B12 Injections - how much?

I'm going to switch from the sublingual b12 to the monthly injections.
I was told the dose is 1ml a month, but I wanted to make sure that was
really adequate for post rny.  Thank you!

I never think so, but I take 2ml weekly. And 10,000 mcg daily sublinguals. I still can't reach the levels I had pre-op.

If you are over 40or so; if you have had any kind of stomach surgery; if you had a genetic flaw that caused low B12 levels pre-op........... any of those would indicate that monthly is not enough. It's a generic nod toward "maybe low B12", too little to hurt or help.

That's what I get - 1 cc (or mL) per month.  But I also supplement with sublingual methlycobalamin every day.

 thanks for the feedback
I had a feeling it wasn't enough

vitalady - I have blood work mid-August,
but was thinking of taking 2ml when it is
time for my next shot or do you think I should
wait to adjust until after my next set of labs?

1 ml is standard. It's a long story how I came to have a lot on hand and was racing to beat exp. dates. Whe they fill our rx, we either get 12-13 vials, 1 shot each. OR a single 10 shot vial. OR a single 30 shot vial. And since there are 2 of us, we get 2 rx every 90 days. But one of us might get the 10, one might get 12. Whatever tech fills the rx, I guess. So, where for years we scrambled to do one per week, all of a sudden, they start kinda "breeding" in the drawer and I realized we had a LOT of them.

Don still uses one per week, so I started using two.

We did our shots last night for example, but if this was lab time, we'd wait til NEXT week, Tues or Wed to draw the labs. So, that way we'd have about 10 days after the last shot to see where we are.

Last draws were 1500 for both of us. Considering the amount I take, that's kinda saggy. It's not a bad number, but it explains why 1 per week was never getting me over 800.

So, if you were going to test what 1 shot per month gets you, you'd shoot on say, the 1st and not test til the 1st of the next month. Then you'd see how low you go without the shot.

Before my doc read later literature, I'd go in they'd draw, then shoot. I'd wait, get the level. Then they'd draw, then shoot, then get the level. I pointed out that monthly got me to 400, twice/month got me 600 (this was a LONG time ago) and so couldn't we just do 2, and someone teach me how to do it.

Then Don's numbers fell and he didn't have to do all that, he just wrote him for 2, and taught us how to do each others shots. Much easier. I think we've been doing them about 10 yrs.

I think my doc had his enlightenment in maybe 2005, so we've had much easier access since then.

Now, in between, when he rx 2 per month, but we knew we needed more, we used veterinary B complex on the off weeks. That gave us weekly. It's the same mfr as the rx, but it's mixed B's. Stinks like your b complex and it's kinda yellow vs deep burgundy. And it's certainly cheap enough, like $10 for 2 yrs.

BUT the only problem was that we couldn't control the B6 in it.

Luckily, my doc saw the light on keeping levels over 800 and we used the last of the complex 1/4 cc at a time. LOL Hardly worth it, but I'm not throwing vitamins away.

I've been doing what I do for 15 yrs, so I see too many damaged ppl from low B12 levels. Never measured, people can't read the levels, "slightly low" is ok on paper, but a disaster in real life, so I'm overly biased about keeping levels high.

I do not sell B12 shots. I do not sell syringes.

I'm just a big believer in keeping levels up, rather than trying to climb back out of a hole. Same damage does not reverse.

I am a little confused.  My doctor writes a script for the 30 ml bottle of b12 and writes take as directed. Then I can inject as often as I need.  I do them 3 times per week.  Why do you have to get veterinary B12?  the 30ml bottle is enough for 30 injections and can be renewed very often. I renew it every 9- 10 weeks.

He writes for weekly shots. 1 ml weekly, so the insurance sends "whatever". I never know.

BUT, remember, those 800 studies didn't come out until about 2005, so before that, even 300 made them worry about hypervitaminosis. You should Skype me and see the face I make when I SAY that. LOL

So, before that, it was twice/mo. When WE knew we needed more and he would not write for it, we got the vet stuff. I refer to yahoo grads and some of them couldn't get rx either. Docs thinking a level of 180 was only a little low. ( see rerun of much eye rolling)

So, we sorta fleshed in with the vet stuff. Every time I had enough of the rx, I gave away my vet stuff. We really didn't need all that B6 per week.

One summer, tho, I did shots daily, IM, and STILL only reached 900! That seriously scared me.

Anyway, as I said, since then, he writes for weekly and the pharmacy fills however. Your doc writes for a 30 ml bottle, but mine writes for 1 shot weekly.

It's the pharmacy ppl that might send us exactly 12 or 13. Or a 10. Or a 30. Who knows what they're thinking or exactly how they count weeks and end up with a 10. I dunno, but we got enough 30's that now we can "spend" them freely again.

It's my pharmacy (mail order) that gives us random amounts.

He doesn't state 30mls, he just state B12 injections as directed and that is what the pharmacists gives me.  I have been doing this for about 15 years.  My levels now are 1500 since surgery but prior to surgery they were greater than 2000 for over 10 years and no one flinched.

I guess you have the problem because you are using mailorder.  I am using Walgreens.  I pay $1 for the 30ml vial with my insurance.

1000 mcg is the usual dose.

Kelly

Have you had your first set of labs yet?  Most people start out with monthly but almost everyone ends up increasing to 2 times per month or weekly depending on how low there levels are.  You might want to start with 2 times per month to get a good start on you level, we want optimal levels and even if it goes a little too high, that isnt' a bad thing.