What Size Needle For Vitamin B12 Injection?

1.What is vitamin B12 injection? And how it is useful for your body?

Vitamin B12 injection-Picture courtesy: thinworks.com

Vitamin B12 injection is a clinical care that is used to elevate the level of vitamin B12 in your body if your body experience its deficiency. The most common causes of its deficiency is less vitamin in your diet or absorption capacity by your body.

Due to hypovitaminosis, you may suffer from malfunction of brain, megaloblastic anemia and laziness, but vitamin B12 injection can do a magic by boosting your energy and immune system.

Usefulness or advantages of vitamin B12 in the body:

Advantages of vitamin B12 in a body

Your body can get advantages from vitamin B12 in various ways. Here are the key benefits of it. Let’s uncover!

Support red blood cells production

Support red blood cells production

Red blood cells transport oxygen from lungs towards the body, so if deficiency of these RBCs occur, then you can feel tired and may suffer from anemia. Vitamin B12 promote the production of RBCs and prevent you from anemia and feeling tired.

Boosts energy

If you experienced fatigue, then your body may not have enough energy and possible cause is vitamin B12 deficiency. But by injecting vitamin B12 into your body, it helps in the conversion of macromolecules like proteins, fats and carbohydrates into ATPs or energy and helps your body overall energy level.

Protects nerve health

Protect nerve health-Picture courtesy: verywellhealth.com

Vitamin B12 has also a pivotal position in the protection and strengthens the nerve cells. It maintain the myelin sheath around the nerves.

Support brain function

If you are experiencing depression or other mood disorders then it may be due to lack of vitamin B12 in your body but its injection can improves your mood, memory and focus.

Aids heart health and DNA synthesis

Aid heart health-Picture courtesy: pt.vecteezy.com

You can protect from heart disease because it can low the level of those substances that cause cardiovascular disease. Also it can promote the growth of DNA and hence, increase the rate of growth especially in infants.

2.Enlist the common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 sources

If you are experiencing or feel lack of vitamin B12 in your body, then here are some of the common causes:

Causes	Explanation
Lack of intrinsic factor	Your body has some of the enzymes that promote the absorption of vitamin B12, but if your body lack intrinsic factors, then its deficiency occur.
Digestive disorder	If you are suffering from digestive diseases like Crohn disease or overgrowth of bacteria in the digestive tract, then vitamin B12 cannot absorb efficiency and leads to its deficiency.
Vegan diet	Usually vitamin B12 is found in animal products, but if you are following strict vegan or vegetarian diet and avoiding animal products, then your diet is deficient in vitamin B12 and your body can lack the need of it.
Gastric surgery	If you had gastric or stomach surgeries occur, then your stomach has not a capacity for its absorption and lacking your body with vitamin B12.
Aging	The older person stomach is not producing n acids which is used for the absorption of vitamin B12.
Certain medications	If you are under the medication of diabetes or other issues, then your body vitamin absorption receptors got blocked and make your body deficient in vitamin B12.

3.What size needle is used for vitamin B12 injection?

Have you ever wondered that the needle size really matters when injecting the vitamin B12 into your body? The needle size depends upon the methods of administration that is, intramuscular and subcutaneous.

Intramuscular (IM) injection

Intramuscular injection-Picture courtesy: brooksidepress.org

Intramuscular injection is injected into the muscle tissues and is most common method of vitamin B12 delivery. The needle size is between 1 to 1.5 inches (25- 38mm) and thickness is 22-25 gauge. Lesser the gauge, the more thickness of the needle is. The most common sites for IM injection are upper arm or hip or buttock.

Needle thickness-Picture courtesy: perfectseal.com

In the upper arm, the more muscle tissues are present so, at this site, the injection is suitable for normal adults. 1 inch size needle is preferable for injecting the vitamin B12 at this site.

At ventrogluteal or dosrogluteal sites (hip or buttock), the more mass of tissues are present and hence, suitable for injection. For deeper injection, you can use 1.5 inch sized needle for insertion of vitamin B12.

Subcutaneous (SubQ) injection:

Subcutaneous injection

If you are self-injecting the vitamin B12, or don’t want to go for the professionals for the injecting, then you are recommended subcutaneous injection. This is less common for cobalamin (vitamin B12) but this is suitable if you need home therapy.

Needle size-Picture courtesy: 8health.com

The needle size for this injection is 16 mm and its thickness is 25 to 27 gauge.

The most common sites for its injection are back of the arm, upper thigh and abdomen.

4.Are the needle size for intramuscular and subcutaneous procedure is differ for vitamin B12 injections and what is the procedure for its injection?

