1. < Neuropathy

B-6 vitamin danger!

Posted by Lynsorensen @lynsorensen, Dec 11, 2017

With the assistance of a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, I have almost completely eliminated the uncontrolled muscle spasms now. First and foremost: beware of taking multi-vitamin capsules that have B6 listed. B-6 overdosage (which is contained in every multivitamin I found in stores and on the internet) can cause loss of muscle control and spasms in some people. So can gluten found in many foods so now I am also gluten free. I now work out with a personal trainer 3 days a week and do water aerobics another 2 days. Got off gabapentin and also clonazepam. Using CBD oil capsules each morning (no more opioids or chemicals) and using a CBD topical ointment to rub on my leg muscles each night. He says I don't need him anymore! And I don't. No more shaking or muscle cramps or pain. Still a little numbness but that is receding also.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Jun 6, 2020
In reply to @greg777 "I came across this recent article that seems to indicate that it is specifically the pyridoxine..." + (show)
@greg777

I came across this recent article that seems to indicate that it is specifically the pyridoxine form of B6 that can kill cells. (There are other forms, such as pyridoxal, pyridoxal-5-phosphate and pyridoxamine that DON'T injure cells.)

You can buy pyridoxal-5-phosphate and get a prescription for pyridoxamine, but the form most readily available in most supplements is pyridoxine!

Toxicol In Vitro
. 2017 Oct;44:206-212. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.07.009. Epub 2017 Jul 14.
The Vitamin B6 Paradox: Supplementation With High Concentrations of Pyridoxine Leads to Decreased Vitamin B6 Function

Misha F Vrolijk 1 , Antoon Opperhuizen 2 , Eugène H J M Jansen 3 , Geja J Hageman 4 , Aalt Bast 4 , Guido R M M Haenen 4
Affiliations expand
PMID: 28716455 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.07.009
Abstract

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as a coenzyme in many reactions involved in amino acid, carbohydrates and lipid metabolism. Since 2014, >50 cases of sensory neuronal pain due to vitamin B6 supplementation were reported. Up to now, the mechanism of this toxicity is enigmatic and the contribution of the various B6 vitamers to this toxicity is largely unknown. In the present study, the neurotoxicity of the different forms of vitamin B6 is tested on SHSY5Y and CaCo-2 cells. Cells were exposed to pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, pyridoxal, pyridoxal-5-phosphate or pyridoxamine-5-phosphate for 24h, after which cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. The expression of Bax and caspase-8 was tested after the 24h exposure. The effect of the vitamers on two pyridoxal-5-phosphate dependent enzymes was also tested. Pyridoxine induced cell death in a concentration-dependent way in SHSY5Y cells. The other vitamers did not affect cell viability. Pyridoxine significantly increased the expression of Bax and caspase-8. Moreover, both pyridoxal-5-phosphate dependent enzymes were inhibited by pyridoxine. In conclusion, the present study indicates that the neuropathy observed after taking a relatively high dose of vitamin B6 supplements is due to pyridoxine. The inactive form pyridoxine competitively inhibits the active pyridoxal-5'-phosphate. Consequently, symptoms of vitamin B6 supplementation are similar to those of vitamin B6 deficiency.

Keywords: Neuropathy; Neurotoxic; Pyridoxine; Supplements; Vitamin B6.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Jump to this post

Hello @greg777, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing this information on Vitamin B6. May I ask how you found Connect? Were you searching for information to help with a health condition or symptoms you have?

REPLY
1 reply
Hank | @jesfactsmon | Jun 6, 2020
In reply to @greg777 "I came across this recent article that seems to indicate that it is specifically the pyridoxine..." + (show)
@greg777

I came across this recent article that seems to indicate that it is specifically the pyridoxine form of B6 that can kill cells. (There are other forms, such as pyridoxal, pyridoxal-5-phosphate and pyridoxamine that DON'T injure cells.)

