B12 shots deliver a concentrated amount of cobalamin, a water-soluble vitamin essential for red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis, as detailed in the NIH fact sheet on vitamin B12
The gastrointestinal side effects alone could be severe: intense nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain that lasts for days
- when there is risk of torsades de pointes, for example in patients with prolonged QT, concomitant administration of other medications that produce torsades de pointes (amiodarone, quinidine, bepridil, IV erythromycin, halofrantine, pentamidine, sparfloxacin, sultopride, vincamine, betrilio, disopyramide, sotalol, etc)
Role of vegetarianism, smoking, and hydroxocobalamin in optic neuritis