Frequently Asked Questions

Which do I do first - buy a voucher, or book an appointment with my nearest participating pharmacy?

Pharmacies are very busy places, so in all cases we strongly recommend that you make an appointment before purchasing a voucher. You'll need to do this yourself using the information provided on our Nearest Pharmacy Page or using their digital calendar system, if a link for this is displayed on their profile. 

Please be aware that there is no guarentee you will be able to purchase a voucher, as one of our prescribing team will need to assess the information you provide to us in response to our medical screen. If we are unable to offer you a voucher our prescribers will issue standardised responses to try to explain why this is in relation to your health. If you are unsuccessful for a voucher we ask that you kindly cancel the appointment you have made directly with your pharmacy. 

Who decides that this service is safe for me?

The injection is prescribed to you by one of our UK registered prescribers, subject to you completing a medical screen and reviewing our pre-administration information leaflet. Collectively, our multi-disciplinary team of prescribers have decades of experience from working across the full spectrum of healthcare. Successful completion of the medical screen ensures that the B12 service is safe and suitable for you.

One of our prescribing team will review your information after you've completed our medical screen and entered your payment details before authorising your voucher. We'll only take payment once your voucher is authorised.

If one of our prescribers decides that our service is not suitable for you, feedback will be provided in the email. Please do not reply to this email as it will not be actioned or responded to. 

I can't find my details to login to my Customer account

You can login to your Customer Account here; this is where you'll find your personal details, including the codes of any vouchers you have purchased from us. The login details are the ones you set when you first created an account with us; your email and a password. If you've forgotten your password please use the 'Forgot password?' function. 

Do I need to contact the pharmacy before I visit?

Yes, we do advise that you speak to your preferred pharmacy to arrange a time to visit. Whilst the aim is that pharmacists will be able to administer your injection within a few minutes of an unexpected arrival, this may not always be possible.

Pharmacies are busy places that also provide a range of other services, so from time to time there may be a small wait. The good thing is that the VitaJab website sorts out all of the paperwork in advance of your arrival and this saves a lot of time!

I'd like to ask a question about my suitability for this service

Unfortunately we cannot answer specific health-related queries and as such we will not reply to any questions of this nature. Please speak to a pharmacist at your Nearest Pharmacy who may be able to provide some help or advice about the service. It may be the case that your GP or another health professional has recommended our service to you, but our team of prescribers work from a central prescribing protocol which may result in your purchase being rejected. 

I have been rejected for an injection but my GP says I'm fine to use the service

If you are inelgible for the service you will receive a feedback email from one of our prescribers. Our aim is to give a brief explanation as to why, in the context of the service more broadly, you are ineligible. These justifications may differ to the opinion of other healthcare professionals that you may have consulted with. If you have been deemed ineligible by one of our prescribers please do not attempt to reply to the feedback email as it will not reach our prescribing team. 

My payment has been cancelled after I've tried to purchase a voucher

When we identify from time to time that a payment has been 'uncaptured' by the payment gateway, Stripe, we will automatically cancel the payment so as prevent a delay on releasing the payment footprint on your bank account, as described in our other FAQs. You may receive an email to this effect some time after attempting to purchase a voucher. 

The only situation in which this will happen is when you have not fully completed the payment process and returned to the 'Checkout Success' page on the VitaJab website, after briefly visiting Stripe. Please be aware that in many cases 2-step authentication with your bank or card provider may be necessary and you may need to login to your online banking app, or provide additional security information to complete the transaction before being returned to our Checkout Success page. If you do not complete these steps when attempting to make a purchase your information will not be passed to one of our prescribing team. 

How much does your service cost?

Our service is priced at £29 and vouchers can be purchased as often as every 28 days; that's 28 days after the date your last voucher was redeemed in one of our participating pharmacies when you attend to receive the service. 

The price covers various costs, including our prescribing fees and those of the pharmacy team you choose to visit.

Do injections hurt?

