Can You Give Yourself A B12 Shot In Your Leg?

Question

Can You Give Yourself A B12 Shot In Your Leg?

3 Answers

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Answer 1

Yes you can. BTW, if you have this I guarantee you got a prescription for it, like I have. My doctors office took the time to show me how to give myself a shot in the thigh. Make sure you have alcohol swabs (you can get these OTC in the diabetic aisle or behind the counter in the pharmacy without a RX and they don't cost hardly anything!). Swab the area that you are going to puncture with the alcohol swab. Make sure you properly fill the syringe making sure there is no air. Then take the area that you are going to puncture and pinch it (with at least 2 inches in between). They told me this step will make sure you have the muscle and that you don't hit bone (which is unlikely if you are using the correct needle size!).

If you still have trouble with this, I would go back to your doctor and ask them to watch you do it or give you some pointers on how to do it and then do it with them watching. That is how I got taught anyway. Hope this helped you!

Answer 2

We get B12 OTC, just ask the pharmacist for it. And we use diabetic needles because they are very thin and not as painful, and inject them SQ (into the fat not as deep as the muscle).

Answer 3

I would first have to wonder how you were obtaining an injectable B-12.  This is something not generally sold OTC and may therefore be unsafe.
That said, I would definitely recommend against it.  It is an intramuscular injection, and you run the risk of perforating a blood vessel, damaging the muscle, or causing a major infection as sepsis or cellulitis without proper technique.
There are several other forms of B-12 that are more readily available to your body than an injection anyway.  There are highly effective oral doses, nasal sprays & transdermal patches.  Good luck.