Atlanta (Buckhead)
3833 Roswell Rd NE, Tuxedo Atrium, Suite 108Atlanta, GA 30342
Floor 1 of the Tuxedo Atrium
Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM; Saturday 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Hair and wellness
B12 Injections in Buckhead and Cumming
B12 injections give you vitamin B12 directly, which treats deficiency, especially when you cannot absorb enough from food or pills. They help people who are actually low. For people with normal levels, there is no good evidence that they raise energy or help with weight loss. Derm Clinic MD includes one B12 injection a month with Gold membership.
- 608 Google reviews, rated 4.9 and 5.0
- Board-certified physician who treats every patient herself
Treated by Dr. PaymanBuckhead and Cumming
What it treats
What do B12 injections treat?
B12 injections treat vitamin B12 deficiency. The FDA label for cyanocobalamin injection covers deficiencies due to malabsorption, including pernicious anemia and stomach or bowel disease or surgery. Deficiency can cause anemia and nerve damage, and a blood test, not symptoms alone, confirms it.
Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs in approximately 2% to 3% of US adults, according to a 2025 American Family Physician review. Symptoms vary with severity and may include fatigue, brain fog, depression, nerve damage in the hands and feet and balance problems. Those symptoms overlap with many other conditions, so the review says testing should be considered in people who have at least one risk factor and one clinical feature.
Injection is the traditional route because it bypasses absorption problems, and the prescribing label calls oral absorption too undependable in pernicious anemia and other malabsorption. Yet a Cochrane review found low-quality evidence that high-dose pills normalize B12 levels about as well as injections, and the 2025 review says pills are noninferior for most people.
Results
Do B12 shots boost energy or help with weight loss?
There is little evidence that they do if your B12 level is normal. NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements says B12 supplementation appears to have no beneficial effect on athletic performance in the absence of a nutritional deficit, and Cleveland Clinic says B12 shots themselves are not associated with weight loss. If you are low, raising your level can ease fatigue.
The evidence in detail
A 2021 meta-analysis pooled 16 randomized trials with 6,276 people who did not have overt deficiency. It found no evidence that B12 improved cognition or depression, and only one study measured unexplained fatigue, so fatigue could not be analyzed. Fatigue is therefore unanswered rather than disproven, but Cleveland Clinic says that if your level is normal, there is little evidence that shots work for these purposes.
The NIH fact sheet adds that vitamin B12 is often promoted as an energy enhancer and athletic performance booster because of its role in energy metabolism, but that supplementation does not appear to improve athletic performance or endurance in people with sufficient B12 status.
Is it right for you?
Who benefits from a B12 injection, and who should wait?
People with a documented low B12 level, or a condition that blocks absorption, benefit most. Risk factors include stomach or small intestine surgery, inflammatory bowel disease, long-term metformin or acid-reducing medicines, a strict vegan diet and older age. If your level is normal, there is no proven benefit for energy or weight, and a test comes first.
A 2017 review lists reasons to consider testing: gastric or small intestine resections, inflammatory bowel disease, metformin for more than four months, acid reducers for more than 12 months, a vegan or strict vegetarian diet and age over 75. The 2025 review treats a serum level below 180 pg/mL as diagnostic and a borderline 180 to 350 as a reason to check methylmalonic acid. Labs set their own cutoffs, so ask your physician to interpret your result. The labels add that most antibiotics, methotrexate and pyrimethamine can invalidate B12 blood tests, so mention every medicine you take.
Wait and see a physician first if you have numbness, tingling, trouble walking or memory problems, or if you have not had your B12 checked. The shot should follow a diagnosis, not replace one, because untreated true deficiency can cause nerve damage that does not reverse, according to Cleveland Clinic. Tell the office if you are pregnant or breastfeeding: the label says B12 needs rise in both, that B12 passes into breast milk and that well-controlled studies in pregnant women have not been done.
