My podiatrist has prescribed a vitamin supplement including 2 mg of methyl B-12 - This is what the drug company webpage says:

Metanx® has a unique formulation providing your patients the active forms of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Each Metanx® tablet contains:
L-methylfolate (Metafolin®) 2.8 mg
Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate 25 mg
Methylcobalamin 2 mg

Does anyone know anything about this? Would I be better off just buying OTC B-12?
I have been taking this for 2 weeks and I do feel better.......

Linda

It would be cheaper, and if you got an excellent brand it would be as good.

If I remember correctly, they have managed to get a special form of folate made available only by prescription. Doubtful that it is necessary for many, but pretty disgusting that the politicians are helping them profiteer.

Unless circumstances were very unusual, I would use an excellent brand over the counter methylcobalamin and take an excellent B complex at a different time of day. I'm not telling you what you should do, but that is what I would do.

rose

Thanks, Rose - that's what I suspected

Ok - I have been reading your website and generally web-surfing.
As near as I can figure, 1 to 5 mg a day is preferred. (I am currently getting a daily total of 4 mg in the 2 daily doses of metanx.)
Sub-lingual seems to be better than pills? And how do I identify an excellent company?
Thank you so very much - you are a jewel!

Thanks!

Make sure you are getting methylcobalamin. There are, in my opinion, unscrupulous marketers jumping on the "sublingual" bandwagon and selling "sublingual" cyanocobalamin for a lot of money. What a crock.

It's been about 40 years now since researchers learned that the large dose 1000 - 2000 mcg (all at once) on treats B12 malabsorption as well as shots. Since then it has been shown that in many if not most cases lab results show even better results with oral. And all that is with swallowed, relatively inefficient, cyanocobalamin.

So just make sure you don't pay a bunch of money for someone's hype.

There are other good brands, but the one I have seen lab results on over the years is Jarrow. Some are pharmaceutical grade, do well consistently when tested independently, etc. Beware of a company that doesn't make the ingredients easy to find or makes it sound like they've got something no one else has.

1000 - 5000 mcg methylcobalamin is the most common range. I think the 5000mcg is a better value, and a person can never be sure that the larger dose won't help more, and after really loading up for a good long while, one might cut back to one every two or three days. Safe and relatively inexpensive, so.....

rose

Thanks - you're an angel!

I so appreciate your sweet comments!

Best wishes,

rose

Metanx has 3 unique things ...

Besides the methylB12 it has methylfolate (which is no longer available OTC)

This special folate is for people with genetic failures in folate metabolism. There are 25 newly identified ones. The Merck company greedily decided to no longer sell it to vitamin distributors (in 800 mcg strengths) and to save it for the 2
RX versions -- Metanx and Cerefolin. This is just reprehensible IMO.

Also the B6 in Metanx is activated P5P--- to help those who fail with
regular pyridoxine which needs internal conversion to work.

If your insurance pays for it, I'd keep it. I am thinking of requesting it myself,
if my insurance accepts it, as a matter of fact.

Hello- I have been taking 2 tablets a day for about 30 days. No detectable benefit noted yet. I plan to give it at least another 30 days.
It is covered by my UHC insurance.
My neurologist who specializes in PN was not familiar with it. He says ALA may be worth a try.
It is curious that B12 results in yellow urine, but not the Metanx. Could it be that absorption is that much better?