B12: Shots vs. Pills vs. IV. Which One Actually Works?

Who runs low

Your body needs stomach acid and a protein called intrinsic factor to absorb B12 from food. So the people who run low are usually: adults over 50 (less stomach acid), people on long-term acid reducers or metformin, vegans and vegetarians (B12 comes from animal foods), people who have had stomach or gut surgery, and people with celiac or Crohn's disease.

Test first

A blood test tells you if you are low and how low. The NIH recommends 2.4 micrograms a day for adults from food or supplements. If your level is fine, extra B12 mostly leaves in your urine.

Pills

Oral B12 works for most people, even many with poor absorption, because a small amount gets in without intrinsic factor when the dose is high enough. It is cheap and easy. The catch: it takes weeks to raise a low level, and it does little if you cannot absorb it at all.

Shots

A B12 shot into the muscle skips the stomach entirely. It is the standard fix for pernicious anemia and for people whose gut cannot absorb B12. Levels rise within days. Our nurse gives it at your home in about ten minutes.

IV

B12 is also one of the B vitamins in a Myers' Cocktail and our Energy drip, along with fluids and other vitamins. An IV is the right choice when you want fluids and several vitamins at once, for example after a rough week or a hard race. For B12 alone, a shot does the job for less.

Tired for no reason? Book a blood draw or a B12 shot at zenivspa.com.

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