Has anyone injected a supplement?

[fishboy9320]

Hello Im having a difficult time getting prescribed vitamin/mineral injections my doctors looks at me like im asking for cocaine or something and I dont feel like im asking for much either. I felt better when I went to a vitamin therapy IV bag place and I told my doc but they said No since my blood tests ( the few vitamins they only tested) were normal and they wont test any other deficencies for watever reason. They just say no we cant and no more. So has anyone bought a Liqud Multivitamin supplement and shot it up in a vein (IV)? Im worried about the other ingredients in the supplement mostly that could be bad for me if injected directly instead of going trough the gut, does anyone know a site or a supplement that sells vitamins and minerals which have the least added ingredients? reddit.com/r/biology/comments/m3w4ik/what_happens_if_i_mix_different_molecules/

 

[Sushi]

So has anyone bought a Liqud Multivitamin supplement and shot it up in a vein (IV)? Im worried about the other ingredients in the supplement mostly that could be bad for me if injected directly instead of going trough the gut, does anyone know a site or a supplement that sells vitamins and minerals which have the least added ingredients?

You are right to be worried—that could be very dangerous. Formulations for IV are different than for oral administration—both in ingredients and dosage and in sterility. An oral formulation is not sterile enough to go into a vein.

There are many doctors who will give vitamins IV but generally insurance will not pay for it.

 

[Judee]

I would look for sublingual vitamins to try instead or maybe even dermal ones like magnesium oil. @Mary has found a really good b12 supplement.

I think @Sushi is right.

They told us that in the hospital as well when they had to put my mom on TPN (I think they called it). It was nutrients that go into a pic line.

Those are much different than a feeding tube nutrient which your body can then process through your digestion and liver/kidney filtering before it reaches your blood. They even had to calculate and mix up the TPN daily based on her latest blood test.

Are you able to afford an out of pocket doctor like maybe an environmental or integrative doctor? They are usually the ones, I think, who do the vitamin IVs and such.

 

[LINE]

The solutions for IV are isotonic, which are different. I wonder if the gut is not damaged, that is, the gut is not picking up the nutrients. Or the IV had something specific your body needed, any way to get a list of nutrients in the IV?

I did the IV nutrients and never really noticed anything.

 

[fishboy9320]

I checked all the ingredients on this supplement (most supplements contain about same things) and they should be safe to inject:
Purified Water, Fructose, Glycerin (Vegetable), Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Xanthan Gum, and Polysorbate 80. I dont think isotonic is much important: A drink is isotonic when it contains the same particulate concentration as blood

It also contains fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A and E, are they safe to inject in a vein? Arent they oil? And oils are lipids like steroids which are injected IM only? https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-5917/calcitriol-intravenous/details the active form of fat soluble vitamin D is given in a vein but its more water soluble than vitamin d.

I guess the other ingredients have helped make it into liquid, but im wondering if the supplement is 100% liquid..even if it isnt as long as huge percentage is im sure it will be fine.

 

[Hip]

I felt better when I went to a vitamin therapy IV

A lot of ME/CFS patients with POTS will feel better from pure IV saline, as it is thought to improve POTS by increasing blood volume. So the reason you felt better may be nothing to do with the vitamins.

You can search this forum for stories of the substantial improvements patients get from IV saline.

So has anyone bought a Liqud Multivitamin supplement and shot it up in a vein (IV)?

You have to use sterile formulations for injection, otherwise you can get an infection. Oral vitamin formulations are not sterile.

Sterile vitamin formulations typically come in a sealed glass vial; or in a bottle with a non-removable rubber stopper through which you push the needle.


You can buy 0.22 micron sterilizing filters which turn a non-sterile liquid into a sterile one, by filtering out the bacteria and fungi. However, these filters are hard to find (they seem to be available in Germany, but hard to find elsewhere).

The filter itself must be sterile also (you can sometimes find non-sterile 0.22 micron sterilizing filters, but that defeats the object really).

I would also be concerned that injecting a liquid not designed for IV use might cause blood coagulation, which can then in turn cause things like stroke. I am not sure if this is a risk, but if one or more of the ingredients is a blood coagulator, then I guess it could occur.