608
Google reviews across both officesWho treats you
Arshia Payman, MD
Board-certified physician with 13+ years in aesthetic medicine. Dr. Payman is the only provider at Derm Clinic MD, and she personally treats every patient. Every plan starts with a consultation, so it is made around your face and your goals.
- Medical schoolGeorge Washington University, Washington, D.C., where she also earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude and was accepted to the early selection medical program in her sophomore year
- Hospital trainingFour hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area, including the National Institutes of Health and George Washington University Hospital
- ResidencyCompleted in 2008 at George Washington University
- Academic medicineOutpatient internal medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, as an instructor in clinical medicine who taught medical students
Georgia medical license 61513 (NPI registry).
Read Dr. Payman's full bioYour visit
What happens at a B12 injection visit?
Every treatment starts with an in-person consultation. Bring your health history, medications and any recent B12 results, and ask whether a blood test or tablets would suit you better than a shot. Gold members receive one B12 injection a month as part of the membership.
- ConsultationYour symptoms, diet, medications such as metformin or acid reducers, and any lab results.
- Questions to settleWhether a blood test, or tablets instead of a shot, is a better first step for you.
- ConsentBenefits, limits, risks and allergies reviewed before you sign.
- The injection itself, given by Dr. Payman.
- AftercareFollow your written aftercare instructions.
For what to bring, including a list of every medicine and supplement you take, see our guide to your first med spa consultation. General guidance is on the aftercare page.
Cost
Are B12 injections part of the Derm Clinic MD membership?
Yes. Gold membership includes one vitamin B12 injection each month, along with member pricing on Botox and Jeuveau and other perks. This page does not list a separate B12 price. For non-members, the office quotes your cost at the consultation after the plan is made.
Whether a membership makes sense depends on what else you would book. Our guide to how med spa memberships work explains how to weigh the fees against the benefits you would use. See membership for the terms and pricing for what the site lists. When you are ready, book a consultation at either office.
Your exact cost
Your total depends on your plan: the areas, the product and how many visits you need. Dr. Payman gives you the full cost at your consultation, before anything is done.
Gold members get 10% off other services and skincare. About the membership.
Compare
Are B12 injections better than B12 pills?
For most people with low B12, not necessarily. High-dose tablets bring blood levels up about as well as injections, according to a Cochrane review (low-quality evidence from three small trials) and a 2025 clinical review, and one trial found them cheaper. Injections are preferred for severe deficiency, nerve symptoms or when the stomach and bowel cannot absorb B12, and your physician makes that call.
Cleveland Clinic adds that some people struggle to absorb B12 from pills as they age, which is when injections are considered. If you want a shot mainly for energy, ask first whether a blood test would show that you are low, and whether tablets would do the job if you are.
Safety
What are the side effects, and who should not get B12 injections?
Cyanocobalamin injection labels list itching, a passing rash, mild diarrhea and a feeling of swelling of the entire body, and state that anaphylactic shock and death have been reported after injected B12. Sensitivity to cobalt or to vitamin B12 is a contraindication. Get emergency help for hives, throat swelling or trouble breathing.
Full safety details
The labels of two manufacturers, BluePoint and Hikma, also list pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure early in treatment, peripheral vascular thrombosis and polycythemia vera. They warn that people with early Leber's disease, a hereditary optic nerve condition, suffered severe and swift optic nerve damage, and recommend a test dose before injecting people suspected of being sensitive.
For people being treated for pernicious anemia, the label says B12, folate and iron levels should be obtained before treatment, and it warns that B12 can produce a blood response in someone who is actually low in folate, which may mask the true diagnosis. It also cautions that severe deficiency needs close monitoring, including potassium levels, early in treatment. That is one reason severe deficiency belongs under a physician's care.
Patient reviews
In patients’ words
“Once I met with Dr Arshia Paymen I never felt rushed, she took the time to listen to all my concerns and explained it all in a way that was easy to understand.”
“Dr. Payman was very friendly and explained everything thoroughly.”
“She takes time to truly listen to you and explains her treatment plan with great clarity.”
