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Understanding B6 Toxicity

Vitamin B6 toxicity is Small Fiber Polyneuropathy (SFPN). Simply put, B6 toxicity damages small fiber nerves even with doses as low as 1.4 mg or a diet high in B6 foods. We have sensory nerve damage which is the pins, needles, pain, burning and stinging in your hands and feet. We have autonomic nerve damage which means that all that is automatic in your body is no longer automatic. This includes blood VOLUME issues which create headaches, lightheadedness, anxiety and brain fog. We have temperature issues, sweating issues, irregular heartbeats, blood pressure issues, thirst, hunger, dry eyes, dry mouth, bladder issues, digestive issues including upper GI (nausea, vomiting after meals, reflux)…

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 Vitamin B6 Toxicity: Why Now?

I am ALARMED at the amount of B6 in vitamins. We are putting a known neurotoxin into our body every day when we supplement. The problem is conventional wisdom. First, no one realizes that B6 is stored in the muscles. Second, we’ve been told all of our lives that we will just urinate it out. No research asks, “what happens to B6 when muscle storage gets full”. Since exercise is the only way B6 comes out of the muscles and we as a society don’t exercise, we need to know what happens to the excess incoming B6.

 Why Most Doctors Don’t Know About B6 Toxicity

B6 toxicity causes Small Fiber Polyneuropathy. This is known from the research. Why don’t most doctors know about this? The reason is that the focus for many years has been on large fiber nerves. The small fiber nerves were the bastard stepchildren of the nervous system. The research that is being done on Small Fiber Polyneuropathy is a recent development thanks to many devoted researchers including Dr. Anne Oaklander and her team associated with Neuropathy Commons

Articles of Interest

Health supplements containing vitamin B6 can cause peripheral neuropathy

On this page Is this link a new discovery? What is peripheral neuropathy? About vitamin B6 Other names for vitamin B6 New labelling and use regulations Why TGA made these labelling and use changes Further reading Additional information Related links Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is in lots of multivitamin and mineral supplements that can be bought in supermarkets, health food shops and pharmacies without a prescription. Many people are not aware that vitamin B6 can cause peripheral neuropathy, which results in tingling, burning or numbness usually in the hands and feet. Taking vitamin B6 even at low doses can cause peripheral neuropathy but people are more likely to get it if they are taking more than one supplement.

The Cause Of Vitamin B-6 Toxicity (Updated)

So the moral of this story is if you are supplementing vitamin B6, do not take it as pyridoxine, which is frequently what you get in multivitamins. Take pyridoxal-5-phosphate instead. It is readily available as a supplement.

Vitamin B6 toxicity: Are you at risk?

Vitamins supplements are generally considered low risk, but anything has the potential for toxicity — this is a cautionary tale about Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is in many supplements. While individual supplements will be within a safe therapeutic range, the dose can quickly add up if you take multiple supplements.

Why is vitamin B6 toxic for some and why don’t symptoms resolve when vitamin B6 is stopped?

Keep in mind that for most individuals, vitamin B6 causes no issues and is an important nutrient for improving the symptoms of pyroluria/social anxiety, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, easing PMS and hormonal issues and much more.

Will Overdosing on Vitamin B6 Cause Irreversible Nerve Damage?

Diagnosing what is causing neuropathy or nerve pain can be challenging. Sometimes it is caused by too little or too much vitamin B6. Beware of overdosing.

Resources

4 dangerous side effects of taking too much vitamin B6 and how to tell if you're overdoing it

Taking just one supplement with vitamin B6 won't put you over the daily limit — but since many multivitamins and dietary supplements contain vitamin B6, it's possible to accidentally take too much, according to Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a Medical Toxicologist and Co-Medical Director at the National Capital Poison Center.

StatPearls

Almost all cases of vitamin B6 toxicity are from supratherapeutic dosing, either iatrogenic or laypersons self-treating with over-the-counter supplements. Daily dietary intake will not provide enough pyridoxine to cause toxicity.