You'd struggle to describe an injection as a pleasant experience, but it certainly shouldn't hurt. There may be a slight sting, as with the flu jab or a travel vaccine. If you follow the advice of your pharmacist and keep your arm relaxed this will make it far less likely to hurt. Keeping your arm relaxed and not tensed helps reduce discomfort because the muscle fibres will also be relaxed.

How often can I use the service?

We limit the rate at which you can use the service to every 28 days. That's a decision our prescribers take when recognising this service sits outside the scope of NHS guidelines. 

Does my GP need to know?

The pharmacist that administers your injection will have a standardised notification letter to forward on to your GP. We think it's a good idea that your GP is aware if you are using this service, simply because our GPs are the centre-point of all our health care and records.

How likely is it that something could go wrong?

Should I do anything in particular before I attend the pharmacy for the service?

Not really, but it's always a good idea to have had your breakfast; it is after all the most important meal of the day for many good reasons. So long as your blood sugar is stable and you're well hydrated you will be set to go. Wearing a top that allows the pharmacist to access the top of your arm easily will also be helpful.

Can I still take oral B12 and other multivitamins?

What happens with my voucher code?

Our voucher codes begin with VITA and the pharmacy team at your chosen pharmacy will use this code to access the documents they need, including a private prescription, to administer your B12 injection. Only you can use the referral code - it cannot be transferred to someone else.

Your voucher code is viewable in your customer account, so you just need to sign into your account to view this. Some of our partnering pharmacies may request you to provide the voucher code when booking an appointment online via their systems.

How long does the service take in the pharmacy?

No more than a few moments, but the pharmacy team will need to do a small amount of preparation beforehand. After the service the pharmacist will ask you to stay in the pharmacy for up to 10 minutes; this is a precautionary measure after any pharmacy service, just like the the flu jab and travel vaccines.

I already have B12 injections from my GP - can I still use this service?

Most people that are treated for low B12 levels have a 3-monthly injection from their GP. Provided that you haven't had a B12 injection in the past 28 days and aren't scheduled to have a B12 injection in the next 28 days, you are able to use our private service.

Our service is outside the scope of NHS guidance, but is ultimately based on how you feel personally.

Is the service suitable for vegans and vegetarians?

Several manufacturers of the B12 amps provide stock to pharmacies in the UK. Stock readily available in the supply chain can also vary from time to time in different pharmacies. To date, the vast majority of these manufacturers have confirmed that their individual products have not been tested on animals and have not been manufactured using any animal based products.

To be certain, we recommend that you contact your nearest participating pharmacy in advance of purchasing your voucher. Your pharmacy team can check the vegan status of the stock they have to confirm its suitability using an information sheet on their dashboard.

I haven't received my voucher to my email address, why not?

Due to problems with spam filters, we don't send your voucher as an attachment by email. Your voucher can always be accessed through your customer portal once you sign in to your account. You will also find the pre-administration leaflet in your account. Please read this important information.

I have purchased a voucher but now when I search for my nearest pharmacy it is too far. Why is that?

I have contacted you but have not had a response. Why is nobody responding to my email?

I'm having trouble booking an appointment at my pharmacy due to their busy calendar

We can only apologise if this is the case and we expect all of our partnering pharmacies to try to refer you to the next nearest participating pharmacy in the event their regular pharmacist becomes temporarily unavailable, or can't accomodate you on your preferred day. We'd ask that you try your next closest pharmacy, via our nearest pharmacy page, if this is possible.

I still can't find what I'm looking for in the FAQ section. How do I get in touch with you?

I've booked an appointment for the service, but this is before the date that I'm next eligible to purchase another voucher

Our system dictates the date and time that you can purchase your next voucher. This is set (to the minute!) at 28 days after the date you last received the service by one of our partnering pharmacists, when you redeemed your last voucher in the pharmacy. 

Unfortunately we can't bring the date and time of next purchase forward, so we always advise customers to either have a voucher in hand before booking an appointment at your pharmacy, or to book an apppointment that is after the date and time outlined in your customer account. 

I've got my receipt from Stripe, but not my voucher code - where can I find it?

