B12 injections are intended to be administered by a medical doctor to patients with a B12 deficiency. If you are allergic to the injections, allergy symptoms will develop within the first few rounds of the supplement. It is important to remain under a doctor's supervision, because allergy symptoms do not always appear during the first dose. Your immune system may slowly build up a resistance toward the B12 and cause symptoms to form after a few days of receiving the injections. An allergic reaction to B12 injections is uncommon.
Symptoms
An allergic reaction to B12 injections can lead to a severe allergic reaction that could result in death. If you experience any allergy symptoms, you should report them to your doctor. Common symptoms include runny nose, skin rash, nasal congestion, asthma, itchiness, nausea and vomiting. Other concerning symptoms include unusual warmth, swelling or rapid weight gain, numbness, fever, joint pain, irritation where the infections was administered, dizziness, weakness and becoming short of breath.
Cause
An allergic reaction occurs when your body interacts with an allergen. An allergen is any substance that the body doesn't recognize as safe and reacts by attacking it. Shortly after a B12 injection, your body produces certain antibodies to fight against the vitamin. These antibodies cause mast cells to produce histamine, a natural chemical in the body that protects it from infection. In large amounts, histamine causes inflammation and swelling in various soft tissues.
Consideration
Not all adverse reactions to a B12 injection are related to an allergy. An allergic reaction requires an immune system reaction that produces immunoglobulin E, or IgE, antibodies. If you experience unpleasant symptoms from daily B12 injections, your doctor may recommend that you participate in allergy tests. Common allergy tests include blood tests and skin-prick tests to identify the presence of IgE antibodies.
Treatment
If you develop an allergic reaction to daily B12 injections, your doctor may recommend discontinuing the treatment. If you develop mild symptoms, she may consider allergy shots that will help desensitize the immune system to the vitamin. Allergy shots are mostly used to treat hay fever and insect stings but may be useful to treat a vitamin allergy. Antihistamines may help reduce swelling in soft tissue and alleviate some allergy symptoms. If you develop a severe allergic reaction, you may require an injection of epinephrine to restore normal functionality of the body.
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