Excerpts are quoted word for word from public Google reviews of Derm Clinic MD. Individual results vary.
Questions
Questions patients ask about B12 injections
Short answers here. Your own plan, product and cost are set with Dr. Payman at your consultation.
Ask at a consultationHow much do B12 injections cost?
Derm Clinic MD includes one B12 injection a month with Gold membership. For anyone else, the office quotes your cost at the consultation after the plan is made. Whatever you are quoted, ask what is included, such as a health review, before you compare prices between providers.
Do I need a prescription for B12 injections?
Yes. The injectable form is a prescription drug in the United States, and the cyanocobalamin injection label is marked Rx only. B12 tablets and similar forms are sold as dietary supplements. Because injectable B12 is a prescription drug, expect the consultation to cover your health history first.
What are signs you need a B12 shot?
Possible signs include fatigue, brain fog, depression, numbness or tingling, and balance problems, but they overlap with many other conditions, so only a blood test can tell. A 2025 American Family Physician review of vitamin B12 deficiency (Patel and McGuirk) suggests testing when you have at least one risk factor and one clinical feature, and treats a level below 180 pg/mL as diagnostic.
How long does a B12 shot last?
There is no single answer. The body stores about 1 to 5 mg of B12, which is why deficiency symptoms can take years to appear, according to NIH. The label notes that 50 to 98% of an injected dose may appear in the urine within 48 hours, and it says pernicious anemia needs treatment for the rest of the patient's life, with monthly maintenance after the first weeks. Your schedule depends on your level and cause.
What are the downsides of B12 injections?
Beyond the side effects on the cyanocobalamin injection label, the practical downsides are cost and the chance of treating the wrong problem. A 2025 American Family Physician review of vitamin B12 deficiency (Patel and McGuirk) says people with no clear cause of deficiency need further testing, such as for atrophic gastritis, which a shot alone will not find. The cyanocobalamin injection label also warns that treatment can mask the true diagnosis in someone who is actually low in folate.
Why are some doctors stopping B12 injections?
Injections have not been dropped for deficiency: they remain the cyanocobalamin injection label's treatment for pernicious anemia and other malabsorption, and a 2025 American Family Physician review (Patel and McGuirk) keeps them for severe or nerve-related deficiency. What the evidence supports is narrower. That review also calls oral B12 noninferior for most patients with deficiency, and a 2021 meta-analysis in Nutrients in people without overt deficiency found no evidence of benefit for cognition or depression.
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Two offices. One physician.
Atlanta, GA 30342
Floor 1 of the Tuxedo Atrium
Cumming
425 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 345Cumming, GA 30041
In The Shoppes at Brannon Crossing
Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM; Saturday 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
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Sources (8)
- Cyanocobalamin Injection, USP prescribing information. American Regent for BluePoint Laboratories via DailyMed (NLM), label Rev. 05/2022. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=cdd4fd12-e214-43a6-b560-d56fc0d87190
- Cyanocobalamin Injection, USP prescribing information (second manufacturer, checked against the first). Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA via DailyMed (NLM), label revised December 2023. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=a66eb3c4-3e1d-4d49-b963-4fa2334cc9b6
- Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Common Questions and Answers. Am Fam Physician, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40961307/
- Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Recognition and Management. Am Fam Physician, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28925645/
- Oral vitamin B12 versus intramuscular vitamin B12 for vitamin B12 deficiency. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29543316/
- Effects of Vitamin B12 Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Depressive Symptoms, and Fatigue: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. Nutrients, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33809274/
- Vitamin B12: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, updated July 2, 2025. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
- Vitamin B12 Injections: What They Can and Can't Do. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, March 5, 2024. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-b12-shots-boost-energy-help-lose-weight
This page is general education and is not medical advice. It does not replace an in-person consultation. Whether a treatment suits you, and what result is realistic, depends on your health history and an examination. Results vary from person to person.
Derm Clinic MD · Last updated October 2026.