How to Give a B12 Injection
A vitamin B12 injection is the more common form of the vitamin, used as a treatment for patients with a vitamin B12 deficiency. Whether you are self injecting the medication or giving it to another person, it is imperative to know the proper method of administration for this intramuscular injection.
Supply List
- Syringe (prefilled or non-prefilled)
- Vitamin B12 vile (if not prefilled)
- Alcohol prep pad
- Fill your syringe, if it is not a pre-filled syringe. Rub the top of the vile with alcohol, a cotton ball with alcohol, or with an alcohol prep pad. Be sure to pull and fill it with air to the same dosage as your prescription. Inject the air back into the vile. Stick the needle into the solution and fill the syringe with the correct dosage of B12. Triple check the dosage to ensure you are receiving the correct amount of the medication.
- Open up your alcohol prep pad, or you may also use a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol if you do not have any prep pads. Rub the alcohol prep pad on the area where you are planning to give the injection. Start in the center of the area, and rub in a circular motion outward. Allow the region to dry prior to giving the injection, or the alcohol may burn when it goes into injection site. Make sure you are rotating injection sites. This particular injection may be given in the back of either arm, on the upper part of the buttocks or in the upper thigh on either leg.
- Use your writing hand to inject and the other hand to hold the skin. Hold the syringe in your dominant hand, while you make a "C-shape" with your non-dominant hand. Make the skin taunt as you place your fingers in this "C-shape" in the area you cleansed. Hold the needle in your other hand as if you were going to write or throw a dart.
- Insert the needle into the area your cleansed. Make sure the entire needle is in the skin or else you may not be in the muscle and you will inject into the subcutaneous tissue. You should be in the center of the "C" you created. Push in the plunger with your non-dominant hand.
- After injecting the entire dose, pull the needle out of the skin.