 

[fishboy9320]

I think the risk of infections are overblown, as long as I dont directly take a poop in the vitamin liquid and inject it i should be fine the risk should be low. Also the vitamin content would then hopefully counteract any risks like if any bacteria gets in somehow like from from skin not using alcohol or air etc because they benefit the immune system like vitamin c . And even if i get infected my body can handle it its not like im gonna lose a limb. We touch bacteria everyday and touch our mouth and eyes which get absorbed and breath in. Also about the coagulation:
The weight of clots in blood presented significant reduction only when treated with vitamin C before the clotting process. And im pretty sure it was not the saline because I felt an whole body effect i could only get from vitamins. Im at that point in life that i dont care if i die im so tired of life and waiting years on doctors to help me. But I will let you guys know what happens.

Why wouldnt the supplement be sterile to begin with? why would it have any bacteria if its sealed? and usually it goes bad after the expiration date.
I checked the ingredients and they should all be fine to inject:
purified water and fructose (Sugar) should be safe to inject.
Potassium Sorbate (not sure on this one it was banned in EU)?), glycerin and citric acid has anti viral and anti microbial and is used in a lot of injections
Polysorbate 80 (P80) is a nonionic detergent that is used to solubilize proteins and widely used in injectable medications,
Preparation of xanthan gum injection and its protective effect on articular cartilage in the development of osteoarthritis

also they are in low doses so they wont hurt me if they are bad in excess.

I wonder if the vitamins that are combined with the other ingredients that they have to go trough the gut to be disassembled and used? Or can it happen in the blood as well when injecting? Surely there are enzymes or whatever that can separate molecules in the blood as well. Or perhaps they get send to the livers and kidneys filters them out then reabsorbed back? if so how is it reabsorbed back? via the small intestine or does it have a special function to reabsorb things that were in the blood? Because my small intestine is not working . My blood/body would recognize the vitamins and not need to filter them and they would be accpeted immedtialy.

 

[Hip]

Why wouldnt the supplement be sterile to begin with? why would it have any bacteria if its sealed?

Nothing on Earth is naturally sterile, because bacteria and fungi are everywhere, and float in the air.

Even when you buy sterile water in sealed container, once you open that container, it comes into contact with microbes in the air, and after a few days enough bacteria grow in the water to make it unsuitable for injection.

We touch bacteria everyday and touch our mouth and eyes which get absorbed and breath in.

The skin and mucous membranes have mechanisms to protect the body from infection.

But when even a tiny amount of bacteria get into the body tissues from a surgical operation where the instruments were not properly sterilized, it can cause serious infections.

 

[fishboy9320]

So what are possible infections that could arise? I still think the nutrients will counteract any infection. and the ingredients the supplement has will keep it healthy from bacteria even after opening, im sure air gets in but gets destroyed by the anti bacterial ingredients in it, perhaps if i kept the seal open for a long period of time, but i dont think bacteria can grow from just a ´´few´´ bacterias that get in, it needs a good amount to get in the supplement to form and survive in there. which by then i would notice it changing colour or something.


> The skin and mucous membranes have mechanisms to protect the body from infection.

So does the body its called the immune system .I thought the membranes were depended on the immune system. a sizeable amount would need to get in my blood for an infection to rise. And even the membranes arent 100 percent protective / effective like your immune system

Granted the ingredients are there to keep it healthy for oral use. But the ingredients has to be working because if bacteria started growing the vitamins would become useless and destroyed which i dont think the manfacturer would let happen so they have preventable measures in place.

 

[Hip]

So what are possible infections that could arise?

If you are injecting intramuscularly or subcutaneously, then a large abscess can result. If you are injecting intravenously, I am not sure what happens if you inject bacteria or fungi, possibly sepsis, but perhaps you can do some research.

I still think the nutrients will counteract any infection.

Where did you get this idea? Vitamins have very little benefit when humans get bacterial infections. If vitamins helped fight infection, then we would not need to use antibiotics.

I thought the membranes were depended on the immune system. a sizeable amount would need to get in my blood for an infection to rise.

Mucous membranes provide a physical barrier against bacterial infection. That's the main factor. Plus they have their own IgA antibodies, and secrete sticky mucus to trap bacteria.

 

[fishboy9320]

Maybe it has no benefit when you are infected but perhaps it could prevent infections better. Vitamins do help if you are deficient which many are and am I. If your levels are healthy perhaps it will do nothing and even be bad for you.

