HiHi Everyone:

I am new on here, and would like to share my experience with Peripheral Neuropathy. I am a mid 40's male, in good health, athletic, and follow a healthy lifestyle (i.e. never smoked, do not drink, never used drugs, exercise, eat well, take supplements, etc).

A few years ago I went to see my doctor about something and casually mentioned that I had sensitive hands and feet. Apparently, I had mentioned this before a few times in the past over the years. The doctor sent me to see a Neuro. The neuro took tests and concluded that I had a mild form of peripheral neuropathy of unknown origin. That was in 2008. The condition has fluctuated over the years. My complaints have been of burning hands and feet (varies), hypersensitivity of the hands and feet (varies), various odd sensations in my legs (as if the legs are going to 'give out' when I sit down), flushing of the skin (especially the legs), and muscle fatigue at the gym. I still seem to have a lot of strength when pushing weights.

I have had numerous tests done, many of which I asked for after doing my own research. In 2008 I had the following tests done, and am trying to connect the dots.

- Nerve conduction tests (about 65%-70% of normal)
- B12 tests (all good)
- MRI of Brain and Spine (which was normal)
- Moderate osteopenia
- Elevated thyroid antibodies (3x upper end of range), enlarged right lobe, mildly elevated TSH.
- Below normal C4 Complement
- Below normal vitamin D levels
- Below normal WBC (just under low end of range)
- Vitamin B6 level test (which is not a standard test here).

So far the vitamin B6 test had has the most interesting findings. I was taking a high quality multi-vitamin for numerous years that had 50mgs of vitamin B6 in the mix. I had read that vitamin B6 can be toxic at levels above 100mgs. I never considered that with my active lifestyle and taking 50mgs in a multi vitamin, that this might be a problem - especially considering that B6 is water soluble, and supposedly any excess excreted.. I pushed for the test and following were the results:

Normal Range for B6: 20-90 (do not remember unit off hand)

B6 Test #1 Baseline. Had been taking the multi with 50mgs of B6 for years. The results of my first test was a B6 level of 854, almost 10 times the upper end of the normal reference range.

B6 Test # 2. I then reduced my multi down to 1/3, so that I was only ingesting 17mgs of B6 for a period of 2 months. I had my B6 retested after two months, and the level had dropped to 450, but still 5 times higher than the upper end of the normal reference range.

B6 Test #3. I then stopped taking the multi altogether for two months, and therefore had with NO supplemental B6 in my diet. The results dropped down to 209. Still almost 2 times higher than the upper end of the normal reference range.

I was always under the impression that B6 was water soluble and did not store in the body, but from these tests, I am finding that perhaps my body is not using the B6 in a normal fashion. From what I have read B6 toxicity can cause similar symptoms to what I am feeling. I would like to be retested in several months to see if my B6 levels have normalized and if this has any impact on my symptoms over time. Perhaps it take a long time for my body to rid itself of B6.

I also take Zinc, selenium, vitamin C, Omega 3, and calcium for the Osteopenia. I am currently experimenting with the Calcium and magnesium. Although I am only taking less that 1000mgs a day of the Calcium, for some reason my 'leg shakiness' sensations seem to get worse when I am taking this. I have been tracking my vitamin intake on a regular basis and have been noting my sensations on a daily basis to see if I can extrapolate any connections. I have been doing this daily for the past two years.

My blood work for Calcium and Magnesium have always been normal, however I am wondering if there is any connection on why these two elements might cause the sensation that I am feeling, even though I am well below the normal doses that would be required for normal bone health?

I also got a requisition to be tested for selenium, zinc, and copper levels. I have read that the symptoms I am feeling can be related to a copper deficiency. Since I take a zinc supplement, I am speculating that perhaps the zinc has induced a copper deficiency (based on what I have read), which might also explain my lower white blood counts (lower copper). This is all just speculation, but am curious after pushing my doc for the B6 tests, and seeing the results. The above 3 supplements are taken in amounts well below the upper tolerable limits. After the B6 results came in, I decided to see if perhaps my supplements could be causing my neuropathy, based on the way my body processes them.

I am just curious if anyone else on here has had any of their vitamin and mineral levels tested and has done any research to see if perhaps their neuropathies are based on REGULAR SUPPLEMENTATION levels that could be causing problems over the long term. I had tried stopping all of my supplements for a month, but did not notice any changes. I do need these supplements for other health issues. I am thinking that the B6 stoppage might take several months (if any changes at all).

Please share your experiences. Maybe we can find some similarities.

Thanks.