Vitamin B12 also known as cyanocobalamin or cobalamin belongs to the B-complex vitamins. Vitamin B12 is useful in the synthesis of hemoglobin, red blood cells and DNA, according to Drugs.com. Lack of vitamin B12 leads to pernicious anemia. Cyanocobalamin, a man-made form of vitamin B12, is used to treat pernicious anemia. Vitamin B12 should be administered using several techniques.
Deep Muscle Injection
Vitamin B12 is available as a solution to be injected into a muscle. The vitamin is usually injected by a health care provider at a clinic. The vitamin is injected into a deep muscle once a day for the first six to seven days. As the red blood cells return to normal, patients receive the injection every other day for two weeks and then every three to four days for two to three weeks.
Warning
Vitamin B12 should not be administered through the intravenous route, according to MedlinePlus. Use of Vitamin B12 intravenously will result in almost the entire vitamin being lost in the urine. Dosage adjustment is needed for pregnant and breastfeeding patients. Dosage adjustment is also required for vegetarians. Patients should also inform the doctor of any changes in the diet and medical condition so as to ensure the right amount of vitamin B12 is administered. To ensure that vitamin B12 administration is improving symptoms of pernicious anemia, patients require blood work every three to six months. Patients should ensure that they do not miss scheduled appointments. Patients with pernicious anemia who stop receiving vitamin B12 may develop irreversible nerve damage in the spinal cord.
Chronic Treatment
Patients who have undergone gastric surgery and surgeries that reduce the sign of the stomach require long-term vitamin B12 treatments, according to MedlinePlus. Vitamins B12 is mainly absorbed in the stomach through the help of an intrinsic factor found on the wall of the stomach. Removal or reduction in the size of the stomach reduces the amount of vitamin B12 absorbed.
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