Body making too much Vitamin B6

Posted by granolamama @granolamama, Feb 15, 2019

I had many labs done this week in an attempt to figure out why I am dealing with chronic muscle and joint pain, and severe exhaustion and weakness. The results came back showing that my B6 (normal range is 2-20) is 116. I do take one supplement each evening, and my doctor said it’s far less than she even takes, and in no way would account for such a number. She is completely confused, saying she has never seen such a thing, and couldn’t even come up with any info on it. She will spend some time meeting with other doctors this weekend to brain storm.
I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this, or has any info. I am googling like a mad woman, and the only info I can find is about people taking too much B6 in supplement form, and the dangers of it in their system. Nothing whatsoever about a person’s body making too much. Ideas?

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@adohracapella

Your body does not make B vitamins you get it from food and supplements it is water soluble Do you have good kidney function ?

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I thought I read where your body makes some but maybe I'm wrong but i don't take any vitamins except B12 but having intestinal issues might have autoimmune issue with the colon or small intestines so maybe I'm not absorbing the B6 and that's why it's building up in my system having all kinds of sharp nerve like pains all over the midsection shoulders hips arms legs they can't figure it out I'm a autoimmune poster child then had cancer cells in polyp removed in December so who knows what i have.

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My B6 level is 291. I have severe neuropathy in both legs from the knees down. My EMG (Electromyologram) test showed good motor-nerve response. The sensory nerves showed no response. My doctor said they were "fried".
I still have hope. How can I clear out the B6, for starters? How can I prevent my body from producing B6? How can I stop the retention of this vitamin that I do not take? Please, respond if you know anything.

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Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry you are having this issue. Hopefully others will soon share their experiences.

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@ally78

I just wanted to mention what I've found regarding high b6. My alkaline phosphatase (alp) levels have been consistently low. My b6 was in the 400 range at one point (although I was taking a b complex with 5 mg b6). I found that hypophosphatasia is a rare disorder which can result in low alp. For some reason, b6 is also elevated in individuals with hypophosphatasia. I would encourage those with high b6 to get their alp tested and research hypophosphatasia. It's often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia in adults. Just wanted to share my findings in hopes it'll help someone.

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Thanks for posting this. My B6 is 420 and yes I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia but there is no cure for it. I then had another doctor tell me that the previous doctor didn't write fibromyalgia in the notes so just dismissed it. I saw a neurologist recently where the B6 was high on the blood tests I was sent for.
I note this was in 2023, you wrote this. I'm curious how you got on. I hope you found a way through it.

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I take a number of supplements. My doc told me my B6 was high. So I stopped by Vit B Complex supplement two months back and should be retested around Sept. I started having neuropathy in my feet in 2018 so I started taking Vit B Complex to raise my Vit B12. I was told my nerve pain is from taking Immune Surpressant Tacrolimus for a liver transplant 18 years prior. I had my Heptologist reduce the surpressant to a lower level. Then recently stopped the B supplements. Still have pain and numbness and it's been 24 years from my 1st transplant and just turned 7 years for my second transplant. So we will see how my B vitamin levels are in the fall.

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@bobweller

I take a number of supplements. My doc told me my B6 was high. So I stopped by Vit B Complex supplement two months back and should be retested around Sept. I started having neuropathy in my feet in 2018 so I started taking Vit B Complex to raise my Vit B12. I was told my nerve pain is from taking Immune Surpressant Tacrolimus for a liver transplant 18 years prior. I had my Heptologist reduce the surpressant to a lower level. Then recently stopped the B supplements. Still have pain and numbness and it's been 24 years from my 1st transplant and just turned 7 years for my second transplant. So we will see how my B vitamin levels are in the fall.

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Thanks Bobweller. This is early days for me. I've been complaining about weakness in my legs and numb sensations in my feet or tingling in my big toe for years amongst other things. Almost every part of my legs will have pain when poked. Massage is cruel. This B6 anomaly has just surfaced with bloods being asked for by a neurologist. They're at 420 and I take very little in the way of supplements. At the beginning of the journey.
I think you've been of a very different journey and I hope theres light at the end of the tunnel for you.
Thanks for replying.

