How Long Does It Take For Lipotropic Injections To Work?
Lipotropic injections are supplements used for fat loss. These are intended to complement other aspects of a weight loss regimen, including exercise and a low-calorie diet. The injections most often contain vitamin B12 and other ingredients. Some of the most common ingredients in these shots include:
• vitamin B-12
• vitamin B-6
• vitamin B complex
• Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
• L-carnitine
• phentermine
• MIC (a combination of methionine, inositol, and choline)
Vitamin B-12 and methionine are important nutrients required for reactions in the body that regulate fat and protein metabolism. That said, researchers have not confirmed that taking doses of vitamin B-12 or methionine above the recommended amount will actually help a person lose weight.
While there’s a lot of hype surrounding B12 and mixed-ingredient lipotropic injections, these aren’t a guarantee for everyone, nor are they completely without risk. They also aren’t regulated in the same way prescription and over-the-counter medications are. Always talk to a doctor before getting lipotropic injections for weight loss.
The shots may be administered in the arm or other areas containing more subcutaneous fatty tissues, such as the thigh, abdomen, or buttocks. The exact dosage of your injections will depend on what ingredients are being used. In one clinical trial assessing the efficacy of phentermine and vitamin B-12 for weight loss, vitamin B-12 (as the sole ingredient) was administered via injections of 1,000 mg per week. Lipotropics are primarily administered in medical spas and weight loss clinics, along with a diet and exercise plan. The providers may or may not be medical doctors, so it’s important to check the credentials of any business before undergoing any lipotropic treatment plan.
Some doctors may also administer single-ingredient shots, such as vitamin B-12, but these are primarily intended for people who are deficient in nutrients.
How do lipotropic injections work?
Lipotropic injections work for weight loss in the following ways:
- Reduces Stored Fat: The most direct way lipotropic shots work for weight loss is the reduction of stored fat. These injections have several things going for them that allow this to happen. The active ingredients in the injections keep your liver healthy and processing fat efficiently. They help your body preserve metabolically active lean muscle mass. Most importantly, they tell your body to burn fat for fuel once glycogen stores are depleted.
- Boosts Metabolism to Improve Fat Burning: One of the four primary ingredients in lipotropic injections is L-Methionine. This is one of eight critical amino acids necessary for adequate protein building. However, your body cannot produce this itself. Among the critical functions performed by this amino acid is the processing and elimination of fat.
- Elevates Energy Levels: Vitamin B12 is known for its crucial role in several important metabolic functions. One of these is energy level maintenance. Whether you’re following a rigorous workout routine or a very low-calorie diet, there’s a good chance that you will feel sluggish on your rapid weight-loss diet. One of the primary ways lipotropic injections work for weight loss is by keeping your energy levels high so you can function properly at work and keep up your workout routine without going over your daily calorie budget through fast carb consumption.
- Enhances Liver and Gallbladder Function: While choline is produced in your liver, your body cannot produce it in sufficient quantities. Choline plays a critical role in gallbladder and liver function. Keeping these organs healthy plays a massive role in your weight loss success because they help your body process and flush out fat. In fact, an unhealthy gallbladder can lead to several medical conditions, with weight gain one of the most common symptoms.
- Preserves Lean Body Mass: Lean body mass preservation is crucial when you’re trying to lose weight. Muscle is roughly four times more metabolically active than white fat, the type of fat that makes up the vast majority of your fat stores. In other words, at rest, a pound of muscle might burn four calories per hour. Contrastingly, a pound of white fat might burn two calories per hour at rest. Lipotropic shots help you preserve your lean body mass in a couple of ways. First, they tell your body to burn fat for fuel rather than breaking down your muscles. Second, they boost your energy levels so you can continue to be physically active and prevent the atrophy of your muscles.
- Acts Rapidly: One of the best things about lipotropic shots for weight loss is that it acts faster and works more efficiently than taking oral supplements. Delivered straight to your bloodstream, you do not need to wait hours for your body to absorb the nutrients and no nutrients are lost during the digestion process. If you believe supplements could help you boost your weight loss, we strongly recommend injections over oral supplements.
- Allows for Optimal Nutrient Absorption: All four of the primary active ingredients in lipotropic injections help organs, like your liver, function properly. When the body isn’t spending too much time defending itself from toxins, it has more time to spend on digestion. With weekly lipotropic shots, you will benefit from more efficient nutrient absorption through your diet. As importantly, the shots themselves allow for a 100% absorption rate because none of the nutrients are lost during the digestion process; a common problem with taking oral supplements.
- Improves Liver Detoxification: Another crucial role of L-Methionine is the production of taurine and cysteine. These chemical compounds are critical for supporting your liver’s ability to eliminate toxins. When your liver isn’t working as hard to detoxify your body, more of its energy can be devoted to eliminating fat from your body.
- Improves Mood and Mental Clarity: The final most significant advantage of lipotropic shots with vitamin B12 for weight loss is the boost to mental clarity you get. It is easy to blow your calorie budget on an indulgent meal or blow off your daily workout if you’re stressed. Deficiency in this crucial vitamin is known to cause panic, stress, anxiety, and depression because of its crucial role in regulating the nervous system’s functions. Moreover, a vitamin B12 deficiency makes it harder for hemoglobin to transport oxygen to your brain. A low level of oxygen in the brain will cause feelings of fatigue, lethargy, and an inability to focus on routine tasks. Inositol and choline have also been shown to improve mood and mental clarity while on a very low-calorie diet.
How long does it take for lipotropic injections to work?
Lipotropic injections are vitamin B12 based injections, they start working immediately and within 48 to 72 hours, your body will begin to make new cells from the drug. It’s common to start losing weight within your first-week post-injection. Although the goal is to drop a steady one to two pounds per week, some weight loss patients lose even more when they first get started with lipotropic B-12 injections. In general, it takes about 30 days after your first lipotropic B-12 injections to see weight loss results, although you may notice results sooner when combined with proper diet and exercise.
Are lipotropic injections safe?
The injections most often contain vitamin B12, which is considered safe in large quantities. However, lipotropic injections used alone without a weight loss plan may not be safe.
Some lipotropic injections may not be appropriate for everyone. Before receiving their first injection, a person should check if any of the ingredients can be harmful in combination with their medications or a medical condition they have.
Apart from pain at the injection site, one of the risks of using lipotropic injections is that they may not work. People cannot rely on these injections to promote fat loss, so they should also try to adopt more healthful habits, such as exercising regularly.
Researchers have not studied the side effects of lipotropic injections. Information on side effects comes from anecdotal evidence from people who have used the injections for weight loss. Side effects may also vary from person to person.
