Question:
Do RNY patients need B12 shots weekly for their lifetime?

I am considering lap. RNY and have seen comments on another messgae board that said after you get the RNY surgery you need to get weekly shots of B12 for your lifetime. Is this true?    — Joleen M. (posted on January 31, 2002)

January 31, 2002
I'm not sure where you read that but I believe that is not true. I get a B-12 shots every three months. My surgeon said that was ample. Or you can do sublingual B-12 daily from GNC. Hope this helps!
   — purdue_1993

January 31, 2002
My Nutritionist stated that the older types of surgery often made people B-12 deficient, but not so much with the RNY. She told me not to worry about, and if I take a Multivitamin everyday I should be fine.
   — sbinkerd1

January 31, 2002
This is one of those questions that you will get a lot of varied replies on... Some get a B-12 injection monthly, others get them bi-monthly and some get them once every 3 months. There are those that take the sublingual - some like me take it daily and others take it weekly. The best thing to do is ask your surgeon what he thinks would be best for you and then follow his advice.
   — Kellie Jo B.

January 31, 2002
I am one of the post-ops that has to get a B-12 shot monthly. Mainly this is due to my own fault of not getting my B-12 in via the sublingual in the beginning. So now I am low iron and B-12. I go once a month and get my shot. It is no big deal, my PCP said that he would write me the prescription for me to give it to myself, but it is a big needle than I am comfortable with and plus it would have to go in my thigh and I just cannot do that, unless I had to life or death. It is a small thing that I have to do once a month when you weigh the benifits of this surgery!
   — Tawny F.

February 1, 2002
I discussed options with my surgeon and decided to give myself a monthly b12 injection. I just didn't want to remember another pill - even sublingual. So on the first of every month I give myself a shot and that's that. It's no biggy at all. Take care
   — Becky K.

February 1, 2002
Well, yes & no. Eventually, our B12 levels tumble. With RNY, the intrinsic factor is sealed awayy in the lower stomach and the B12 needs to bind to that to be well absorbed. It took mine 6 yrs to hit a low enough level to need help. Monthly wasn't enough, 3 weeks wasn't enough, but 2 weeks is perfect for me. My husband also took 6 yrs to hit a low enough level to require help. He's monthly. Neither of us got truly LOW because we were watching. NO big deal, we do our own, the cost for 3 months is less than 2 Happy Meals. It's just no big deal. If you could take one shot per week to dump your wt, would you do it?
   — vitalady

February 1, 2002
I am 23 months post lap RNY. I experienced a slight decrease in my serum B12 level at 6 months post-op, but adding one 500 microgram tablet of B12 to my daily regimen of a multivitamin tablet brought my B12 level back to normal levels where it has remained ever since. Three other family members have also had lap RNY surgery and are between 11 and 25 months post-op; none have required any extra B12 other than that obtained in their daily multivitamin. Absorption of B12 will vary depending on the length of intestine bypassed; i.e., proximal RNY patients will likely need less "extra" supplementation than distal surgery patients. Good luck!
   — Diana T.