Sublingual Methylcobalamin Tablets & Liquid Drops Review

Methylcobalamin is one of two forms of vitamin B12, considered to be more active in the body than cyanocobalamin. This vitamin is important for brain health, cognitive function, energy levels, immune function and a healthy cardiovascular system.

Vitamin B12 supplements are commonly recommended to vegans and vegetarians to prevent deficiency. This supplement may also be used as a nootropic, to prevent anemia, for athletic performance enhancement and for anti-aging effects.

Methylcobalamin is promoted as a superior form of Vitamin B12. It may be administered medicinally in an intravenous injection, but it can also be purchased as an oral supplement. Research suggests that oral administration may provide similar benefits to injectable forms.

Dietary supplements that contain Methylcobalamin come in a number of different forms, including oral capsules, liquid drops and sublingual tablets. Sublingual methylcobalamin supplements are purported to have higher bioavailability than oral pills and are immediately absorbed into the blood stream.

Methylcobalamin

Vitamin Supplement

Brain Function

Mood & Sleep

Fatigue

How It Works:

• Supports brain cell health & nerve function
• Supports sleep, mood & memory
• Regulates healthy homocysteine levels

Dosage:

Between 1 - 25 mcg per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

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Sublingual Methylcobalamin Review

Methylcobalamin is necessary for homocysteine recycling and for development of methyl donors linked to blood cell formation, nerve and cardiovascular functioning.

Homocysteines are blood plasma amino acids that, when elevated, is thought to increase a person’s chance for stroke, osteoporosis, heart disease and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin B12 supplements typically contain the other form of B12 called cyanocobalamin. Before methylcobalamin can be created, the liver must “detach” a cyanide molecule and affix methyl molecules to form methylcobalamin.

This makes methylcobalamin, also known as Methyl B12, biologically active and easier for body tissues to absorb. Studies have shown that when a subject consumes a small amount of methylcobalamin, the cobalamin in methylcobalamin accumulates in the liver instead of being absorbed by the body.

Urinary output of methylcobalamin is only one-third of what the output is following similar doses of cyanocobalamin, which indicates “significantly greater tissue retention”. [1]

Methylcobalamin is synthesized in laboratories by attenuating cyanocobalamin molecules with sodium borohydride and then adding methyl iodide. [2} Since methylcobalamin physiologically corresponds with vitamin B12, it can be used to treat or prevent symptoms or pathologies produced by a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Sublingual Methylcobalamin Tablets

Supplements or medications designated as “sublingual” simply means they need to be placed under the tongue for proper diffusion into the bloodstream.

Sublingual methylcobalamin tablets, along with cardiovascular and opioid analgesic medications and steroids, work better when taken sublingually because the tongue’s underlying mucous membranes and connective tissues are rich in capillaries.

Consequently, tablets placed under the tongue dissolve directly into the bloodstream. In contrast, supplements taken orally are initially absorbed within the intestines and then subjected to hepatic (liver) metabolic processes. [3]

Sublingual Methylcobalamin liquid drops are also available from a small number of online retailers. Instead of putting a sublingual methylcobalamin pill under the tongue and letting it dissolve, liquid formulations provides users with an eyedropper from which they can place methylcobalamin drops under the tongue.

Some people find placing sublingual tablets under their tongue uncomfortable or conducive to provoking the gag reflex. Liquid supplements may be more appropriate for people who cannot swallow pills and for children.

Sublingual Methylcobalamin Benefits

Since methylcobalamin is considered the neurologically active form of vitamin 12, researchers investigated its effects on people suffering diabetic neuropathy, a disorder causing systemic pain in diabetics.

Subjects were given 1500 mcg of methylcobalamin per day experienced “improved autonomic and somatic symptoms” compared to subjects taking placebos. The authors further report that clinical studies have demonstrated “vitamin B12 is more effective than nortriptyline for relieving painful diabetic neuropathies”. [5]

A study investigating the safety and efficacy of intramuscular methylcobalamin for relieving chronic, nonspecific lumbar (low) back pain found a “significant improvement in the methylcobalamin group compared to the placebo group”.

Researchers concluded that intramuscular injections of methylcobalamin may be an effective treatment for low back pain patients either alone or in combination with other lumbar back pain treatment programs. [4]

Temporary facial paralysis due to trauma or damage to the facial nerves may be attributed to Bell’s palsy, a disorder thought to emerge following a viral infection, such as herpes simplex or viral meningitis.

A study involving Bell’s palsy patients separated into three groups–a steroid group, a methylcobalamin and steroid group and a methylcobalamin group –discovered that subjects in the methylcobalamin group experienced shorter recovery times than other groups.

Additionally, improvement of Bell’s palsy symptoms other than facial weakness “was better in the methylcobalamin treated groups than the group treated with steroid alone”. [6]

Sublingual Methylcobalamin Side Effects

Methylcobalamin sublingual tablets appear to have no known side effects when taken according to instructions. Its tolerability could be attributed to its ability to bypass intestinal absorption and liver metabolism. [7]

Consult with your physician before taking methylcobalamin or other sublingual vitamin 12 supplements if you have:

• Optic atrophy, a genetic condition causing deterioration of the optic nerve
• Blood in your urine
• Chronic infections
• Low folate or iron
• Polycythemia (abnormally elevate levels of red blood cells)

Signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) include weakness, fatigue, inability to focus or concentrate and tingling/numbness in your toes or fingers.

Since methylcobalamin helps support production of red blood cells, supplementing your diet with sublingual methylcobalamin may adequately address a mild to moderate vitamin B12 deficiency. Consult with a doctor to determine appropriate usage if you think you may be deficient in this vitamin.

In addition, people over 50 tend to present a higher risk for suffering a vitamin B12 deficiency because their bodies have a more difficult time absorbing this vitamin. [8] Sublingual formulations which bypass the intestinal tract may be better absorbed by older adults, but more research is needed to validate this claim.

Methylcobalamin Sublingual Dosage

Sublingual methylcobalamin tablets on the market come in dosages of 1000 mcg, 3000 mcg, 5000 mcg or 6000 mcg per serving.

Dosages of methylcobalamin tablets applied in research studies have ranged between 1500 to 6000 mcg per day, with no adverse side effects reported. Moreover, there appears to be no therapeutic benefits to exceeding 6000 mcg per day.

Sublingual tablets may contain other non-medicinal ingredients, such as lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, vegetable grade magnesium stearate.

Positive results are consistently reported regardless of the mode of administration–whether intravenously, intramuscularly or orally. However, a comparison of therapeutic effects resulting from oral or sublingual administration of methylcobalamin has yet to be conducted. [9]

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