You can buy pyridoxal-5-phosphate and get a prescription for pyridoxamine, but the form most readily available in most supplements is pyridoxine!

Toxicol In Vitro
. 2017 Oct;44:206-212. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.07.009. Epub 2017 Jul 14.
The Vitamin B6 Paradox: Supplementation With High Concentrations of Pyridoxine Leads to Decreased Vitamin B6 Function

Misha F Vrolijk 1 , Antoon Opperhuizen 2 , Eugène H J M Jansen 3 , Geja J Hageman 4 , Aalt Bast 4 , Guido R M M Haenen 4
Affiliations expand
PMID: 28716455 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.07.009
Abstract

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as a coenzyme in many reactions involved in amino acid, carbohydrates and lipid metabolism. Since 2014, >50 cases of sensory neuronal pain due to vitamin B6 supplementation were reported. Up to now, the mechanism of this toxicity is enigmatic and the contribution of the various B6 vitamers to this toxicity is largely unknown. In the present study, the neurotoxicity of the different forms of vitamin B6 is tested on SHSY5Y and CaCo-2 cells. Cells were exposed to pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, pyridoxal, pyridoxal-5-phosphate or pyridoxamine-5-phosphate for 24h, after which cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. The expression of Bax and caspase-8 was tested after the 24h exposure. The effect of the vitamers on two pyridoxal-5-phosphate dependent enzymes was also tested. Pyridoxine induced cell death in a concentration-dependent way in SHSY5Y cells. The other vitamers did not affect cell viability. Pyridoxine significantly increased the expression of Bax and caspase-8. Moreover, both pyridoxal-5-phosphate dependent enzymes were inhibited by pyridoxine. In conclusion, the present study indicates that the neuropathy observed after taking a relatively high dose of vitamin B6 supplements is due to pyridoxine. The inactive form pyridoxine competitively inhibits the active pyridoxal-5'-phosphate. Consequently, symptoms of vitamin B6 supplementation are similar to those of vitamin B6 deficiency.

Keywords: Neuropathy; Neurotoxic; Pyridoxine; Supplements; Vitamin B6.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Jump to this post

@greg777 thank-you for posting this very interesting information. In scouring through a couple of pages of google links on the subject of pyridoxine vs pyridoxal-5'-phosphate as B6 sources, the gist of most articles are that P5P is the active form and therefore generally considered the best source of B6 but in this one In Vitro study that you reference they actually found that pyridoxine is not only less preferred but is actually toxic! I have been trying for a while now to hone in on a good B Complex supplement and with the latest wrinkle
regarding excessive B6 potentially exacerbating PN I switched from one B Complex supplement to a different one. In light of this new info I have already found what appears to be a better one here:

https://smile.amazon.com/Super-B-Complex-Methylated-Vitamins-Methylcobalamin/dp/B01787EPEE/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=b+complex&qid=1591463827&s=hpc&sr=1-8

This supplement contains only P5P as its source for B6 and also has good, absorbable sources for the other B components (e.g. methycobalamin for b12 rather than cyanocobalamin, etc.). Hopefully this will now enable us to take a higher dose of helpful B6 without the detrimental effects of pyridoxine.

Thanks again! Hank

REPLY
1 reply
sorenthia | @sorenthia | Jun 11, 2020
In reply to @lynsorensen "Here is the quote (one of many) I found on the internet in a Google search..." + (show)
@lynsorensen

Here is the quote (one of many) I found on the internet in a Google search a month ago: " People almost never get too much vitamin B6 from food. But taking high levels of vitamin B6 from supplements for a year or longer can cause severe nerve damage, leading people to lose control of their bodily movements.Feb 17, 2016"
I checked the multivitamin capsule I was taking each morning and discovered it contained 200% ADA of B6. This on top of a vegetarian diet already rich in B vitamins. My numbness in the legs and the uncontrollable muscle spasms in arms and legs had gotten worse after I started taking them. I stopped the vitamin capsules, went on a gluten free diet, and increased exercise to 5 days a week. I met with the Neurologist at Mayo who was not surprised that a lot of my problem had been identified.