Yes, the needle size for IM and SubQ procedure is different. Here is a detailed comparison:

Detail	Intramuscular vitamin B12 Injection	Subcutaneous Vitamin B12 Injection
Purpose	Cobalamin is injected into the tissues for faster absorption. Because from muscle tissues, vitamin B12 is faster absorb into the bloodstream	In this injection, the cobalamin is injected in the fatty tissues that lies beneath the skin. This is suitable for self-administration. This injection is slower to absorb.
Needle specification	22-25 gauge thickened and 1-1.5 inch sized needle is used for the vitamin B12.	25-27 gauged thickened and
Injection angle	The injecting angle of vitamin b12 into your body is perpendicular or 90° to that of the skin. In this way, vitamin B12 is effectively absorb into the blood stream.	Usually the angle for the injection is 90° but if you are using small needle or injecting in an area where there are enough fats then you can also inject at the angle of 45°.
Common injection sites	Inject in an area where large mass of muscles are present like in the upper arm and hip or buttock regions.	Injection sites for subcutaneous injection are upper arm, thigh and away from navel in the abdomen region.
Injection depth	This injection is injected deep into the muscles.	This injection is injected in to the fatty tissues.
Absorption	Fast absorption from the muscle tissues into the blood stream occur.	Slower absorption from the fatty tissues into the blood stream occur.

Procedure for injection into intramuscular tissues:

Procedure for injection into intramuscular tissues

In the first step, you should clean the selected site for injecting vitamin B12 with a cotton swab dipped in an alcohol.

Then, for avoiding irritation, you should stretch the skin for smooth procedure.

Now, you have to insert the needle at an angle of 90° into the muscle tissues.

Inject the vitamin B12 into the tissue slowly and then withdraw the needle steadily.

Procedure for injection into subcutaneous tissue:

Procedure for injection into subcutaneous tissue

In the first step, the selected site is clean with alcohol swab in order to prevent contamination.

Then you have to pinch the fatty tissue, by doing this, you will avoid penetration into the muscle tissues.

Now, you can insert the needle into the fatty tissue at an angle of 45°.

Inject the vitamin B12 slowly and after injecting the dose of cobalamin, then withdraw the needle gently.

5.How can you tell that the needle size effect the absorption rate of vitamin B12?

Needle sizes-Picture courtesy: shdmedical.co.uk

The needle size does not relate with the absorption rate of vitamin B12 but yes, the insertion site influence the absorption rate and off course, the needle size for intramuscular and subcutaneous sites are different. Let’s explain it:

Absorption depends on the injecting site, or needle size indirectly matter:

The intramuscular injection is insert into the muscles where rich blood supply occur. So, absorption in the bloodstream rate is high. The needle used is thickened and long needle.

The subcutaneous injection is inserted into the fatty tissues where blood supply is poor so, slow absorption in the bloodstream occur. The needle used to injection is short and thin.

In this way, needle size indirectly influence the absorption rate of vitamin B12.

6.Do different forms of vitamin B12 requires different needle size?

Different forms of vitamin B12

It’s natural to ask yourself if different forms of vitamin B12 needs different needle sized. Well, let me help you out in this, no, you don’t need different sized needle for the injection. You just need a different sized needle for the route of administration and those routes are intramuscular and subcutaneous.

The most common forms of vitamin B12 are hydroxocobalamin, cyanocobalamine, methylcobalamin and edenosylcobalamin. These all are soluble in water and can be absorbed by your body. These do not required different sized needle. They just matter how and where should be injectable.

7.Do you know, is there a chances of discomfort if incorrectly sized needle used for vitamin B12 shot?

Needle sizes for vitamin B 12 shot-Picture courtesy: evucenter.com

If you used incorrectly sized needle for vitamin B12 shot, then definitely, you may have chances of discomfort and also complications. Below table is a detailed explanation:

Needle too thick	If you are using a thick needle for injection especially during subcutaneous process, then you may experience discomfort. The thick needle might wear the tissue which may lead to bleeding and trauma.
Needle too thin	If you are using a very thin needle, it may have a chances of bending or can also break during the process. It can also slows down the injecting process which leads to discomfort.
Needle too short	You wants to inject the vitamin B12 in intramuscular but the needle size is too short then instead of going deep in the muscles, the subcutaneous injection procedure occur. They can cause uncomfortable and delayed absorption procedure occur.
Needle too long	If you want to inject the cobalamin in subcutaneous tissues but using too long needle for it, then it goes deep into the muscle tissues and results in pain and unintended faster absorption occur.

8.For vitamin B12 self-administration procedure, how can you choose the correct needle size?

