van Campen, C Linda Mc, Riepma, Klaas, Visser, Frans C · Frontiers in pharmacology · 2019 · DOI
This study tested whether vitamin B12 nasal drops could help people with ME/CFS. Fifty-one patients used the nasal drops for 3 months, and about two-thirds reported feeling better. Those who improved showed increases in their activity levels, better fatigue scores, and significantly higher vitamin B12 levels in their blood. The nasal drops appear to be a practical alternative to vitamin B12 injections for some patients.
ME/CFS patients often struggle with treatment access and tolerability, making alternative delivery methods for potentially beneficial interventions valuable. This study provides preliminary evidence that nasal B12 administration may be an accessible, non-invasive option compared to injections. Understanding which patients respond to B12 supplementation could help clinicians personalize treatment approaches.
This open-label study cannot prove that nasal B12 drops caused the improvements observed, as there was no placebo control group and patients knew they were receiving treatment. The 67% response rate may reflect placebo effect, natural variation, or regression to the mean rather than true drug efficacy. Findings cannot be generalized beyond this specific population or extended to patients with different B12 baseline levels.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
van Campen, C Linda Mc, Riepma, Klaas, & Visser, Frans C (2019). Open Trial of Vitamin B12 Nasal Drops in Adults With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Comparison of Responders and Non-Responders.. Frontiers in pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2019.01102
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-van-campen-2019-open-trial,
author = {van Campen, C Linda Mc and Riepma, Klaas and Visser, Frans C},
title = {Open Trial of Vitamin B12 Nasal Drops in Adults With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Comparison of Responders and Non-Responders.},
journal = {Frontiers in pharmacology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2019.01102},
note = {PubMed: 31616305},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-campen-2019-open-trial},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-campen-2019-open-trial
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