The needle used for this injection is the same used for the old-style flu shots. Vitamin B12 injections are typically administered when there is a severe deficiency or when oral supplementation is not effective. Injections allow for direct delivery of the vitamin into the bloodstream, bypassing any absorption issues that might occur in the digestive tract. 

The injections are typically given in the muscle (intramuscular injection) and can be performed by a healthcare professional or as prescribed by a doctor. The frequency of injections and the dosage depend on the severity of the deficiency and the individual's specific needs. If you rely on your doctor to get your B12 levels up to normal, a shot is what you are almost certain to get, although there are scientific studies that show that B12 levels can brought back to normal with nasal sprays and vitamin B12 supplements.

Vitamin B12 injections are generally safe and well-tolerated when administered by a healthcare professional. However, like any medical treatment, there may be potential side effects or risks associated with the procedure. Common side effects of vitamin B12 injections may include mild pain or redness at the injection site.

Most doctors in the USA will prescribe the form of the vitamin known as cyanocobalamin. The hydroxycobalamin form used in Europe, however, starts to work faster, and the methylcobalamin form used in Japan is available to the brain and nerves without the body's having to process it through several steps requiring enzymes that may be in short supply (and which are not available from food).

But do you have to keep on taking vitamin B12, or is one treatment enough?

Not Found in Plant Foods

It used to be thought that vitamin B12 was found in spirulina. Unfortunately, the compound found in spirulina is a "B12 lookalike" that actually interferes with the body's absorption of the real thing. 

After all, millions of vegans and vegetarians in India do not have pernicious anemia or other B12 deficiency diseases. Then when pernicious anemia became common among observant Hindus who had moved to London, it was learned that vegans in India actually got their B12 from tiny lice and other insects that washing could not remove from the vegetables they ate.

However, that does not mean that vegans need to eat dairy or meat. B12 can be provided by supplements that are not of animal origin, although it is necessary to make sure to take them, especially when children are given a vegan diet.

Who Else Needs Supplemental B12?

Certain health conditions interfere with the body's ability to absorb B12. 

• Atrophic gastritis or hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid),

• Crohn's disease,

• Irritable bowel syndrome, or

• Ulcerative colitis.

Certain medications interfere with the body's ability to absorb B12, and people who take these medications on a regular basis will need shots or supplements:

• Alcohol.
• Nitrous oxide, whether as anesthetic or recreationally.
• Metformin, which is primarily used to treat diabetes or polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS). 
• Proton pump inhibitors, which are used to treat peptic and duodenal ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
• Histamine H2 Receptor Antagonists, drugs like ranitidine and famotidine, used to reduce stomach acid production.
• Chloramphenicol, an antibiotic that can interfere with the production of red blood cells and impact B12 metabolism.
• Colchicine, used to treat gout, colchicine may disrupt B12 absorption and lead to deficiency.

Read More: Do Vitamin B12 Injections Help for Weight Loss?

But for just a few pennies a day, some of the most debilitating diseases of the later stages of life may be avoided.