B12 injections

Medical and Healthcare
dizzydays
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:28 pm

B12 injections

Post by dizzydays »

Just a heads up - I'm on 3 monthly B12 injections which are done at the surgery. Phoned to make my appointment this morning and was told they have cancelled all B12 injections for the foreseeable. I didn't see that coming! I got the last one in March just when this was kicking off and although the surgery had closed, I was allowed to go in for the injection. I tried asking to just receive the vial and I would either do it myself or I have relatives who are medical but that wasn't allowed either. So - just a warning to anyone on these jabs, there's likely to be a problem. Looking round the internet on the subject and it has sparked concern and a letter to the Health Minister as B12 is on the WHO list of essential medicine.

DD
Nurseandy
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:12 am

Re: B12 injections

Post by Nurseandy »

Did they say why they have stopped?
dizzydays
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:28 pm

Re: B12 injections

Post by dizzydays »

Yes, due to the virus risk ! Apparently all surgeries received a memo saying that B12 could remain in the liver for 12 months so the injections can be put on hold during the pandemic. This has since been retracted - if it were true we'd be on yearly injections and not 3 monthly. Some surgeries have gone out to patients in their cars and managed to do it but that seems to be rare at the moment.

Several patients have had some success with a good quality sublingual supplement - results confirmed with blood tests - so if anyone in here gets in a panic with this I think supplements will be the way to go for now. Solgar seem to do a good quality version so I'll be giving that a try and see if it helps my symptoms.
Nurseandy
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:12 am

Re: B12 injections

Post by Nurseandy »

Depressing. We're still giving injections in the community up here (with appropriate ppe) but sadly I agree that it seems down to individual GP practices.
Thankfully I'm in the uber privileged position of being about 90% autonomous so can decide with my patients what we deem to be an acceptable risk both to them and to me.
cbp125
Posts: 227
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: B12 injections

Post by cbp125 »

B12 was rummered to treat Covid19, so people could have stockpiled it leaving supply issuies??
dizzydays
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:28 pm

Re: B12 injections

Post by dizzydays »

Hm...that rings a little bell about the Covid connection - but certainly B12 is associated with the immune system - which makes it worse that they have stopped it. You'd think they would see that makes the patients more susceptible than the risk of a trip to the surgery.

It's also a worry that medicines can be deemed 'non essential' like this - that has given me pause for thought!
redskies
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Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:35 am

Re: B12 injections

Post by redskies »

You can get B12 from beef liver supplements, and you can get that, dessicated in a capsule, from amazon. I take it as I can't, no matter how I've tried, eat liver. Can't even stand the smell of it raw never mind cooking or cooked!

There are other options, apart from beef liver. Sardines are high in B12, also tuna. Worth having a search around, see what's out there that you like. It's not available to us from anything other than animal based foods though.
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diamond lil
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Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:42 pm
Location: Scotland.

Re: B12 injections

Post by diamond lil »

If you have Pernicious Anaemia then the B12 jab can only be postsponed for a month at most. Up here my hubby is still getting his every 4 weeks as normal. Only those with B12 deficiency but not PA are being affected.
dizzydays
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:28 pm

Re: B12 injections

Post by dizzydays »

redskies wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 10:57 am You can get B12 from beef liver supplements, and you can get that, dessicated in a capsule, from amazon. I take it as I can't, no matter how I've tried, eat liver. Can't even stand the smell of it raw never mind cooking or cooked!

There are other options, apart from beef liver. Sardines are high in B12, also tuna. Worth having a search around, see what's out there that you like. It's not available to us from anything other than animal based foods though.
Hi - sadly I have pernicious anaemia so I don't absorb it - that's why I need injections. I could eat liver till it comes out of my ears but my levels won't go up.
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diamond lil
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Location: Scotland.

Re: B12 injections

Post by diamond lil »

No dizzydays, you need your injections and if you push your doctor's surgery and be firm, you should still get it. Offer to take away the vial and syringe and get a friend to inject you or inject yourself - there are videos on youtube. You need that B12.