If you want to inject vitamin B12 into your body then you must consider the route of procedure to be follow, your body type (weight) and the comfort level. Here is the detailed information you should follow for choosing the correct needle size while self-administration procedure.

Identify the route of injection

Consult with a doctor-Picture courtesy: wikihow.com

Your doctor must be prescribed you the route of administration for vitamin B12. If your body experienced moderate to severe deficiency of cobalamin, then you must be prescribed with intramuscular injection for faster absorption procedure.

If your body have less deficiency of cobalamin or a beginner, then your doctor prescribed you subcutaneous procedure. It is less painful and slower absorption procedure.

Choose the needle size according to route of prescribed

Intramuscular shot-Picture courtesy: guysandstthomas.nhs.uk

If you wants intramuscular injection, and your body is slim, then the needle size should be 1 inch and thickness should be 22-25 gauge. And if your body have higher fat content, then you can use 1.5 inch and 22-25 gauge needle for injecting.

While if you are administrating it subcutaneously, and your body is slim then go for 3/8 inches needle and 25-27 gauge.

Mostly people can use 0.5 inch with 26-27 gauge needle for subcutaneous insertion of vitamin B12.

9.Is a thicker or thinner needle size matters for better vitamin B12 injection?

The thickness of a needle is measured by the gauge size, and yes, it makes the absorption of vitamin B12 better, not directly making injection better. The thicker or thinner needle size ensures your comfort, safety and effectiveness. Let’s examine it in detail:

Meaning of “thicker” and “thinner” needle:

Gauge of a needle-Picture courtesy: brandonmedicalcenter.com

If the term thicker is used, then it means the needle gauge number will be low like 15 gauge. The thinner needle means gauge number will be high like 26 gauge.

Thicker needle suitable for intramuscular injection:

The thicker or low gauge needle is suitable for intramuscular procedure because muscles are strong and need moderately thick needle for penetration. The muscles are largely equipped with blood veins and so, the rate of absorption of vitamin into bloodstream is high. This makes thicker needle better.

Thinner needle suitable for subcutaneous injection:

Subcutaneous injection-Picture courtesy: vibrantvitalityclinic.com

The thinner needle is suitable for subcutaneous procedure because it will just penetrate under the skin in the fatty tissues. The thin or high gauge needle is better for comfort and effectiveness of vitamin.

10.Do you know what sized needle is least painful for a vitamin B12 injection?

Needle size

The needle size comfort level usually depends on the route of administration of the vitamin B12. But subcutaneous treatment is usually less painful and hence, thinner needle cause less pain.

For subcutaneous treatment, the thinner or higher gauge needle is suitable to delivery of cobalamin into your body. Because the thinner needle just penetrate the upper skin and directly go to the fatty tissues hence, encountering less skin puncturing and also the needle used is short, deep tissues encountering is avoided. The fatty tissues also have less pain receptors so that’s why you feel comfortable while injecting subcutaneously.

For intramuscularly, usually thick needle is used because the muscles are deeper and stronger and results in more painful as compared to subcutaneously treatment. You can reduce this pain if smartly handle the thin and short but fast and strong needle for injecting the vitamin into your body.

11.Should children receive a different needle size for vitamin B12 than the adults?

Yes, the children bodies’ structure is different from the adults in sense of their muscle layer, fatty tissue layer and are more sensitive to pain. So, for this reason, the needle size for the injection of vitamin B12 must be adjusted according to their bodies.

Key factors that affect needle choice in children

Child injecting with vitamin B12-Picture courtesy: babycenter.com

You must be aware of the child age and their size (fatty, skinny). Then, you must consider the route of administration of the vitamin (subcutaneously or intramuscularly) and the injection site either you wants to inject it in the arm, hip or buttock according to the size of muscle and fat thickness.

Recommended size of needle for children

Intramuscular (IM) injection Sites for injection-Picture courtesy : wikihow.com	Infants (up to 12 months)	Toddlers and small children ( 1-3 years)	Older children or adolescent
	The needle length should be 5/8 inch and its thickness should be 25-27 gauge. The most suitable site for injecting the needle is anterolateral thigh.	The needle length should be 5/8 to 1 inch and its thickness should be 23-25 gauge. The most common site for injection is thigh.	Usually the needle length used is 1 inch or if the child body have good amount of muscle mass then you can also use 1.5 inch needle as well. The thickness of the needle should be 22-25 gauge. The injection site should be thigh.
Subcutaneous injection Subcutaneous injection	You can use 3/8 to ½ inch long needle having 26-30 gauge thickness for all ages of children. The injection site should be upper arm, thigh or abdomen.

12.How does body weight (low and high body fat) impact the ideal needle size for a vitamin B12 shot?

