I am confused about B-6. I have read that people with PN should take only the minimum, but I also read that those with PN should use therapeutic levels of B-6.

Does anyone have more specific information about B-6

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec01/ch004/ch004h.html

Also check out this portion of the boards:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

B-1 and B-12 are like Vitamin C, in that you can exceed maximum dosages and hot hurt yourself in the process- what is not used passes on out. B-6, tho Stays in the body, and if you take in far more than you need, it builds up and starts to cause problems.

In my own situation, after trying to be ever so careful..to put as much 'good stuff' into myself to 'help' the healing, I found that B-6 in particular was an [unnecessary] additive in many other important supplements. Soo, I started out by eliminating most of my supplements and adding new ones very carefully to keep my b-6 at a medium recommended daily dose. My neuropathy improved some with this change, but, on the better side, it wasn't getting worse. Some of us are well, more sensitive/tolerant/intolerant to some medications, supplements and therapies than others.

Further we all seem to have come down the 'neuropathy pathway' from many different directions. So much about our onsets, diagnoses, treatments and outcomes varies - as varied - as we, as people are!

Sometimes it's like asking a ouija board about it all...between the docs [diagnosing or not], medications [working or not] and everything else in-between! I hope this helps you learn and find your own good way to feeling better - j

--although I couldn't find the specific thread this morning--darn.

The bottom line is that yes, there have been documented cases of Vitamin B6toxicity in the literature--usually the effect is a parasthetic sensory neuropathy that recedes once the megadosing is cut down.

Most of the cases reported have been at very high dosae levels--in excess of 200mg/day. Most of us here try to remain safe by not going above 50mg, or at most 100mg, daily.

It is also possible that people who experienced this have an enzymatic deficiency in the way they process pyridoxine, the usaul from in which B6 supplements are found, which allows B6 levels to build. From what I've researched, toxicity does not seem to be a problem with those who take their B6 in the co-enzymated P-5-P form, which they can process and eliminate (which is now available from many on-line supplement merchants).

(I'm sure when Mrs. D get back from the island she'll notice this and talk about it in more detail than I can.)

Ive had the same conerns as you hoibie,I was also worried about taking too much B6 incase it made the problem worse, I found a B complex supplement that has a very low dose of B6 but its also quite low on the other b vitamins as well. Ive just ordered a bottle of b complex by the same company that makes the methylcobalamin that a lot of people on here use (im not sure if I can use company names on here...). Its one of the few complexes I have found that contains P5P and methylcobalamin and its not mega high on b6...

Thanks for the responses.

One of the problems is that some supplements also include B-6. In my multi-vitamin there is 100 mg of B-6. I noticed when I bought Acetyl L-Carnatine there was 10 mg of B-6.