Cyanocobalamin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Cyanocobalamin is a vitamin b12 sold in the U.S. under 9 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Vitamin B12
Available as: Injectable · Spray/Inhaler, metered · Solution · Spray/Inhaler
Sold as: 9 products — Rubramin Pc, Redisol and Berubigen, and others
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Yes
What the pharmacy pays: about $1 per ml — not your price

How cyanocobalamin is dosed

From the FDA label for Cyanocobalamin (application ANDA214390). Other cyanocobalamin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Avoid using the intravenous route. Use of this product intravenously will result in almost all of the vitamin being lost in the urine. Pernicious Anemia : Parenteral vitamin B 12 is the recommended treatment and will be required for the remainder of the patient's life. The oral form is not dependable. A dose of 100 mcg daily for 6 or 7 days should be administered by intramuscular or deep subcutaneous injection. If there is clinical improvement and if a reticulocyte response is observed, the same amount may be given on alternate days for seven doses, then every 3 to 4 days for another 2 to 3 weeks. By this time hematologic values should have become normal. This regimen should be followed by 100 mcg monthly for life. Folic acid should be administered concomitantly if needed. Patients with Normal Intestinal Absorption : Where the oral route is not deemed adequate, initial treatment similar to that for patients with pernicious anemia may be indicated depending on the severity of the deficiency. Chronic treatment should be with an oral B 12 preparation. If other vitamin deficiencies are present, they should be treated. Schilling Test : The flushing dose is 1,000 mcg. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.

Cyanocobalamin side effects

Generalized : Anaphylactic shock and death have been reported with administration of parenteral vitamin B 12 (see WARNINGS ). Cardiovascular : Pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure early in treatment; peripheral vascular thrombosis. Hematological : Polycythemia vera Gastrointestinal : Mild transient diarrhea Dermatological : Itching; transitory exanthema Miscellaneous : Feeling of swelling of entire body

Who shouldn’t take cyanocobalamin

Sensitivity to cobalt and/or vitamin B 12 is a contraindication.

Every cyanocobalamin product we track (9)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Cyanocobalamin products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Rubramin Pc	72/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
2	Redisol	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
3	Berubigen	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
4	Calomist	Not yet rated	Prescription	Spray/Inhaler	Generic	$1	View →
5	Cyanocobalamin	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
6	Nascobal	Not yet rated	Prescription	Spray/Inhaler	Generic	$1	View →
7	Rubivite	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
8	Vi-Twel	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$1	View →
9	Vitamin B12	Not yet rated	Supplement	—	Generic	$1	View →

Combination products containing cyanocobalamin

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

Cyanocobalamin recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

How long cyanocobalamin keeps

No cyanocobalamin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does cyanocobalamin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

What people report to the FDA about cyanocobalamin

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 40,450 reports naming cyanocobalamin, and the FDA flagged 75% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

fatigue3,914 reports
nausea3,213 reports
headache2,732 reports
diarrhoea2,721 reports
dyspnoea2,464 reports
vomiting2,151 reports
asthenia2,075 reports
arthralgia2,022 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean cyanocobalamin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.

Related calculators

How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is cyanocobalamin?

Cyanocobalamin is a vitamin b12.

What kind of drug is cyanocobalamin?

The FDA classifies cyanocobalamin as a vitamin b12. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Can you take cyanocobalamin with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run cyanocobalamin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is cyanocobalamin sold under?

We track 9 cyanocobalamin-containing products in the U.S.: Rubramin Pc, Redisol, Berubigen, Calomist, Cyanocobalamin, Nascobal, Rubivite and Vi-Twel, and 1 more. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does cyanocobalamin come in?

Across the brands we track, cyanocobalamin is currently marketed as injectable, spray/inhaler, metered, solution and spray/inhaler, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic cyanocobalamin?

Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic cyanocobalamin product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.

Has cyanocobalamin been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists at least 5 recall records whose product description mentions cyanocobalamin. The most recent: Semaglutide-Glycine-Cyanocobalamin Injectable (Mar 6, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Cyanocobalamin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cyanocobalamin
MLA: “Cyanocobalamin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cyanocobalamin.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for cyanocobalamin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.