Vitamin B12

• What other names is Vitamin B12 known by?
• What is Vitamin B12?
• How does Vitamin B12 work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Vitamin B12.

What other names is Vitamin B12 known by?

B-12, B12, B Complex Vitamin, Bedumil, Cobalamin, Cobalamine, Cobamin, Cobamine, Complexe Vitaminique B, Cyanocobalamin, Cyanocobalamine, Cyanocobalaminum, Cycobemin, Hydroxocobalamin, Hydroxocobalamine, Hydroxocobalaminum, Hydroxocobemine, Hydroxocobémine, Idrossocobalamina, Methylcobalamin, Méthylcobalamine, Vitadurin, Vitadurine, Vitamina B12, Vitamine B12.

What is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is a vitamin. It can be found in foods such as meat, fish, and dairy products. It can also be made in a laboratory.

Effective for...

• Treatment and prevention of vitamin B12 deficiency, and diseases caused by low vitamin B12 levels.

Likely Effective for...

• Reducing a condition related to heart disease called "hyperhomocysteinemia" when taken with folic acid and vitamin B6.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Sleep disorders.
• Preventing another stroke.
• Improving thinking and memory in people aged 65 and older, when used in combination with vitamin B6 and folic acid.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Preventing re-blockage of blood vessels after heart artery dilation (balloon angioplasty), shaky-leg syndrome, allergies, aging, fatigue or tiredness, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart disease, Lyme disease, immune system problems, memory problems, multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, high cholesterol, lung cancer, preventing cervical cancer, psoriasis, and other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).