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Methylcobalamin is a form of vitamin B12 that Bayview compounds to a prescriber's order.
Methylcobalamin is one of the two metabolically active forms of vitamin B12, along with 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin.[1] Vitamin B12 is required for the development, myelination, and function of the central nervous system, for healthy red blood cell formation, and for DNA synthesis.[1]
Other forms of vitamin B12, such as cyanocobalamin and hydroxocobalamin, become biologically active after they are converted to methylcobalamin or 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin.[1] However, no evidence indicates that absorption rates of vitamin B12 in supplements vary by form of the vitamin.[1] Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia and neurological changes such as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.[1]
Vitamin B12 is a cofactor for methionine synthase, which converts homocysteine to methionine.[1] However, clinical trials show that vitamin B12 supplementation, alone or with other B vitamins, does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular death.[1]
Gastrointestinal surgery, such as weight-loss surgery or removal of all or part of the stomach, can impair vitamin B12 absorption.[1] Deficiency is typically treated with vitamin B12 injections because this route bypasses barriers to absorption, and in patients who have had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, high-dose oral methylcobalamin appears to be as effective as hydroxocobalamin injections in normalizing vitamin B12 values.[1] Bayview compounds methylcobalamin preparations on a prescriber's order.
Compounded at Bayview
Patient guides for the preparations we make most often. Each one is compounded to order and requires a prescription.
For prescribers
Every preparation in our formulary that contains this ingredient. Strength, base and dose form are set by the prescription.
They are three forms of the same vitamin. Cyanocobalamin is the FDA-approved one in the United States, both as an injection and as the Nascobal nasal spray. Methylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin have no FDA-approved vitamin B12 product here, so they are compounded when a prescriber orders them.
High-quality evidence does not show the methyl or hydroxo forms work better. Claims of superiority for those forms are not well supported.
Other salt forms of this molecule, and ingredients commonly compounded alongside it.
This page describes an active pharmaceutical ingredient, not a finished drug product. Bayview Pharmacy compounds preparations containing it only on a prescriber's order for an individual patient.
Compounded preparations are not FDA-approved, and the FDA has not evaluated them for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality. Nothing on this page is a claim that any preparation is effective for any condition.
A valid prescription is required. Availability depends on Bayview's licensure in your state. This page is general information, not medical advice — discuss your situation with a licensed healthcare provider.
Our pharmacists work with prescribers to build preparations around a patient's dose, form and tolerances. Ask us what is possible with this ingredient.
