Have you ever given yourself an injection?
Until recently, I was squeamish when it came to needles. Perhaps necessity is the mother of injection! I now give myself B12 shots weekly — and I would never have guessed how easy and pain-free they are.
Why would anyone need Vitamin B12, or want to give themselves B12 shots? Read this article. You’ll need to see a doctor to assess your need and to get a prescription for your pharmacy. For me, heading into the cooler months of fall and winter, I benefit from the increased energy levels that B12 provides!
I have also been freed from mild dizzy spells, tingling in my extremities, brain fog, and the minor hair loss associated with an under-functioning thyroid. I am also hoping, long-term, to see improvement in the areas of digestion, insomnia, and SIBO.
A Few Notes On Giving Yourself Vitamin B12 Shots
Once your doctor prescribes B12, I recommend asking for insulin-size needles. This small needle size makes the process less painful, or even pain-free. It may take a bit of leg work, but be your own best advocate!
Once the pharmacy fills your prescription, you’ll know more about how your particular pharmacy handles dosage and application.
For example, some B12 comes in powder form — you’ll need to add water before injecting.
Some pharmacies fill the syringe for you, so all you’ll need to do is inject it.
A few B12 bottles or vials (such as my own) come pre-measured as 1 dose per bottle.
Other pharmacies provide one larger bottle of B12 and tell you how much B12 you’ll need per injection. You’ll then have to fill your syringe with the appropriate milligrams.
The stomach has fewer blood vessels and nerve endings, making it the perfect location for injection — less painful, easy to reach, and less likely to poke a blood vessel. It also has a layer of muscle close to the surface which promotes absorption of B12.
How To Give Yourself Vitamin B12 Shots
You will need:
- B12 liquid
- sterile syringe
- sterile alcohol prep pads (or rubbing alcohol and clean swab/cotton balls)
- sharps container for disposing of the syringe
Use a sterile pad to clean the area of your belly where you plan to do the injection. (Choose the fattier or rounder part of your belly about 2 inches over from your belly button, and down about 1 inch — see video below.)
Using a separate sterile pad or swab, remove the outer cap from your B12 bottle, and also sterilize the bottle’s rubber stopper. Remove the needle cap (lid) from your sterile syringe. Pull the plunger all the way back, pulling air into the syringe until its barrel is full.
Tip the B12 bottle upside down, and insert the needle into the very center of the bottle, through the rubber stopper. Press the syringe plunger in, inserting all of the air into the B12 bottle. Pull back on the syringe plunger, allowing the B12 liquid to fill the syringe barrel. Push any air back into the bottle by briefly compressing the plunger.
Remove needle from bottle. Push on syringe plunger to release 2 to 3 drops of B12, ensuring that there is no more air in the barrel.
Use your dominant hand to hold the syringe. With other hand, pinch your flesh between thumb and middle finger, creating a bulge of muscle and tissue into which to inject. Use a “hard and fast” approach when pushing the needle (bevel and shaft) into the skin, going in at a 90 degree angle (see video below).
Once the needle shaft is in your belly, pull it back slightly to see if there is any blood at the point of insertion. If there is, this indicates that you’ve hit a blood vessel — very unlikely when injecting into the stomach — but this step is a recommended precaution. (You’ll need to re-inject at a different point if you hit a blood vessel.)
Assuming no blood vessel has been hit, begin to slowly compress the plunger top, injecting the B12. When the syringe barrel is empty, remove the shaft, and safely restore its lid.
Do not rub the point of insertion, as this can cause bruising. You may gently wipe the area, if desired, with a sterile alcohol pad. Finally, properly dispose of your needle (you can request a syringe disposal box from your pharmacist).
Watch the video below to see my very first B12 injection! I thought it would be fun and helpful to walk you through what it’s like the first time, answering questions like “What’s it like to give yourself an injection? Does it hurt?” Here’s my honest experience!
Have you given yourself Vitamin B12 injections? Any tips for fellow readers? Are you considering giving yourself B12 injections?
*Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I followed my doctor’s instructions to give myself vitamin B12 shots. You should consult a healthcare professional before administering this or other remedies at home. You are responsible for your own health and for the use of any remedies, treatments, or medications you use at home.
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You’re so darn cute, Megan!
I found this fascinating, as I mildly have a lot of the symptoms you’ve mentioned at certain times of the year! I may have to look into it myself. 🙂
You’re so sweet, Tracy, thank you! 🙂 Yeah, the symptom list really makes you think. You may benefit from a lower dosage during the colder months.
Hi Megan,
I noticed in the picture that you use Methyl cobalamin. My doctor wrote a prescription for Cyanocobalamin which I really think is NOT ideal to take. I have searched forever to find injectable form of the “methyl” version of B-12 but have had no luck. Where can one get it? I appreciate any help you can give me.
Hi Sharon, you’re right about needing the methyl version. Unfortunately, you may need to get a prescription from a different doctor if yours won’t change his/her prescription. Then your pharmacy will need to order it. It was a hassle for me too. So sorry! But it’s worth getting the right one. I speak about this in the linked to article more: http://bit.ly/2lbQAFy Good luck!
Actually methyl is worse for your body in the process of absorbing it.
wouldn’t sublingual be better than going thru this process
Hi Terry, I go into more detail on that issue in this post: http://bit.ly/2lbQAFy 🙂 For those with digestive issues, there is a problem with absorption.
If I’m not mistaken and perhaps your doctor told you something different, when you “pull out” to check for blood (i.e. vein) we are to pull the plunger out slightly to see if any blood enters the syringe. What I saw you do is pull the needle back from your belly. Want to confirm that?
You are correct: pull the plunger back to see if any blood enters the syringe. (If you need to re-inject because you hit a blood vessel that small amount of blood is safe to inject with the B12.)