Jump to this post

In our group, we do have toxicity from food only. Please join us on Facebook at Unraveling B6 Toxicity with Western Research. Read the announcements first. There is a wealth of information and other sufferers who are in various stages of healing. There is a lot of help here for you.

REPLY
sorenthia | @sorenthia | Jun 11, 2020
In reply to @jesfactsmon "@greg777 thank-you for posting this very interesting information. In scouring through a couple of pages of..." + (show)
@jesfactsmon

@greg777 thank-you for posting this very interesting information. In scouring through a couple of pages of google links on the subject of pyridoxine vs pyridoxal-5'-phosphate as B6 sources, the gist of most articles are that P5P is the active form and therefore generally considered the best source of B6 but in this one In Vitro study that you reference they actually found that pyridoxine is not only less preferred but is actually toxic! I have been trying for a while now to hone in on a good B Complex supplement and with the latest wrinkle
regarding excessive B6 potentially exacerbating PN I switched from one B Complex supplement to a different one. In light of this new info I have already found what appears to be a better one here:

https://smile.amazon.com/Super-B-Complex-Methylated-Vitamins-Methylcobalamin/dp/B01787EPEE/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=b+complex&qid=1591463827&s=hpc&sr=1-8

This supplement contains only P5P as its source for B6 and also has good, absorbable sources for the other B components (e.g. methycobalamin for b12 rather than cyanocobalamin, etc.). Hopefully this will now enable us to take a higher dose of helpful B6 without the detrimental effects of pyridoxine.

Thanks again! Hank

Jump to this post

If you have any suspicions of B6 toxicity, please get it out of your diet completely! Please join us on Facebook at Unraveling B6 Toxicity with Western Research. Read the announcements first. There is a wealth of information and other sufferers who are in various stages of healing. There is a lot of help here for you.

REPLY
2 replies
sorenthia | @sorenthia | Jun 11, 2020
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @greg777, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing this information on Vitamin B6...." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @greg777, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing this information on Vitamin B6. May I ask how you found Connect? Were you searching for information to help with a health condition or symptoms you have?

Jump to this post

Dear John, I am reading all over these blogs about Vitamin B6 toxicity. It ruined my LIFE. Neurologists dont even believe it exists most of the time. And there's so much people are unaware about. Like how B6 toxicity hides in your tissues and will disappear from your blood tests. You will still be toxic!!! I found a protocol that helped me so much so I am trying to spread the word. This group is only growing, and there will soon be a website (late this year) with all of the scientific research we could find on this terrible disorder. Please join us on Facebook at Unraveling B6 Toxicity with Western Research. Read the announcements first. There is a wealth of information and other sufferers who are in various stages of healing. There is a lot of help here for people!

REPLY
avmcbellar | @avmcbellar | Jun 11, 2020
In reply to @sorenthia "If you have any suspicions of B6 toxicity, please get it out of your diet completely!..." + (show)
@sorenthia

If you have any suspicions of B6 toxicity, please get it out of your diet completely! Please join us on Facebook at Unraveling B6 Toxicity with Western Research. Read the announcements first. There is a wealth of information and other sufferers who are in various stages of healing. There is a lot of help here for you.

Jump to this post

Hi @sorenthia. I have a bitter after taste maybe caused by the B6 vitamin. I noticed it is in some cereals. Check the listed ingredients of foods. I had gotten the bitterness taste after taking a multivitamin a few months ago too. It contained B6. I called the manufacturer and they were baffled. I had tried with and without iron but it did not make a difference. I suspected maybe the vitamin Bs were to blame but did not know which one. I recently ate cereal and noticed the bitter after taste again. @sorenthia not everyone is a Facebook member. Does that mean those people cannot join? Thank you for the information.