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What's odd is the human body does not produce excess vitamins unless there is an outside source or from a side affect from taking certain medications. Here is a quick clip from Google:

The body doesn't usually produce excess vitamin B6, but it can be caused by taking high doses of supplements or certain medications:
Supplements
Taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin B6 per day for a long time can lead to toxicity. This is also known as megavitamin-B6 syndrome, hypervitaminosis B6, or vitamin B6 excess.
Medications
Some epilepsy drugs, like valproic acid, carbamazepine, and phenytoin, can cause vitamin B6 to work faster than normal. This can lead to higher levels of homocysteine in the blood, which may increase the risk of seizures.
Vitamin B6 toxicity is rare and primarily affects the nervous system. Symptoms include:
Neuropathy in the hands and feet
Ataxia, or loss of control of body movements
Nausea
Paresthesias, or tingling, in the extremities
Difficulty walking in severe cases
Symptoms usually go away after stopping the high dose.

My Googke search was " why does the body produce excess vitamin b6". Other articles popped up.

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@cindi045

Mines about a 24 says it should be under 21.6 I believe

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These comments are so many years back that I don't know if anyone is still monitoring them. I am wondering if anyone with elevated B6 has found something causing it other than added supplements or B6 hearty food intake?? I know personally I could not eat enough foods heavy in B6 to cause a 24.6 number, which is what I have also. This one has never been an issue and is out of the blue, but as I have been reading, Ive found it can be responsible for peripheral neuropathy. I started suffering PN months ago, and gabapentin does help but I do not like the medication at all! So, I am very interested in what others may know. I am not enjoying the gabapentin I am given for my neuropathy and would love to stop it . If there is something I can naturally start or stop doing to help this discomfort and pain, I would certainly want to try. If anyone has found help for this, please share your insights! I feel like I'm asking ET to phone home, but I'm hoping there are still a handful of folks checking messages. And this is the first time I'm seeing all these comments, so thanks to anyone who can help in advance!

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@carolinlv

These comments are so many years back that I don't know if anyone is still monitoring them. I am wondering if anyone with elevated B6 has found something causing it other than added supplements or B6 hearty food intake?? I know personally I could not eat enough foods heavy in B6 to cause a 24.6 number, which is what I have also. This one has never been an issue and is out of the blue, but as I have been reading, Ive found it can be responsible for peripheral neuropathy. I started suffering PN months ago, and gabapentin does help but I do not like the medication at all! So, I am very interested in what others may know. I am not enjoying the gabapentin I am given for my neuropathy and would love to stop it . If there is something I can naturally start or stop doing to help this discomfort and pain, I would certainly want to try. If anyone has found help for this, please share your insights! I feel like I'm asking ET to phone home, but I'm hoping there are still a handful of folks checking messages. And this is the first time I'm seeing all these comments, so thanks to anyone who can help in advance!

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If you are not getting the high B6 levels from your food intake do you drink energy drinks? A lot of people don't read the labels close enough but they are a major source of high levels of B6.

-- Multivitamin supplements and energy drinks in pyridoxine megavitaminosis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5802477/

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@johnbishop

If you are not getting the high B6 levels from your food intake do you drink energy drinks? A lot of people don't read the labels close enough but they are a major source of high levels of B6.

-- Multivitamin supplements and energy drinks in pyridoxine megavitaminosis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5802477/

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I do not drink energy drinks of any type. I drink water. I’m 72 years old and six months ago, an endoscopy showed an ulcer so I’ve been on an even more basic diet for that. My diet was already pretty basic, as I’m trying to get my gastrointestinal system right through foods. my body really doesn’t love medication and if there is a side effect to be had, I will have it. I don’t eat red meat, I eat a little chicken, but honestly, I’m so weary of it I don’t eat much of that either. I live in Nevada, so finding good fish is close to impossible, so that’s a no also. For a while I was eating a lot of tuna, but I got tired of that, too. I take no supplements at all. I take one blood pressure medication and one statin and that’s it. So it seems that wherever I am getting vitamin B6, my body wants to store it for some reason. Does that sound like reasonable thinking?

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