Hi Megan, this is something I wanted to learn for a long time, thank you, one question though, if I can’t get the smal size needles, is it safe to insert the large ones in the belly?
You’re welcome. Yes, it is. The larger needle was part of my original prescription, and my doctor taught me how to do the injections in my stomach, in the location designated above in the article and video. (But I went back and requested the smaller needle.)
My doctor has always had me do my butt or thigh (my hubby does it for me), because its intramuscular. Any thoughts? I want to start doing my own shots.
Hi Megan hoping you are still responding on this thread. I am very over weight mostly in my belly. Where I live I don’t need a prescription for vitamin b12 so don’t have a doctor to ask. Does it matter if I inject it into pure fat? Or should I try a different spot?
Hi Paloma, I appreciate your question and patience! I was traveling and just returned. Happy to help. Here’s a good article to read: https://www.restartmed.com/b12-injection-sites/ Dr. Childs says that a longer needle may be needed in patients with more body fat to adequately get into the skeletal muscle. He also says, “In my experience, injections in the skeletal muscles (intramuscular injections) result in a more dramatic improvement in symptoms including energy and weight loss.” The video demonstrates how to inject into your thigh, which is his recommendation. So that hopefully answers your question by giving you an alternative to the belly injection. Blessings!
Hi! The place I go to does it in the outside upper arm, you know, a couple inches down from your shoulder. I’m pretty sure that even with extra weight, the muscle will be close enough to the surface for a good shot!
And PS thank you so much for this post Megan! I started getting weekly b12 shots about 4 weeks ago along with oral methyl folate and P-5-P daily and while it took a while to feel the effects, my Lord, its starting to help with my fibromyalgia (all over muscle pain), fatigue and dizziness. I’m getting the shots over the counter too and hoping to maybe save money and make the process more convenient. Loved the video demonstration 🙂
I stumbled across your blog while searching self administering B12. I have been prescribed use of it, with all sorts of “see your doctor for instruction” warnings. Your walk through was perfect. Exactly what I needed. And, it worked without a flaw. And, for anyone reading this, absolutely painless. Thank you for taking the mystery out of it.
Hi thank you for the info. However , there is one correction you should probably make …
When you’ve discussed inserting the needle, you mentioned about potential for bursting A blood vessel etc. and You suggested to pull the needle back a little to investigate into any bleeding. The correct thing people need to know there is to pull the plunger of the needle back and NOT the actual needle . They need to
Look for any signs of blood that pull back into the reservoir before pushing the medication … I know it may be a simple word choice / oversight , but to those patients who are already nervously followed directions they’re potentially unsure about , its always good to give as detailed info as possible ;)!! Also B12 injections aren’t typically recommended to administer via the stomach and every patient is different , in terms of how much muscle and fat they have in the abdominal area .. as I’m sure you mean the abdominal region and not the actual stomach .. ( just medically , trying to clear things up and give a little insight if possible ). It’s much better to admin. Into the hip or thigh … ( mid of outer portion of the thigh. Diagrams can be found searching for this as well for those who are unsure of the positioning ( and it’s better to go in at a 90% angle rather than a 45 when injecting in that region or in the hip.. however the hip can comfortably be admin. In a 45% angle. *Patients *Do not Administer injection into the buttocks , though. Only allow a medical professional to admin. In that location as there are more veins and blood vessels in the area to work around ! Upper arm can be injected into in the way you’ve described , however. I’d still recommend the hip or thigh , however. Hope this helps. And if I failed to mention , once the patient pulls the plunger out just barely to see if any blood is present , once
They see there is no blood and they can continue , they Would then of course , continue to slowly push the plunger down until all the medication has been injected , keep hands pressed on the location of injection site until patient has completed plunging the entire contents of the injection into the skin & muscle .. then they may let go from applying their ?? Placing the needle in between pinky and ring finger , just around the height of the knuckles , as a good reference point ..they may then remove their hand and withdraw the needle ( in the same motion they injected it , if 90 degree angle , Same 90 degrees upon removal , 45, same and then close with gauze , apply slight pressure to stop bleeding and place band aid over the site ).
Everything I’ve read says NOT to give the B-12 shot in the stomach. It needs to be given in the muscle. The stomach has nerves that could be damaged, according to what I read. You might want to check this out.
Yeah that’s what I’ve read to. It needs to be administered IM with a longer needle. I wonder if it’s safe / effective to do it with shorter insulin needles that don’t reach the muscles… @Nell what’s your doctor’s reasoning behind this? Many thanks!
It’s interesting to know that the stomach is the optimal spot to get vitamin shots. My doctor told me that intake of more Vitamin B12 will help in mitigating the effects of my hormonal imbalance due to stress. Hopefully getting vitamin shots would help in making less cranky and lessening the instances of vertigo in the morning.
My sister was prescribed several vitamin shots for her pregnancy and she has been anxious about doing the injections herself. thanks for the information that vitamins like B12 can come in powder form which you will need to still mix with water. This step-by-step process is helpful but if she really doesn’t feel confident enough, we might just consider at-home services for her.
Hi Megan, thanks for the video..do you also take a b12 1000 mcg sublingual daily as well as the shot every week? also do you take 5mg folic acid daily and is this sublingual pill form or a shot.. going to my doc soon and want to know what to ask for.. is it methyl or hydro. right now I take b12 sublingual daily 1000 mcg and although my b12 shows 650 on my last blood test, was 112 when I started the B12 1 year ago…I still have all the symptoms. My doc does not seem very knowledgeable about B12 deficiency…
Great post! I’ve been curious about giving myself B12 shots at home, and your step-by-step guide is super helpful. The video really clarified the process! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this informative post! The video really helped clarify the steps for giving myself B12 shots. I feel much more confident about trying it out now. Any tips on how to minimize discomfort?