Not all B12 are created equal.

I have no idea about this specific B12 you mention but I do know tests have been done on effectiveness of B12 and some are at the bottom of the list while others, like jarrow, at the top.

Tests have to be done continuous to keep on top of it but I know if I am going to spend money, I would just as well spend a little more if it means better absorbtion/quality.

Even jarrow wont stay at the top of the list , always new and better product coming out.

But quality is important. So many supplments out there that just come out the other end with no value to our body.

There is a patent on making methyl B12.... so I would suspect
most of the raw material is from one source (or very few). This is common in the supplement industry. At one time a high % of all our vitamins came originally from Roche... who made them in Europe.
But that has changed, by now I would think.
This link explains how Roche was accused of "price fixing"
http://www.quackwatch.com/02Consumer...rochefine.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmann-La_Roche

Kirkland has an excellent quality control, so I don't expect any
problems with it. In fact hubby just called from Costco, as he did find it there this morning. We are just about out of our Puritan's here.

I did test out Puritan's when they began to offer it 2 yrs ago. I tested at 1999 after 3 months. My doctor insisted that oral would not work, and she was stunned at my test results.

Take all methylB12 on an empty stomach. I chew them up and follow with water first thing in the morning.

That was my thinking also. Kirkland has great QC and this B12 is also tested by the USP and "verified" it its potency.

The biggest problem with some vitamins is that the tablet formulations that distributors make, are too hard and do not dissolve well. In the case of these sublingual versions of B12...they dissolve quickly for the most part, so the release of the B12 into the GI tract is enhanced. The Puritan's methylB12 for example are very soft and only need one or two chew motions to pulverize and are easy therefore to swallow. The photo on the
new Kirkland bottle which we have not opened yet, is very similar to the Puritan's tablet appearance.

I've called manufacturers in the past regarding some questions, and they have loose leaf binders with the specs from the source of the raw material, to consult. I used to call Perrigo (a large generic OTC company) and they would read me the print out, when I used to ask questions on gluten content. I'd also ask regarding magnesium mixtures, and always found no breakdown in % when oxide/aspartate/citrate etc mixes appeared on labels.
That is why I don't recommend mag products with mixtures of oxide and other chelates because whoever supplies these to the distributors, don't detail the ratios!

Calcium products are the most affected by hard pressed tablets. Used to be a test the consumer should perform of trying to dissolve a specific product in water. Nowadays there are the instant dissolve types, like Maalox etc...and those are the ones I use.

USP refers to the raw material being non-contaminated and pure to the USP standards for medicinal use.
Some very well known supplement makers, do provide for house labels. I know when I called the Schiff company they explained this to me. They had a specific SAMe product they only contracted to SAM's club, for example.(it did not appear on their website and I asked why). So it is very possible that Kirkland's is made by another company this same way.

Delmonte foods used to supply many food house labels for canned vegetable products.

Are you going to try the Kirkland B12?

I might call the # they list to find out more about the potency of their B12.

Yes, hubby bought it yesterday. Do give them a call. They might tell who supplies it to them. Sometimes you have to wait on hold.
They are probably on the West Coast so watch that time difference.

I have no qualms with Kirkland brands. We use their fish oil and flax oil caps, too.

We have about 30 tablets of Puritan left. Both of us use those twice a week. So we haven't opened the new one yet.

Does one have to increase potassium when taking B12?

Noted that you mentioned (on empty stomach) chewing the MethylB12, followed with water first thing in the morning.
I frequently run into problem with both Methyl B12 and Stabilized R-Lipoic Acid on empty stomach.

The above gave me some thoughts on whether I would be able to combine my 6 a.m. (set alarm ..60mg's Oxycontin every 6 hrs.) Oxycontin and Synthroid.... with taking the R-Lipoic Acid, as well as the B12 at that time. I usually get out of bed around 8:00 a.m.
If doable; this then would eliminate the need to work around delaying eating or waiting during the day to take these two on empty stomach.

Would appreciate your thoughts about this.


Gerry

Sounds like you can take them all together on your empty stomach.

It is the presence of fiber that is problematic... microgram quantities can get lost and bind in fiberous food.

Sometimes I take the lipoic acid in the afternoon around 4pm, which is before dinnertime. The new solubilized form is quickly absorbed compared to the old ALA form. And it is not microgram in size either.