 

[Booble]

Please don't do this.

 

[S-VV]

You will get an abscess and a hypersensitivity reaction.

Anabolic steroid users sometimes "brew" their roids from oil and hormone powder and they spare no detail to sterilize: micron filters, autoclaving, lamellar flow hoods etc... And still infections happen

 

[fishboy9320]

Im sure you can get infected even from prescribed from Doctor , nothing is 100% safe guaranteed. I think the biggest factor is the person and their genetics on how they will react. But yeah , im definitely still doing it.

 

[Booble]

*Sigh*

The benefits of some vitamins can't possibly be worth the risk of killing yourself.
Your Reddit friends are not doctors no matter how smart they think they are.

Not to be harsh but I don't want to see the moderators having to write your obituary.

I understand that we all feel desperate to feel better but grasping at dangerous straws is not the answer.

 

[S-VV]

Bro, don't take this the wrong way. Are you taking any psychotropic substances or have heavy brain-fog? I'm serious. The risk of injury or death is severe, and the risk/reward profile is abysmal. Please don't do it.

You don't even need to inject yourself with a live bacteria. Just the wrong spore and you will die a painful death. Don't end up as a JAMA case report.

 

[Booble]

I think he's just feeling desperate.

His earlier posts asked bout vaping B-vitamins and then eye dropping B-vitamins so clearly he's looking for an alternative method from the typical oral supplementation.

 

[godlovesatrier]

If your in the UK you can get iv vitamins at various clinics now. Due to covid19 I've never had a chance to try any. But it's something you can do. I hope to god there regulated though and properly sterile!! Just had a thought that maybe there not. Although doubt it in the UK.

Not sure if this helps but hopefully. They tend to do vitamin c and b12 iv bags mostly.

 

[Mary]

@fishboy9320 - I agree with everyone else, the risk of injecting yourself with vitamins is just not worth it.

However, if you're deficient in various nutrients, it's quite possible that you are low in stomach acid which can prevent proper absorption of nutrients in your food. Many people with ME/CFS (including myself) are deficient in stomach acid. It just seems to go with the territory. A simple test for stomach acid you can do at home is to dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of water and drink it on an empty stomach. The empty stomach part is important. If you don't burp within a few minutes after drinking this, it can be an indication of low stomach acid. My digestion used to be really screwed up before I started taking betaine HCL with pepsin with meals.

Apple cider vinegar can also help with digestion.

Certain vitamins have helped me a lot, and I take them orally - folate, B12, thiamine, B6 - I seem to need high doses of all of these and they have all helped my energy noticeably. But I think if I had never gotten my digestion working properly, they would not have made much of a difference.

Also, I did find that I do best with a sublingual form of B12 - I initially had to take 5000 mcg. 2 x a day but now do okay with 2500 mcg. 2 x a day. I do better with this than with B12 injections (from a compounding pharmacy and prescribed by my doctor) which I used to do 3 x a week.

 

[Booble]

@fishboy9320 - I agree with everyone else, the risk of injecting yourself with vitamins is just not worth it.

However, if you're deficient in various nutrients, it's quite possible that you are low in stomach acid which can prevent proper absorption of nutrients in your food. Many people with ME/CFS (including myself) are deficient in stomach acid. It just seems to go with the territory. A simple test for stomach acid you can do at home is to dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of water and drink it on an empty stomach. The empty stomach part is important. If you don't burp within a few minutes after drinking this, it can be an indication of low stomach acid. My digestion used to be really screwed up before I started taking betaine HCL with pepsin with meals.

Apple cider vinegar can also help with digestion.

Certain vitamins have helped me a lot, and I take them orally - folate, B12, thiamine, B6 - I seem to need high doses of all of these and they have all helped my energy noticeably. But I think if I had never gotten my digestion working properly, they would not have made much of a difference.

Also, I did find that I do best with a sublingual form of B12 - I initially had to take 5000 mcg. 2 x a day but now do okay with 2500 mcg. 2 x a day. I do better with this than with B12 injections (from a compounding pharmacy and prescribed by my doctor) which I used to do 3 x a week.

These sound like some good alternatives for @fishboy9320.