The body weight especially the amount of fats in your body plays an important role in the selection of needle size for vitamin B12 shot especially for intramuscular shot. Let’s summarize the effect of body weight on needle size while injection route is intramuscular and subcutaneous:

Intramuscular injection:

In intramuscular injection, the needle goes deep into the muscle diverting via a fatty layer. So, that’s why the needle size depends on the amount of layer of fats in your body.

For lean ( low fats) body

Intramuscular injection for lean body

If your body is equipped with low fatty layer, or lean body, then always use a thin (25 gauge) and short (1inch) needle. Because the thickness of fatty layer is low in your body and short needle can easily access to the muscle tissue. If long needle will be use, then it might have chances to hit the bone and should be more painful.

For high body fat

Intramuscular injection for high fat body

If your body counts high fats or overweight, then you should use long and thick needle so that it may penetrate through the fatty layer and goes deep into the muscle tissues for better absorption into the bloodstream. You should use 1.5 inch long and 22- 24 gauge thicken needle and the injecting site should be buttock or thigh where there are huge muscle mass.

Subcutaneous injection:

Subcutaneous injection-Picture courtesy: drugxpert.blogspot.com

For injection of vitamin B12 subcutaneously, the needle length does not matters. The selection of site matters a lot because in this type of route, the needle just need to touch the fatty tissue that lies just beneath the skin layer.

For all body types, the needle thicken should be 26-30 gauge and length should be 1.5 inch. For more fatty body, the injection angle should be 90° while for lean body, it should be 45° for better absorption of cobalamin into the body.

13.Can you use the comparable sized needle for both intramuscular and subcutaneous vitamin B12 injection?

Sizes of needle for injecting vitamin B12-Picture courtesy: refinery29.com

Sometimes you might be wondering what if same sized needle used for both route of administration which is intramuscular and subcutaneous for vitamin B12 injection. No, you should not use the same sized needle for both of them because the needle size should match the depth of tissue for its effectiveness. Here are the reasons of why!

Using subcutaneous (SubQ) sized needle for intramuscular (IM) injection:

The SubQ sized needle is short and if used for IM injection, then it can’t reach to the depth of the muscle tissue instead it inject into the fatty tissue that lies beneath the skin layer. Due to this, poor absorption of vitamin B12 into the bloodstream, delayed effect of it and pain occur in the site.

Using intramuscular (IM) needle sized for subcutaneous (SubQ) injection:

The needle used for IM is long but if it is used for SubQ injection, then it goes deep into the muscle tissue, instead of injecting in the fatty tissue layer. This can leads to increased pain, bruising and unintended fast absorption occur.

14.Do you know the possible complication risks of using a needle that is too short or too long for vitamin B12 injection?

If you are not considering the needle size for vitamin B12 shot either intramuscular or subcutaneous procedure occur, then you may suffer from complications. For the safety of human body and the effectiveness of cobalamin, you should consider the needle size, otherwise the possible risks are as follows:

Too short needle size risks:

Too short needle size-Picture courtesy: allure.com

There are two routes of the insertion of vitamin B12 into your body, so if too short needle size is used then possible risk may occur.

For intramuscular injection:

If too short needle size is used, then the needle may have chance of not reaching into the muscle and inject the sample in the fatty tissue. This may leads to lump due to poor dispersion of vitamin. If the dispersion is not properly occur, then vitamin absorption is slow and poor. Your body might have chances not to fully absorb it and wastage of vitamin B12 can also occur.

For subcutaneous injection:

For subcutaneous injection, if the size of needle is too short, then it may not penetrate the fatty tissue and cobalamin is inserted just beneath the skin, which can leads to more painful sensation and poor absorption of vitamin B12 by your body.

Too long needle size risks:

Too long needle size-Picture courtesy: kor.pngtree.com

If you are using too long needle for injecting vitamin B12 then the possible risks are as follows:

For intramuscular injection:

If the needle size is too long for intramuscular injection and the body is not much muscular, then the needle may strike the bone which can cause more pain and damage the nerve cells in the tissue.

For subcutaneous injection:

For subcutaneous injection, you just need to hit the fatty tissues but if too long needle is used, then it may have chances of going deep into the muscle tissue and cause alter absorption speed.

Conclusion:

After reading this blog, I hope you are now completely aware of the correct choosing of the needle size for the effectiveness of vitamin B12 in your body. The correct needle size not only ensures the effective delivery of vitamin B12, but also ensures the patient safety and comfort. The needle size and its thickness is different for different routes of administration, and also depends upon the body weight, age and health condition. If you still have query, feel free to contact us!