Really Dumb Question

**LeanMeOut** · 06-19-2004, 10:24 PM

Ok guys.... don't flame me too much for asking about this haha.

I am planning my AAS cycle for next year, it will be my 1st. Anyways, I have never injected $hit into my body before, and after reading up on all this b-12 stuff I thought that it might be nice to give it a try and also practice my injection skills at the same time. Is this stupid to run b-12 by itself without gear, or will it serve the same purpose for energy / increased appetite and at the same time give me practice with injections?

Sorry for the dumb ass question, just thought I would throw it out there.

<<LMO>>

**TheMudMan** · 06-19-2004, 10:27 PM

It's not a dumb question at all............. That may be the safest way for you to practice..... The only thing is you can take too much B-12 so you have to research and see what's a good dose to run per week.

If I have some time I will look as well and post what I find or someone that runs B-12 may have the answer.

**TheMudMan** · 06-19-2004, 10:34 PM

This was posted by TNT a while back he's a retired MOD here at AR.... it came from this thread
http://67.18.108.244//showthread.php...ight=b-12+dose

Now, cyanocobalimin is, quite simply, the injectable form of Vitamin B12. It absorbs and is metabolized/utilized more effectively than oral B12 (tablets), which are actually pretty useless for people who don't have enough B12 in their system. It has no significant AS value, which is why you will not even find it listed on the Drug Profiles section of this web site. It has no significant efect on liver or kidneys and will not ameliorate or correct any liver or kidney problems caused by AS. It will not add size or strength, but bigkev is right - it can help with overall good health. Thus, you can continue to use it apart from a cycle.

Medically, cyanocobalimin is used for patients who have low B12 levels, which can cause pernicious anemia and neuropathy (a pins and needles feeling, usually in the feet, legs, or hands), among other things. The usual dose is 1000 mcg once a month (yes, only one 1-cc injection per month). If you use more than you need, it will simply be excreted from your body. (Yes, that means that bigkev is shooting six times the recommended amount per month, but it hasn't killed him yet. But bigkev likes injections.

)

American Regent is simply one of the more common generic brands of cyanocobalimin. The 30 cc vial retails for less than $4.00 at any drug store, so I'd be curious as to what you paid since you bought it from another source. (I have a prescription for it, so after reimbursement, mine costs only $0.76 per 30 cc vial). Thus, it's one of the most economical injectables out there, but if you use it according to the usual routine, you'll end up throwing some out (since it will last past its expiration date).

Water-based, it's intramuscular and generally injected in the delt with a 25 g. 1" needle in. American Regent cyanocobalimin is red in color, but you should still be able to see any blood (indicating that you have inserted the needle into a vein) when you aspirate the needle.

As for your question on timing, you can take it at any time - you don't have to wait until your next cycle, and it will have no negative impact on your current winny/deca cycle. If you're drinking the winny, it's irrelevant since you won't be drinking the cyanocobalin (it is always injected, and should be done using its own syringe/needle).

Some incidental pieces of trivia: If you are going to be doing it and you get lab work done, you should request a B12 test. The normal lab values for B12 are 200-1100 pg/ml. B12 deficiency often affects vegetarians, because the natural source of B12 is animal products. Those who have a B12 deficiency but are not vegetarians are probably getting enough B12 in their diets, but are not absorbing enough of it. So chances are that you probably have adequate B12 levels in your system already - in which case, taking more of it will neither help nor hurt you as long as you don't overdo it. In fact, some osteopathic physicians (those with a D.O., who are often more holistic than physicians with an M.D.) routinely administer a B12 shot if you go in with a cold or something minor, but that's not the usually clinical course since they are not testing your B12 levels beforehand - osteopaths simply believe that B12, like milk, does a body good.

So that's what it is, and that's how you use it.

As far as helping your joints, bigkev is right again - some people swear by glucosamine, which is available as an over-the-counter supplement. Even more popular are combination products containing both glucosamine and chondroitin. I believe that the success of these is mostly anecdotal in nature - you won't find much clinical support for their claims. A lot of the people who use these products are senior citizens with arthritis or lower back pain, and for them the picture is much the same as it is for AS users who get into cyanocobalimin. Some people rave about it, for others it's useless. It may help - or may not, and it probably won't hurt. Best bet: When you get a chance, ask your doctor - especially your orthopedist - what he or she thinks about the glucosamine products. My own take is that they're a bit expensive, and there's no guarantee of results. If you want to know more, go to Yahoo or any search engine and do a search on glucosamine - you'll find lots of articles, but keep in mind that they're mostly written to hype specific products.