As soon as one of prescribers authorises your voucher you'll receive a receipt from our payment partner, Stripe. The email we send out that contains your voucher code will follow moments later. On some occasions the security features of different email providers filters out our emails, just as they do with other online companies, and this can result in our email landing in your spam/junk folder. 

If you don't appear to have received an email from us with your voucher code, firstly check your spam/junk folder. Alternatively, you just need to login to your customer account with the email and password you provided when you registered with us and your voucher can be found on your dashboard. 

What type of vitamin B12 is used?

Our service uses Hydroxocobalamin ampoules and there's 1,000mcg in each injection that our partnering pharmacists administer. As we only partner with registered pharmacies, you can rest assured that the B12 used is pharmaceutical grade and all ampoule stock is licensed. This means its the highest quality on the market and that's one of the reasons we partner with pharmacists - officially the most trusted healthcare professionals in the UK. 

Could it be something other than B12?

It's important to recognise that B12 is just one component when it comes to how we feel. There are other reasons such as iron deficiency, folate deficiency and metabolic causes, like thyroid dysfunction, that may lead to symptoms similar to sub-optimal B12 levels. If you feel this could be the case for you, we would advise you to make an appointment with your GP for blood tests prior to using this service. 

Diagnosis of B12 Deficiency

This service does not aim to diagnose or treat vitamin B12 deficiency. Furthermore, despite your GP being notified of your use of the service, there is a chance that diagnosis and treatment of true deficiency may be delayed. That's because any blood tests that you have may not be fully representative of your true levels and this may take some time to reset. 

Payment pending, 'money taken', no voucher

Payment pending but no voucher code?

First of all, don’t worry. In this instance funds have not been taken from your bank account; this is simply an earmark/footprint. This is a mechanism payment processors use before funds are actually taken. If the funds are not taken within 5 days this footprint will be removed. 

This can be caused when you try to purchase a voucher but do not complete the payment process. You will know you have completed the process when you arrive back on our payment confirmation page on the VitaJab website, once you have completed the purchase on Stripe.

An example of where this might happen is if you have inputted your card details but have then been unsuccessful in the 2-step authentication process. The 2-step authentication process is an updated standard to online payments to safeguard consumers. Whilst we realise this can add additional steps and complexity to the payment process, it is ultimately there to protect you from fraud. 

If you find yourself in this situation, please allow for 7 working days before contacting us. That's because after 7 working days the transaction will ultimately cancel and the funds will no longer be earmarked in your bank account. Unfortunately during this time we cannot provide support as this issue exists between your bank/credit card company and the Stripe payment gateway.

What is Authorise Capture? Pending Payment and Voucher missing/not issued

Authorise Capture is a 2-step mechanism for capturing your payment, that makes the process more secure for consumers. When you make a purchase with us, or any other online company, payment gateways (Stripe, Paypal etc.) put a 'footprint' on the £29 from your bank account. You will see this as a pending payment in your bank account but the funds have not neccesarily been taken.

When completing a purchase online with us it's important to complete the process fully; this means waiting for Stripe to return you to the 'Checkout Success' page of our website. It's important to note that your bank may require you to complete their respective 2-step authentication process before the payment process is fully complete.

This could involve logging in to your online banking app to approve payment, or entering a code that you receive by text message. Another way could be a secure password you have set to approve online payments. 

When this has happened your voucher code will be assigned to your customer account and will also be included in an automated email to the address you entered at registration. 

How does a pharmacy become listed on your Nearest Pharmacy page?

Pharmacy businesses, and then individual pharmacists in-situ, complete a variety of onboarding processes & documents prior to launching the service in their pharmacies. Only once these are in place is the pharmacy added to our Nearest Pharmacy page as an active site for you to visit. Occasionally pharmacists leave and move to a different pharmacy, which results in the pharmacy temporarily not being able to offer the service. For this reason we routinely contact and check in on pharmacies to ensure they are still able to provide the service. It goes without saying that the pharmacy should notify us in such circumstances, however this doesn't always happen. In such events we will always investigate the situation and support our customers appropriately.