Vitamin B12 Shots: What the Science Says and Where to Get One in Red Bank, NJ
THE BAG BLOGS · WELLNESS EDUCATION · FROM THE CLINICIANS
Written by Nadine Gonzalez, MS, PA-C · CEO, Founder of Bag Bar | Red Bank, NJ | October 2026 | 6 min read
The Short Answer
Vitamin B12 keeps your nerves healthy, builds red blood cells and helps your cells make energy. A B12 shot is most useful for people who are low in B12 or absorb it poorly, such as adults over 50, vegans and people taking metformin or acid reducers. If your levels are already normal, extra B12 is not proven to boost energy. Bag Bar offers $25 B12 shots at the Jersey Shore Yoga Festival at Marine Park in Red Bank, NJ, on Sunday, October 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
You can hold a perfect tree pose and still feel like your battery is at 12%. Sometimes that is sleep, stress or a long week. Sometimes it is a nutrient your body cannot make on its own: vitamin B12.
B12 is one of the most talked-about vitamins in wellness, and one of the most misunderstood. Here is what the science actually says, who benefits most, and why we are bringing B12 shots to the Jersey Shore Yoga Festival.
What Does Vitamin B12 Do?
A 2023 clinical review in The BMJ by Wolffenbuttel and colleagues (read it here) describes B12 as a water-soluble vitamin with several essential jobs:
- Nervous system health: normal nerve function, including the protective coating around nerves
- Red blood cells: without enough B12, the body makes large, immature red cells that carry oxygen poorly (megaloblastic anemia)
- Cellular energy: B12 is a cofactor in mitochondrial energy metabolism, inside the "power plants" of your cells
- DNA and methylation: DNA synthesis, the methylation cycle and epigenetic regulation (how genes are switched on and off)
The official U.S. RDA for adults is 2.4 mcg a day, but the BMJ authors note that healthy adults need an average of 4 to 7 mcg daily to maintain B12 status. It is found almost only in animal foods (meat, fish, eggs, milk) or fortified foods.
The catch is absorption. B12 needs stomach acid to release it from food and a protein called intrinsic factor to carry it into the bloodstream. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, that system saturates at about 1 to 2 mcg per meal. Anything that disrupts stomach acid or intrinsic factor can leave you low, even on a great diet.
Who Is Most Likely to Be Low in B12?
NIH data show about 3.6% of U.S. adults have deficient blood levels, and about 12% of adults over 60 fall into the "insufficient" range. Groups at higher risk include:
- Adults over 50: reduced stomach acid (atrophic gastritis affects about 8 to 9% of adults 65 and older) makes food-bound B12 harder to absorb
- Plant-based eaters: vegans and many vegetarians get little B12 from diet alone
- People taking metformin, PPIs or H2 blockers: these common medications can lower B12 absorption over time
- People with pernicious anemia, small bowel disease such as celiac or Crohn's, or a history of bariatric or stomach surgery
- Pregnant and breastfeeding people following a plant-based diet
What Are the Signs of Low B12?
Most people picture anemia, but the BMJ review reports that anemia appears in fewer than 20% of people with B12 deficiency. More often the first signs are neurological: brain fog, memory problems, fatigue, mood changes, pins and needles, numbness or poor balance.
Diagnosis is tricky, too. There is no single gold-standard test, and a "normal" blood level does not always rule out deficiency, so symptoms like these deserve a conversation with your clinician.
Is a B12 Shot Better Than a Pill?
An injection skips the gut entirely, so it does not depend on stomach acid or intrinsic factor. That is why injections are the default therapy for people with pernicious anemia or absorption problems.
Now the other side, because you deserve it. Oral supplements are the first-line choice for preventing deficiency caused by diet alone, and very high oral doses (around 1,000 to 2,000 mcg daily) can normalize blood levels for many people. A 2018 Cochrane review found that high-dose pills and injections raised B12 levels about equally, though the evidence was low quality and data on symptom relief were limited. Pills also rely on passive absorption, which takes in only about 1 to 2% of a large dose.
And if your levels are already normal, extra B12 has not been shown to boost energy or athletic performance. The NIH states plainly that supplementation "appears to have no beneficial effect on performance in the absence of a nutritional deficit."
So why choose a shot? It is fast, reliable and requires no daily pill. For people in the risk groups above, it is a simple way to top up while you work with your clinician on testing.
Are B12 Shots Safe?
Bag Bar uses hydroxocobalamin. According to the BMJ review, decades of data support the safety of hydroxocobalamin, even long term and at high doses, and it is preferred over cyanocobalamin for people with kidney problems.
Do not get a B12 shot if you are allergic to cobalt or cobalamin. Possible side effects include soreness, redness or itching at the injection site, mild nausea, headache, dizziness, a warm flush and, occasionally, acne-like skin reactions. Hydroxocobalamin can also turn urine reddish for a short time, which is harmless. Serious allergic reactions are rare, which is one reason we screen everyone first. Every shot is administered by a licensed PA-C under physician medical director oversight, after a brief health screening.
Where Can I Get a B12 Shot in Red Bank, NJ?
Bag Bar is bringing our B12 bar to the Jersey Shore Yoga Festival at Marine Park in Red Bank, Sunday, October 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Festival guests get a B12 shot for $25 (regularly $40). It takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, so you can be back on your mat before the next class.
Spots are limited. No payment is needed to reserve.
Can't make the festival? Bag Bar brings B12 shots and Signature IV Cocktails (many of which include B12) to your home, office or event anywhere in Monmouth County. See the full menu to get Wasted on Wellness.
Vitamin B12 FAQ
What does vitamin B12 do?
B12 helps keep nerves healthy, makes red blood cells, supports cellular energy metabolism and is needed for DNA synthesis. The U.S. RDA for adults is 2.4 mcg a day, mostly from animal foods.
Will a B12 shot give me more energy?
If you are low in B12, restoring your levels can ease fatigue caused by the deficiency. If your levels are already normal, research has not shown that extra B12 boosts energy or performance.
Who is most likely to be low in B12?
Adults over 50, vegans and vegetarians, people taking metformin or acid-reducing medications, and people with pernicious anemia, celiac or Crohn's disease, or past stomach or bariatric surgery.
Is a B12 shot better than a pill?
A shot bypasses the gut, so it works even when absorption is impaired. High-dose pills can raise B12 levels about as well as injections for many people, though the evidence is low quality. A shot is the more reliable choice when absorption is the problem. A clinician can help you choose.
Is a B12 shot safe?
B12 is water soluble, and decades of data support the safety of hydroxocobalamin, the form Bag Bar uses. Do not get one if you are allergic to cobalt or cobalamin. Mild injection-site soreness is the most common side effect.
Can I be low in B12 if my blood test was normal?
Yes, it is possible. There is no gold-standard test, results vary between labs and from day to day, and a level in the normal range does not exclude deficiency. Your symptoms matter as much as the number.
How much is a B12 shot at the Jersey Shore Yoga Festival?
$25 for festival guests at Marine Park in Red Bank on Sunday, October 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., administered by a licensed PA-C. Reserve online through Bag Bar's festival booking link.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about testing if you think you may be low in B12. All services are provided by a licensed PA-C under the supervision of Bag Bar's physician medical director.
Sources: Wolffenbuttel BHR, Owen PJ, Ward M, Green R. Vitamin B12. The BMJ, 2023 · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · Wang H, et al. Oral vitamin B12 versus intramuscular vitamin B12 for vitamin B12 deficiency. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018
