Over-the-counter medication · Active Vitamin B12
methylcobalamin
Also sold as Methyl B12. This medicine may help with weight support.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 1
- InteractionFew interactions
- 5
- Recall records
What the data shows
methylcobalamin (Methyl B12) is an over-the-counter Active Vitamin B12, with 1 documented drug interaction.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
methylcobalamin (Methyl B12) is an over-the-counter Active Vitamin B12. This medicine may help with weight support.
Methyl B12 is a form of vitamin B12. It may help with weight support and increased appetite.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
What it does
This medicine may help with weight support.
Common side effects
No common side effects listed.
Key warnings
No specific warnings noted. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from methylcobalamin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How to Take It
Place 1 to 10 drops under your tongue. Do this 3 times a day. Or, take it as your doctor tells you to. If you are under 12, ask a doctor before using this medicine.
This is a plain-language summary of methylcobalamin's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Known Drug Interactions
Drugs which may interact with vitamin B 12 (Methylcobalamin): • Antibiotics, cholestyramine, colchicines, colestipol, metformin, para-aminosalicylic, and potassium chloride may decrease the absorption of vitamin B 12 .
Mechanism: Both of these products contain vitamin B12, so taking them together increases the total amount of this vitamin in your body.
What to do: Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure your total vitamin B12 intake is safe and appropriate for you.
This is a plain-language summary of interactions documented in FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before combining medications.
Common Questions
What is this medicine used for?
How many times a day should I take this?
Can children take this medicine?
Is this medicine approved by the FDA?
Should I talk to my doctor before taking this?
Does methylcobalamin interact with other medications?
What drug class is methylcobalamin?
Has methylcobalamin been recalled?
Active Recalls
Lack of Assurance of Sterility
Thrive Health and Wellness, LLC, dba Thrive Health Solutions (Colorado)
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: FDA inspection found the recalled products were produced in a manner than cannot guarantee the sterility of the products purported to be sterile.
Pharmacy Plus, Inc. dba Vital Care Compounder
Lack of Assurance of Sterility
TMC Acquisition LLC dba Tailor Made Compounding
Lack of Assurance of Sterility
TMC Acquisition LLC dba Tailor Made Compounding
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: FDA inspection findings resulted in concerns regarding quality control processes
Lowlite Investments, Inc. D/B/A Olympia Pharmacy
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What the FDA Data Shows for methylcobalamin
The FDA label for methylcobalamin (sold under brand names such as Methyl B12) classifies it as an over-the-counter product in the Active Vitamin B12 class. This medicine may help with weight support. Labeling covers dosing, contraindications, and monitoring requirements derived from clinical trials.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 1 documented drug interaction derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 5 recall records on file), and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: October 23, 2024
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages