Metanx? Anyone taking this?

[KittyKat23_78]

My pain doc said my vitamin B was low and wrote me an rx for Metanx, which is a vitamin B suppliment. I'm all for it. Except when I went to pick up the script the pharmacy informed me that my insurence won't cover it and it costs $123.00 a month. Wowsa. That's a fancy vitamin!! I asked him what the difference is between that and an over the counter vitamin B complex and he didn't really have much of an answer for me. I did some research online and it looks like the difference is that it is metabolized differently. It is supposed to help with nerve pain. I've been taking the samples for a little over a week now and haven't noticed any difference. I think I'm just going to go buy an over the counter Vitamin B with folic acid when my samples fun out but wanted to see if anyone here was taking it and if it made a difference for you?

[TheSunMama]

I take it! I absolutely love it. I've been taking it for nearly four months and have noticed that the neurological pain down my leg is not as intense. It's great! I am lucky though- I pay $30 and some cents for a month supply. It's classified as "medical food" so, that shakes the insurance companies up a bit.

[JSB2]

I had back surgery 2 years ago, and had to take extra strength Tylenol 3 to 4 times/day.  Then I heard about hyaluronic acid, and started taking that (200 mg/day), and within 2 weeks I was off of ALL Tylenol!  It's great -- you should try it!

[KittyKat23_78]

I asked the Rheumy that I saw today about this and he said that he didn't think that Vitamin B was helpful at all, infact he thinks that taking too many suppliments can be harmful and advised me NOT to take this. I don't know whether to laugh or curse!! :)~

He did say that Vitamin D was very important and advocated for that one, but ONLY that one.

Interesting.

[Jaybay]

You might want to call other pharmacies in your area and do some price checking on the Metanx.  I've been very pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion by going that route.  Of course, that's only if you still want to fool with it.  LOL!

I can't get all the nutrients I need through food sources these days, and have found the sublingual B's do really well.  The liquid gets absorbed really fast, and I don't smell it in my sweat and urine like I notice with the pills.  Before all the eating problems cropped up, the only time my body ever really used B vitamins was when I was weightlifting and rollerblading 6 days a week.  Other than that, supplemental B vitamins just got excreted.  What a waste of money - most supplements aren't exactly cheap.  :-/

[KittyKat23_78]

Thanks for the tip! I'll definately check that out!

[JadedSweetheart]

Huh. That is interesting.  I am a big proponent of taking vitamins in their active or "whole food" form.  They are more easily metabolized so you get more of the vitamin's potency.  But then there is a big movement away from vitamins, too, and toward getting nutrients from food.
If it were me, I'd go to a "Health Food" store and ask for the folic acid, B6 and B12 in the "whole food" form or liquid/sublingual form.  When I've taken things like that in natural form they did perform much better.  
My mother has been a Natural Healing and holistic medicine nut for a while and she is the one who told me about these things.  She is healthy as a horse, though.  I think it is the B vitamins, though, that can give you a "Niacin Rush", which I suppose is like a hot flash and a burst of energy.  I've never gotten a niacin rush, though.  
The price of the Metanx is just ridiculous, though.  It's not cheap at the Health Food store, but it's not nearly that expensive, either.

[mummy3too]

I don't know anything about Mentax. However, after my last back surgery, my doctor told me to take liquid vitamin B. Not pills. Does it metabolize differently? Who knows. Truthfully, I don't recall it made much of a difference at all... but worth a try (everyone is different). It's the same price as other over the counter vitamins.

Good luck!!