Vitamin B injections

[Becky]

My PCP (who I absolutely love and has been amazing through this whole process) mentioned yesterday that he thought it would be better for me to do Vitamin B injections after DS. I have a genetic thing that can inhibit B vitamin absorption. So far I've been ok -- my B12 levels were a little low for a while (low end of the reference range), but I was able to bring them up with sublingual B12.

I was looking at the Vitalady vitamin regimen and I already take the DS recommended levels of and I'm pre-op. Now I'm vitamin shopping for after surgery and I'm wondering if I should plan on continuing B's orally as well. I wish I'd asked him yesterday, but I didn't think of it. I'm not going to see him again until 2 weeks after surgery and I'll totally ask then too, but I figured I'd see what you all thought too.

[clpeltz]

Keep taking them orally. Let your labs tell you if you are going to need injections or not. I take B1, folic acid, and biotin orally. I take the B12 sublingual.

[Paula]

I guess Im playing the non-Devil's advocate for the other side of the B12 debate I get my B12 injections monthly at my PCP. Ive got a genetic deal as well that involves folate, homocysteine, and B12...so my doctor and I felt the injection route was the best way to go for me. Ive not had my DS yet, but I plan on continuing with my injections after Im on the other side in a couple of months.

I guess to my way of thinking, if you already have a situation genetically with B12...the DS is only going to add to the situation with the way it causes us to malabsorb certain vitamins. Im of the opinion if the doc thinks it would be a good idea and you feel as good as you do about him, there might be merit to his recommendation. Just my personal opinion Only you are going to really be able to decide the best way to go.

[meredith123]

I'd keep taking the sublingual and wait to see if your labs indicate that you need the shots. I hate shots, so I'd only take them if I really needed them. The last time I got a B-12 shot, my arm hurt for several days, I never had one again.

[Deleted]

I wanted to throw this in about B-12. MOST of the supplements out there are Cyanocobalamin which we don't do well with. We should be making sure if we supplement with B-12 we are using Methylcobalamin. I take the 5,000mcg sub-linguals from VitaLady which are that type of B-12. My Mother does not absorb B-12 so she gets shots but she's never tried using the Methylcobalamin type of B-12 to my knowledge.

[moxi]

i had to do injections for a while, and that part was no big deal... it was just kind of a pain because the doc would only prescribe so many days worth. it seemed like i was always running to the pharmacy.

[patxyz]

I plan on doing the shots. My doc is going to show me how to do it, and then I can inject myself in my butt once a month.

[Becky]

Jan 14, 2012 0:26:55 GMT -5 Paula said:

I guess Im playing the non-Devil's advocate for the other side of the B12 debate I get my B12 injections monthly at my PCP. Ive got a genetic deal as well that involves folate, homocysteine, and B12...so my doctor and I felt the injection route was the best way to go for me. Ive not had my DS yet, but I plan on continuing with my injections after Im on the other side in a couple of months.

I guess to my way of thinking, if you already have a situation genetically with B12...the DS is only going to add to the situation with the way it causes us to malabsorb certain vitamins. Im of the opinion if the doc thinks it would be a good idea and you feel as good as you do about him, there might be merit to his recommendation. Just my personal opinion Only you are going to really be able to decide the best way to go.

I'm pretty sure you have the exact same thing I have. I guess I'll start out doing both and let labs decide if I need to stop one when the time comes!

[rosmom1996]

My surgeron gave me a script for Nascobal. It is a nasal spray you take in one nostril once a week. He said it was just as potent as the injection. Of course, there is no generic so with my insurance it still costs $25.00/mo. So far I haven't had any problems with it.

[Deleted]

I have never absorbed B12 well and was on shots pre-op. I did try the sub-lingual Methyl form and it was a no-go. I just inject once a month in my upper thigh. I did get lax about it once and suffered with foot drop with a level of a little over 600. I try to keep mine between 1500-2000.

Oh and I get an Rx for a years worth, it comes in single serving vials to avoid contamination problems that the large bottles have. I think it was around $18.00 last time I picked it up w/ syringes.

[Deleted]

If you can maintain normal levels with oral supplementation, that's the way to go. Since we have a duodenal stump coming off the stomach, that aids in absorption of B vitamins. We're actually better off than RNYers from this standpoint. If you can't maintain levels orally, then injections are a good last resort.