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Small B12 brand experiment

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
Over the course of 1+ year I have slowly increased my Methyl-B12 dosage from a couple of sublingual tablets a day (1mg each) to 7-8 with some significant improvements.

Unfortunately Enzymatic's Infusion B12 lozenges are excessively sugary for my taste and it gets annoying after 3 or 4 of those, let alone 8 or more...

I was looking for a higher dose replacement so I tried Source Naturals' 5mg sublingual methyl-B12. They also taste rather sweet. They call it a "natural raspberry flavor"... I wonder if they've ever tasted a real raspberry :rolleyes:

Anyways for one week I've been taking these tablets instead of the usual Enzys... and unfortunately I have to report that they don't work as effectively. :( As other people have reported there seem to be a difference in efficacy between brands, be it the active ingredient itself, the speed at which tablets dissolve... who knows...

The Source Naturals' 5mg lozenges work, but just not as good the others. In the last three days I've gone back to taking 5x 1mg Enzy tablets in the morning and the effect is clearly different and it wears off more slowly and evenly.

Mornings for me are critical as I always have a hard time to get started, clear up my mind and remove the brain fog :(

I am still inclined to use the 5mg tablets for convenience but I will probably need to up the dose to match the effect of the other brand.
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
One extra comment: in the last shipment of Enzymatic Infusion Methyl B12 I've noticed that tablets dissolve pretty quickly. They used to go in 25min. keeping them under the tongue. Now they go in 10 minutes! :eek: ... although they seem as effective as they used to be.

Anyone has noticed this? The latest bottles I got expire on Aug 31st 2017

cheers
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
My experiences with B12 brands:

Enzymatic B12 Infusion - 5 star, slow dissolving, most potent
Country Life 5000mg - 4 star, potent, slightly fast dissolving
Solgar B12 Nuggets - 4 star, potent, very fast dissolving

Jarrow B12 MethylB12 - slow dissolving & very potent (similar to Enzy) but very acidic - likely hard on tooth enamel
 

cman89

Senior Member
Messages
429
Location
Hayden, Idaho
I have had some luck with Jarrow, and they do seem to be slower dissolving. dont know if they are quite as potent though.....
 

cman89

Senior Member
Messages
429
Location
Hayden, Idaho
Over the course of 1+ year I have slowly increased my Methyl-B12 dosage from a couple of sublingual tablets a day (1mg each) to 7-8 with some significant improvements.

Unfortunately Enzymatic's Infusion B12 lozenges are excessively sugary for my taste and it gets annoying after 3 or 4 of those, let alone 8 or more...

I was looking for a higher dose replacement so I tried Source Naturals' 5mg sublingual methyl-B12. They also taste rather sweet. They call it a "natural raspberry flavor"... I wonder if they've ever tasted a real raspberry :rolleyes:

Anyways for one week I've been taking these tablets instead of the usual Enzys... and unfortunately I have to report that they don't work as effectively. :( As other people have reported there seem to be a difference in efficacy between brands, be it the active ingredient itself, the speed at which tablets dissolve... who knows...

The Source Naturals' 5mg lozenges work, but just not as good the others. In the last three days I've gone back to taking 5x 1mg Enzy tablets in the morning and the effect is clearly different and it wears off more slowly and evenly.

Mornings for me are critical as I always have a hard time to get started, clear up my mind and remove the brain fog :(

I am still inclined to use the 5mg tablets for convenience but I will probably need to up the dose to match the effect of the other brand.
Also, have you had to ramp up your support supplements in light of increasing b12? or has that been a non issue?
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
@PeterPositive , have you considered transdermal B12? I'm having a much stronger response with that than to the ones you're using (that I too used for 1.5 years and developed tooth problems from). My husband is using it too even though he is reasonably healthy as he says it gives him energy.
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
Also, have you had to ramp up your support supplements in light of increasing b12? or has that been a non issue?
I did increase methylfolate from 800mcg to 2000mcg. Not much else. I take a basic B complex with all the Bs and no potassium. It's never been an issue so far.
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
@PeterPositive , have you considered transdermal B12? I'm having a much stronger response with that than to the ones you're using (that I too used for 1.5 years and developed tooth problems from). My husband is using it too even though he is reasonably healthy as he says it gives him energy.
Never tried.
I am not sure where I could buy transdermal B12 in Europe... buying from the US incurs in heavy customs taxes :(
I can find nasal sprays but are super expensive! Like 60-70€ a bottle :jaw-drop:
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
Hi Peter. I've just begun using the oil, about 1 week ago. I LOVE it. I'd been taking 4x 5mg Country Life tabs, 1/2 in AM, 1/2 midday. Now, 1 squirt of this oil on my forearm...that's it. Lasts the whole day. When I calculated the costs, it seems to be just about even. thge oil is said to contain 50 doses/pumps, at $50. The tabs were essentially the same, $30 for 30 doses.
 

Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
This thread reminded me to brush my teeth, all these sublinguals really wreck with the enamel and can cause cavities if you don't brush after taking the stuff, at least its been feeling that way for me yikes!
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
Hi Peter. I've just begun using the oil, about 1 week ago. I LOVE it. I'd been taking 4x 5mg Country Life tabs, 1/2 in AM, 1/2 midday. Now, 1 squirt of this oil on my forearm...that's it. Lasts the whole day. When I calculated the costs, it seems to be just about even. thge oil is said to contain 50 doses/pumps, at $50. The tabs were essentially the same, $30 for 30 doses.
Very interesting. I am tempted. I will see if there's any reseller somewhere in Europe where I can buy them.
This thread reminded me to brush my teeth, all these sublinguals really wreck with the enamel and can cause cavities if you don't brush after taking the stuff, at least its been feeling that way for me yikes!
Very true. Too much sugar... way too much :rolleyes:
 

Journeyman

Senior Member
Messages
193
God I love these forums. I've just coughed up $962 in fillings for my teeth (thankfully costs $500 after private health coverage) and the dentist said I had a few teeth at the rear that were worn right down to the dentine and will need capping (another $1500 after private health cover). The kind of wear he described as seeing in 70 year olds... (people half my age) Now its true that I'd not been to the dentist for 2 years till this week, however prior to that I was going at least once every 9 months for the previous 6 years without even the need for so much as a filling replacement, and yet yesterday I had fillings done on almost all my teeth. I realised the only thing thats really changed in that time is the addition of the methylation protocol using sublingual B12's since almost 2 years ago now.....

It looks like transdermals are the way to go to still maintain my B12 intake and yet avoid this dental damage. Ahmo this is directed at you, but others feel free to answer too: Did you get into transdermals for the same reasons (dental concerns? or something else?) I had a look at that B12oils website and it looks great but how can a 15ml bottle give 60 something doses of B12 or come anywhere near to what you get from a typical Enzymatic B12 lozenge? Would love to get your thoughts..... and am so wondering what to do now with the 8 or more Enzy B12's I just had delivered a week ago :/
 

Sherpa

Ex-workaholic adrenaline junkie
Messages
699
Location
USA
Sorry to hear about your tooth troubles, bro! I feel for you.

1. The B12 oil effect is much better than an Enzymatic logenzes. I would say that a single 0.25ml dose of B12 oils would be roughly equivalent to sucking on SEVERAL (6?) Enzymatic lozenges all throughout the day. The oil is sustained release and it lasts about 6 or 7 hours, plus afterglow. It is not a 'miracle formula' but it handles B12 coverage very well.

2. Send your Enzys back once you get transdermal or injectable B12.
 

garyfritz

Senior Member
Messages
599
@Journeyman, sorry to hear about your dental problems!! I was using the Country Life 5mg sublinguals. One big reason I chose that brand was that it had no sugars, acids, or folic acid. But it didn't really keep my symptoms under control. The b12oils.com product works fabulously for me. I seem to have a voracious need for B12 (1 dose/day is "normal," but I'm taking 3 doses a day), but I feel much better than I ever felt on sublinguals. It costs me about $60/month but it's worth it.

@PeterPositive, if you're still having trouble with tabs dissolving too quickly, try putting between your lip and gum. They last a lot longer that way.
 

Lynn_M

Senior Member
Messages
208
Location
Western Nebraska
Journeyman,
I needed to have 5 inlays placed on my molars last year, replacing prior resin fillings that were 9 years old. Most dentists would have said I needed to cap those teeth, but I went to a biomimetic dentist who knew how to do inlays. My occlusal enamel had eroded around the existing fillings. I blame that enamel loss on using primarily sublingual Jarrow 5 mg MeCbl for the prior year, but also Enzymatic Therapy, parking the lozenge between my gum and upper lip for at least an hour every day. I had a dental revision, replacing my amalgam and incompatible resin fillings, 9 years before I had the inlays, and hadn't had any cavities since then. I eat a gluten free, low-starch, soda free diet that is not carcinogenic.

I switched to daily use of transdermal B12 adeno/mecbl from B12oils.com in May 2013, when it first became commercially available. I was concerned about dental issues, but after much reading also had concerns about the effectiveness of sublingual B12. My bioscan tests show me to be sufficient in B12 now, whereas I had tested deficient back in 2008, when I was doing some sublingual B12, but not 5 star brands. Greg says each pump has around 2000 mg of ad/meCbl.

Greg says the pumps have a very long shelf life, so I order 6 pumps at a time to minimize shipping costs. This works out to $42/pump, and each pump last somewhere between 45-60 days. The product is not in retail stores and must be ordered from b12oils.com. Other transdermal products do not compare. It takes some tricky formulating to get a water-based product (B12) to pass through a lipid barrier (the skin) and reach the bloodstream.
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
Did you get into transdermals for the same reasons (dental concerns? or something else?) I had a look at that B12oils website and it looks great but how can a 15ml bottle give 60 something doses of B12 or come anywhere near to what you get from a typical Enzymatic B12 lozenge?
I'd been using sublinguals for about a year, my dentist didn't notice any changes. But I didn't want to continue on and chance problems. More, I was really over having pink gums for much of the day.

I had been taking 20mg Country Life B12, in divided doses, putting them into my gums. When I switched to transdermal B12, initially I started with one pump of MB12 oil. Then I experimented with DIY, using Bluebonnet B12 liquid, 5mg/dropper. I've had to back off from a full dropper, as it gave me folate deficiency symptoms (hair loss). So by mixing this with some homemade body creme, I'm taking <5mg B12 and 5mg Mfolate.