Vitamin B6 Overdosing Can Lead To Neuropathy

Today's post from peoplespharmacy.com (see link below) is a bit of a wake-up call for people who regularly use vitamin supplements - too much of a particular vitamin can have the opposite effect to that which you hoped for. You will also see Vitamin B widely recommended as a help when you have neuropathic problems but that is generally B12 and even then, it should only be used when you have a deficiency already. Doctors are sometimes reluctant to routinely test for vitamin deficiencies but it's not that difficult and in the case of neuropathy, it can provide important information. The lesson here is that you should find out exactly what you're lacking in the vitamin department and then supplement as necessary (or improve your diet). Overdosing on a particular vitamin can be dangerous and even checking how much (vitamin B types in this case) is in your daily multi-vitamin may prevent you taking in too much. As a general point, if you take Vitamin B12 supplements, don't forget that you need folic acid too, in order for the body to absorb it efficiently. Many products have folic acid 'in-built' but if not, you will need folic acid supplements to achieve the right effect.
In general, always get the advice of your docotr or a qualified nutritionist before deciding to supplement your diet - it could save you both money and health problems.

Excess Vitamin Caused Neuropathy

November 21, 2010

 

Q. When I was a teenager I had a brief bout with acne. A friend of my mother said I should take baker's yeast. I took it for two weeks and it cleared up my skin. I hated the taste, though, so I switched to brewer's yeast tablets. I have been taking five a day for 40 years.

Over the last few years I have had trouble with numbness in my feet. It's a weird sensation, as though there were plastic wrap around them. A neurologist sent me for a battery of blood tests to rule out a vitamin B6 deficiency. He said it could cause peripheral neuropathy like mine.
My test results came back sky high. My B6 levels were seven times normal. Brewer's yeast is high in vitamin B6. It turns out that either too little or too much of this vitamin can cause peripheral neuropathy.

A. Neurologists consider the nerve damage that occurs from vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) toxicity as a stocking-glove phenomenon. The numb sensation you described was a red flag. People are usually advised to keep their vitamin B6 intake under 100 mg daily.

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2010/11/21/excess-vitamin-caused-neuropathy/