B12 Methylcobalamin
 

I was going to get the Jarrow Formula Methyl B12 (5000 mg) at the local health store but while at Costco I ran across the supplement aisle and I was surprised to find that now Kirkland Signature sells : B-12 Methyl (5,000 mcg) sublingual tabs (300 count). That's almost a years supply.

I know Jarrow is a very reputable brand but this Kirkland brand states that it is "USP Verified" for potency and ingredients.

Has anyone tried the Kirkland brand and would they be on-par with the quality & potency of Jarrow?

Wow... Thanks for this new information. Previously they only had Cyanocobalamin form! This is wonderful news for us, since hubby and I both take it.
http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signa...100022642.html

All of Kirkland's products seem very good. Consumer reports, magazine, rated their Centrum Senior generic highest in its category for quality and price.

We are going tomorrow, so I'll pick up some there. (only 30 left to go until our next Puritan's order was due).

Thanks for sharing that here for us! That makes 2 wonderful new products in local stores this week, (Morton's Epsom Lotion too at WalMart!)

You're welcome! :winky:

I tried the Kirkland B12 and it was actually good tasting. I let the tablet dissolve under my tongue and it took about 40-50 seconds and it was gone, I washed it down with water afterwards.

The price can't be beat. It comes out to .06 cents per tablet. 5,000mg of methyl B12 is the good and potent kind.

Yes, this is very good for us.

But it is also a very good sign that
demand for this is increasing. It means that more and more people are learning about this, and perhaps some doctors are
joining in finally.

The same thing happened for the Kefir we use. Costco started carrying that too.

And I agree, it is a very good price. I can recall when iherb was just about the only source online for it too.

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?

If you are anemic, yes. But not everyone gets low potassium when starting B12. Most people do not get enough potassium daily anyway! I've known people whose teens and young adult children end up in the ER with low potassium! If a person uses diuretics alot, they can end up with low potassium, and magnesium as a side effect. There is one type of kidney tubular acidosis that wastes potassium over time. People with low magnesium often have a corresponding low potassium, as it seems they are connected somehow in the body.
There is also a genetic syndrome of low potassium:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartter_syndrome

Our red cells have a lot of potassium in them. So when red cell production suddenly increases, they will rob the body for potassium until that synthesis becomes more normal. Some people with low B12 have poor red cell production, but that would show up on a CBC testing panel. Other people do not show the anemia, until late in low B12 situations. So it is hard to say who will or will not see a sudden dip in potassium levels.

Mrs. D...
 

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.

I called and was directed to the USP website which states:

Products that meet the program's stringent criteria are awarded the distinctive USP Verified Mark for use on labels, packaging, and promotional materials. The Mark makes it easy for customers, healthcare practitioners, and retailers to identify USP Verified products. Seeing the USP Verified Mark on a label indicates that the dietary supplement product inside:

Contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts.
Does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants.
Will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time.
Has been made according to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures.

USP conducts a rigorous process of tests and reviews before awarding the USP Verified Mark to a dietary supplement that a manufacturer voluntarily submits for verification. The process includes the following steps:

Experienced USP scientists test supplement products to ensure that they meet USP standards for quality, purity, and potency. This includes testing dietary supplement products and their ingredients against dietary supplement standards found in The United States Pharmacopeia and The National Formulary (USP–NF).
USP conducts a thorough manufacturing and quality control/product document review.
USP performs an on-site manufacturing facility audit for compliance with USP standards and FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR Part 111).
After a product is verified, USP performs random, off-the-shelf testing to confirm that it continues to meet USP's strict standards.


Now with all that being said. I am confident that the Kirkland B12 Methyl is pure and potent.

http://www.usp.org/usp-verification-...ry-supplements

The above is the link for the info.

Do you have the link for that? I'd appreciate it if you posted it here. You can edit your post within 24 hrs. It would be best to put it in there if you can. Otherwise just make a new post with the link.

Thanks so much for doing that and helping here.