? Injectable Methylcobalamin

[Cat-Mom Amanda]

If anyone here uses injectable methylcobalamin to treat diabetic neuropathy, could you please let me know where you get it? My cat, Taz, needs an injectable becuase of IBD/SCL digestive issues, and my online search for this has come up empty. Major sites like Chewy don't carry an injectable of it, and searches in Google are also a bust (though I did find one site that sold it for humans, but the cost was $100 for just 10 injections). If anyone has an affordable option of where they purchase, I would REALLY appreciate some help.

Thanks,
Amanda

Cat-Mom: Amanda Taz's Spreadsheet Cat: Taz, 16, male / PTZ / Glargine Pen / AlphaTRAK 2
Weruva Wx, Gerber Baby Food, clopidogrel, salix, chlorambucil, probiotic, potassium, phosphate binder, miralax, mild congestive heart failure, mild kidney disease, pred for 2 years for IBD/small cell lymphoma

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Suzanne may know more about this @Suzanne & Darcy

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Hi there. You really are managing a lot of different conditions in your baby. My heart goes out to you! I live in fear of my heart disease kitty getting kidney disease or IBD. She could not receive sub-q fluids and she definitely cannot take prednisolone or other steroids. Oral dexamethazone for a few days gave her a pleural effusion. Anyway, about injectable methylcobalamin, it is a problem. I have researched this before with no luck. However, since you asked, I did a little more research today and found out that it is something that can be made by a compounding pharmacy. McDuffie pharmacy in California apparently makes it. I’m not sure where you live, but I would ask my vet and also perhaps call around to different veterinary compounding pharmacies like Wedgewood in New Jersey or Road Runner in Arizona. That’s if you are in the United States. If not, hopefully you can find some compounding pharmacies that would ship it to you. I hope this helps.

 

[Cat-Mom Amanda]

Hi there. You really are managing a lot of different conditions in your baby. My heart goes out to you! I live in fear of my heart disease kitty getting kidney disease or IBD. She could not receive sub-q fluids and she definitely cannot take prednisolone or other steroids. Oral dexamethazone for a few days gave her a pleural effusion. Anyway, about injectable methylcobalamin, it is a problem. I have researched this before with no luck. However, since you asked, I did a little more research today and found out that it is something that can be made by a compounding pharmacy. McDuffie pharmacy in California apparently makes it. I’m not sure where you live, but I would ask my vet and also perhaps call around to different veterinary compounding pharmacies like Wedgewood in New Jersey or Road Runner in Arizona. That’s if you are in the United States. If not, hopefully you can find some compounding pharmacies that would ship it to you. I hope this helps.

I have used Wedgewood in the past for compounded medications, Suzanne, so that might be something I could try. I've had Taz on the pill-version for over a month now, and, if anything, his diabetic neuropathy has gotten worse, which makes me believe that his digestive issues are not allowing the B12 to absorb. My vet doesn't believe the methyl-B12 will help, and she is now suggesting Acetyl-l-Carnitine instead. Trying to find someone on this forum that might have used this Acetyl-l-Carnitine to see how it worked for them.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Amanda -

If your cat getting cyanocobalamin for the digestive issues? Often with IBD or GI issues, B12 isn't absorbed well and cats get a B12 shot. The injection is cyanocobalamin. Both methyl- and cyano- are forms of B12. The cyano- isomer breaks down into the methyl form. It just takes more time given the metabolic pathway. The other factor is that Taz's numbers are still high. Even with the methyl-B12, it works best as numbers are getting closer to normal range.

I haven't heard of acetyl-L-carnitine being used. You might want to post a separate thread with the question in your subject line to get more attention to the question. I did a quick search and it has been used to treat diabetic neuropathy. However, there's no information about its use in cats. There was a thread from 2018 here but no one posted after they started using it to comment on it's effectiveness. Could your vet provide you with some research?