A big question that always comes up regarding B 12 shots is, “Do B 12 Shots Hurt?”. Having received B 12 shots since I was a kid, I can emphatically tell you that the answer is simply this, “It depends!”.
Vague? A little nebulous? Not what you were looking for?
Allow me to clarify. Having had dozens and dozens of B 12 shots during the course of my lifetime, I have had them hurt like crazy and had them not hurt at all. There is a common misconception that a B 12 shot will always hurt, always burn and always cause a knot in the muscle in which they are injected. Have I ever experienced anything like that? You better believe it.
So, that begs the question as to whether or not I have ever had a vitamin B 12 shot that didn’t hurt? And the answer to that question is a resounding YES!
Ok, so what am I talking about and what is the difference? Why do some vitamin B 12 shots hurt like getting hit with a sledgehammer coated in molten lava and some do not?
The answer, I recently found out, lies with the shot giver. About six weeks ago, I went to get a B 12 shot. Before I share that experience with you, allow me to share with you the sum total of ALL of my prior experiences with B 12 shots. They were given in the typical location in the gluteus maximus and they hurt. Bad. The injection hurt, it burned like fire going in, caused extreme contraction in the muscle like a Charley horse and caused a great deal of discomfort for hours or sometimes days. But, you understand it for what it is, know it is going to hurt and just deal with it because the benefits of the B 12 shot far outweigh the temporary discomfort.
Now, to my B 12 shot experience six short weeks ago. What came as a shock to me was the the nurse was going to do the injection in the upper arm. So, there I was, sitting on the table with my shirt sleeve rolled up as she prepped the area with alcohol and I saw the telltale red B 12 shot liquid in the syringe. I remember thinking to myself, this is the first B 12 shot I have ever had in the arm and it is probably going to hurt like Hell but hey, it is better than a shot in the butt! So, the nurse continued, because B 12 shots need to be given intramuscular, she squeezed my upper arm to isolate the muscle. At this point, I remember thinking, I know this is going to hurt and I don’t want to watch this as the red devil liquid slowly goes into my arm and begins its fiery dance. So, I turned my head, relaxed my arm and waited for that hot poker of a needle to pierce my skin and inject hot magma. And I waited……and I waited…..and then the nurse let my arm go and started collecting up the alcohol swab and syringe to throw away. I honestly wasn’t sure what happened and I had to ask her if she had given me the shot yet. She looked at my like I was nuts and said that she had.
I was astonished. I never even felt the needle. Not so much as a pin prick. And because of the way she squeezed my arm and quasi-massaged the muscle after the shot, I didn’t feel the typical molten lava inferno in my arm. I was speechless and in complete disbelief. I remember telling her that it was the best shot and most certainly, the best B 12 shot that I had ever had and that she really knew what she was doing.
How could every other B 12 shot have hurt so bad but this one I didn’t even feel?
The question perplexed me.
Because so many people are taking b12 shots for weight loss, the doctor’s office prescribed B 12 shots that I could self administer in the privacy and comfort of my own home. I got four after getting the instructions on how to do it.
Getting a B 12 shot is one thing. Giving yourself a B 12 shot is something entirely different. When the thought enters your mind of stabbing yourself with a syringe and injecting B 12 that has always hurt in the past, self preservation takes over and an internal battle begins. A battle of wills. Your rational mind versus your irrational mind. Who will win?
So, several weeks later, there I was, in the bathroom, sitting on a stool with the cotton swabs, alcohol, band-aid and B 12 syringe laid out. I looked at my right quadriceps where the injection was to take place, prepped it with the alcohol and squeezed the muscle to isolate it. I remember looking at the length of the needle on the syringe thinking to myself, “You want me to stick this thing all the way in my leg muscle? Are you out of your mind?”.
To put this in proper perspective, I am a U.S. veteran having served in the U.S. Army and I have been injected more times than I care to remember with everything from horse needles to jet injectors.
And so, with a great deal of trepidation, a few deep breaths and a few stern words via my inner monologue (you can do this !, Man UP!, don’t be a sissy!, Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!) I willed my right arm to do the bidding that my brain didn’t want it to do and plunged the needle into my leg. To my astonishment, it didn’t hurt. At ALL! I couldn’t believe it. And so, I finished the injection, put on the band-aid and sat their in disbelief.
B 12 shot #2 that DIDN’T HURT!
And this one was self administered. How could this be?
And then the answer hit me like a ton of bricks. B 12 shots and any shots for that matter, hurt or don’t hurt based on the technique, skill and carefulness of the person giving the shot. The key is to not allow the needle to move once it has been injected so you don’t damage the muscle through tearing. That’s what hurts. Needles these days are so ridiculously sharp that you literally feel no pain when they go in if the injection is handled properly.
So, if you are somewhat hesitant about getting a B 12 shot or giving yourself a B 12 shot, my advice is this:
If you are receiving one from a nurse, explain that you would like to make sure the needle doesn’t move once you are injected. It is your body, after all, and you will be the one to suffer the pain. It isn’t too much to ask that they take an extra second and do it right instead of doing the traditional stab ‘n’ jab.
If you are going to give one to yourself, just do it, but be careful to keep the needle straight.
Administered properly, B12 shots DON’T HURT!
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