Vitamin B12 is an exception among the water-soluble vitamins. Its excess does not get flushed with your urine, but becomes stored in your liver until you need it. Therefore, a deficiency of this nutrient is unusual. When it occurs, your doctor recommends supplementation in one of several ways. Vitamin B12 is available in over-the-counter and prescription strength. It also appears as lozenges, tablets, nasal sprays and injections. Supplement B12 if your doctor identifies the need.
Dosage Administration
The various vitamin B12 formulas for sale offer 50 mcg to 5,000 mcg of the nutrient in a single dose. Your doctor determines which option is the best for you after she examines the results of laboratory tests. How you administer the prescribed dosage depends on the form of B12 that your doctor recommends. Dissolve lozenges and sublingual tablets under your tongue. Swallow pills with a glass of water, and spray nasal formulas into your nostrils. Go into your doctor's office for B12 injections or, if she agrees to prescribe the formula and syringes, give yourself the shots at home.
B12 Natural Sources
If your need for vitamin B12 supplementation is temporary, eat foods that provide the nutrient to prevent a recurrence of the deficiency after you finish treatment. This vitamin is available in foods of animal origin, including meats, eggs and dairy. If you are a vegan, you have the option of eating foods that manufacturers enrich with vitamin B12. Read the list of ingredients on the packaging to verify whether a product provides the nutrient. Beef liver is naturally rich in B12. One braised slice provides 800 percent of the recommended daily intake. Half of a chicken breast contains 5 percent, and 1 cup of milk offers 15 percent of what your total intake should be. Fortified cereals carry varying amounts of vitamin B12.
Deficiency Causes
Malnourishment may cause your supply of vitamin B12 to drop. If you eat a vegan diet, you are also at risk for a deficiency. In addition, certain health conditions cause a deficit. Pernicious anemia and food-bound vitamin B12 malabsorption are two health problems that prevent your body from assimilating the vitamin from foods, says the Linus Pauling Institute.
Daily Intake
You can maintain a normal supply of vitamin B12 by getting adequate amounts of the nutrient from your daily diet, unless you suffer from a medical condition that prevents you from absorbing the nutrient. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends 2.4 mcg of B12 daily for anyone who is 14 years of age or older. Younger children from birth until they turn 14 years old need 0.4 mcg to 1.8 mcg of vitamin B12 every day. The older the kid, the more B12 she needs.
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