Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that is mainly found in animal-based food sources (meats). The vitamin, also called cobalamin, helps the human body build genetic material in the form of DNA and RNA and supports nerve health, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). A deficiency of B12 can cause symptoms such as tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, diarrhea and even neurological damage in severe cases. Vitamin B12 supplements are available in both oral and injectable forms. Injectable vitamin B12 is administered through intramuscular means (injected into a muscle). Though this form of delivery may be uncomfortable, there are benefits to B12 injections over taking an oral form of the vitamin.
Treatment of Pernicious Anemia
Vitamin B12 injections have a clear advantage over sub-lingual or extended release capsule forms of the drug in the treatment of pernicious anemia. This type of anemia--the failure to be able to make red blood cells--results from a vitamin B12 deficiency because the affected person's body cannot properly absorb the nutrient through the stomach, according to UMMC. People with pernicious anemia require a regular regimen of B12 supplementation to alleviate symptoms, including weakness, fatigue, numbness and impaired cognitive function, and to prevent continued neurological damage. In the case of pernicious anemia, injectable vitamin B12 is the only form of the vitamin that the person's body can absorb.
Flexible Dosing Schedule
People who have pernicious anemia or just who need to boost their B12 levels must continuously take supplements to keep their levels up. The benefits of injections are that, after an initial schedule of frequent injections--every couple of days is normal, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians--the dosing schedule can become more flexible. Once a person's blood tests show his B12 is at appropriate levels--higher than 200 picograms per milliliter (pg per ml), he may only need shots once every month or once every few months. This flexible schedule may be easier for some patients to deal with than to remember to take a pill every day.
Quicker Absorption
Vitamin B12 injections are given at higher doses than the oral form of the supplement--usually 1,000 to 2,000 mcg of injectables compared with 2 mcg of oral vitamins--which makes for a quicker absorption into the body. The rapid absorption has clear benefits in severe cases of B12 deficiency that is causing cognitive problems like mood swings and memory loss. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that some medical professionals give B12 injections to fight fatigue that may be a symptom of chronic illness; though more scientific evidence is needed to back the benefits of vitamin supplementation for this cause, the case for rapid absorption into the body would be an advantage to gaining back some energy.
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