REPLY
Hank | @jesfactsmon | Jun 15, 2020
In reply to @sorenthia "If you have any suspicions of B6 toxicity, please get it out of your diet completely!..." + (show)
@sorenthia

If you have any suspicions of B6 toxicity, please get it out of your diet completely! Please join us on Facebook at Unraveling B6 Toxicity with Western Research. Read the announcements first. There is a wealth of information and other sufferers who are in various stages of healing. There is a lot of help here for you.

Jump to this post

Hello @sorenthia I tried to join this group last week on FB and the request has not been approved as yet. Without being allowed to join there is no way for me to access the information that you suggest I look at. If someone would approve my request I'd like to start learning whatever is being offered here. Thanks much, Hank

REPLY
sparkysparks | @sparkysparks | Oct 11, 2020
In reply to @airialsmith "I have been diagnosed with vitamin b6 toxicity with four very toxic levels drawn. Not coming..." + (show)
@airialsmith

I have been diagnosed with vitamin b6 toxicity with four very toxic levels drawn. Not coming from anything I take and I don't take supplements. We can't get the level down no matter what we try. I have electric shocks, numbness, pins and needles and much more. Any suggestions? Thinking about going to the Mayo Clinic and need to know if they can help? I have been to two neurologists / endocrinolgists / general dr.'s / ob-gyn's and had over 200 blood tests drawn. The idea was Hypophosphatasia – but I had a bone scan and completely normal and a detailed dental exam for bone less and completely normal. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Jump to this post

I know this is an old post but I had to drink coffee and water, or coconut water all day every day when I was acutely sick. I also avoided all b6 foods as well (there is an app that will tell you pretty much about the vitamin content of any food). The only studies I could find involve caffeine/coffee as its dilutes the b6 levels quicker. I also personally believe exercise and working your muscles has to help process it out vs laying around sedentary. Got to get the blood and kidneys moving it out! Also I read an article that arabica coffee may help regenerate nerve damage. There is a Wikipedia page on “mega vitamin b syndrome” which is worth the read as there just isn’t much out there. I’ve consulted a neuropharmacologist /biochemists and holistic md’s for advice and it was the neuropharmacologist/biochemist/toxicologist that has the Real knowledge to help us. It was the ND that made me sick and burned the nerves up in my body overdosing me with 6 , so be very careful who you let talk you into putting supplements into your body. I have come to learn that the title of doctor doesn’t mean your an expert and that practicing medicine is exactly that “practice”. Gene testing is a big deal now days and can tell you if you process 6 normally. Also be careful because being deficient in b6 paradoxically presents with the same symptoms as toxicity.

REPLY
sunnyflower | @sunnyflower | Nov 25, 2020
In reply to @johnbishop "@lynsorensen that's great news. Lots of info on B6 toxicity out there. This is one of..." + (show)
@johnbishop

@lynsorensen that's great news. Lots of info on B6 toxicity out there. This is one of the better sites I've found that puts it all together in an easy to understand way.

Vitamin B6 Toxicity:
http://www.easy-immune-health.com/vitamin-b6-toxicity.html

John

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Hello. My latest two vitamin B6 lab results (24 hours without my supplement) showed my B6 is abnormally high; double what it should be! I didn't realize I've been taking 50mg. in my Max Potency Multivitamin/Mineral supplement. I need to find an equivalent WITHOUT so much B6 in it. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have a lot of disease in my body besides Neuropathy so need a very good all-around multi-vitamin/mineral supplement b/c I don't eat very much. Thank you so much! Sunnyflower

REPLY
catstx | @catstx | Nov 26, 2020
In reply to @johnbishop "@lynsorensen that's great news. Lots of info on B6 toxicity out there. This is one of..." + (show)
@johnbishop

@lynsorensen that's great news. Lots of info on B6 toxicity out there. This is one of the better sites I've found that puts it all together in an easy to understand way.

Vitamin B6 Toxicity:
http://www.easy-immune-health.com/vitamin-b6-toxicity.html

John

Jump to this post

Thank you, that is a wonderful site

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