It's only just nearing the end of January and I'm already feeling exhausted. No amount of sleep, exercise or healthy eating has improved my energy levels and there's no way I have time to stop and rest now, so with coaxing from family and friends, off I went for a Vitamin B12 injection... or three. Which is apparently how many you're supposed to have so that your body gets a chance to absorb enough.

The first one was a cinch. I took a leisurely stroll over the road during a lunch break one day and saw a nurse at the nearby pharmacy who promptly administered the injection into my right buttock. Though it was a little sore, I was hardly the worse for wear and quite happily strolled back to the office to await the miraculous effects of the elixir that had just been squeezed into my bloodstream.

Aside from a mild taste of vitamin ? you know, the kind of smell you get when you walk down the vitamin aisle in a pharmacy, or the taste of those awesome kiddy's chewable vitamins that I remember from my childhood ? I was a little put out to find little change in my energy levels. But, knowing that I was only one large injection into a series of three, I decided to wait and see how I'd feel after I'd finished my course.

I went for my second injection this past Saturday and again, aside from the ache of the injection and odd taste of vitamin, I've really felt no different so far.

Should I go for my last shot in my series of three? Tell me what you think by clicking here.

It's made me wonder whether the injections are worth the aching pain in my butt. Surely a well-balanced diet should suffice? After all, 1000mcg of Vitamin B12 is hardly going to be fully absorbed by your body. According to the nurse, your system will take what it needs and discard the rest through your urine and sweat glands. At R45 a shot, that's expensive urine.

I've done my own research on Vitamin B injections and even chatted to my doctor and have found that the claims made by many that it is an immune and energy booster are not exactly correct.

Firstly, let me make it clear that our bodies need Vitamin B12 to function healthily. It contributes largely to the maintenance of our nervous systems, by assisting in the production of red blood cells to ensure a healthy, well-functioning nervous system and a healthy, happy body in general.

That does go some way to looking after our mental well-being and gives us some reason to think it energises us, but not in the way that we expect. The bottom line is it's no quick fix.

Most of us get our doses of Vitamin B12 through our diet, but because of our body's low absorption rate of the vitamin, we can be prone to the deficiency if we're not getting enough of it. It's found in proteins like meat (particularly liver), eggs, dairy and fish, while experts seem to agree that there is no reliable plant source of Vitamin B12.

Apparently some seaweeds contain it (think Spirulina), but not in any large amount and the absorption from this source is not good. This means that vegans would be more prone to a deficiency than someone who ate meat and dairy.

This makes me think that Vitamin B12 shots can be beneficial if your diet isn't wide-ranging enough, but then, if you weren't eating well or were limited to a certain diet, wouldn't a multi-vitamin be necessary anyway?

Assessing what a deficiency of the vitamin means is another way of looking at the Vitamin B12 debate. Apparently deficiency is what causes "pernicious anaemia" and is what ultimately results in the onset of dementia later on in life. That's definitely one reason to add to the "why you should take Vitamin B12" list. Deficiency can also cause depression and other mental health issues.

A study done in 1973 showed evidence of improved mood and energy in those that were B12 deficient, as well as those who were not. In 1989, a psychiatrist called Herbert Newbold found that Vitamin B12 made a difference to patients to the point that they would notice if they were given a dummy injection, which just contained water.

This said, his study doesn't seem to be very scientific, but rather focused on reports made by patients on how they felt.

Since then it seems that there has been little research to confirm the benefits of Vitamin B12 injections regarding its energy and immune boosting properties. Still, it seems to be widely accepted that there are some benefit to the injections.

A combination of the need for instant gratification in today's fast-paced world, as well as the increasing popularity of alternatives to conventional medicine, means that the injection has gained popularity. But the bottomline is that since your body is likely to reject the vitamin if it's not deficient, you're probably just experiencing a placebo effect. That's to say, you think that the injection has given you the boost you're looking for, but in actual fact, your increased energy levels are all in your mind.

Still, I do think that there are benefits to going for the injections occasionally. For one thing, if the vitamin is known to assist in the production of essential DNA and the maintenance of the nervous system, then a course of injections every few months can't go amiss.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it's worth going for the injection, or do you think a supplement taken orally is better? Let us know your thoughts here or in the comments section below.