Toxic nerve damage
 

Those of you who have widespread nerve symptoms and no diagnosis should perhaps get a vitamin B6 blood test.

I got widespread nerve damage from the B6 megadoses that are included in many health supplements.

From my experience, and reading about other B6ers experiences elsewhere, this is a problem flying under the radar. Even neurologists don't seem to understand it, as it takes some patients years to get a diagnosis. I was lucky to eventually see a senior neuro who was onto it right away.

In my case symptoms extended from paresthesias, electric shocks, tingling and buzzing to cramps, twitching and difficulty walking. I even had a couple of scary but temporary pressure palsies.

I also had feelings like there was a rock in my shoe, bee stings, and sometimes difficulty breathing when lying down.

My symptoms went away very slowly after stopping all B6 supplements. After three years I am now 80% to 90% recovered.

I took the B6 supplements after getting muscle damage in my feet from taking a statins at 20mg a day. The muscle damage came on very slowly over two years and became very painful. I had hoped the health supplements would help me heal, but instead I just got the added nerve symptoms.

I found the best healer is sleep, I took melatonin and a tiny dose of amitriptyline before going to bed. Edible cannabis before bed also helps with sleep greatly (if legal in your area).

You don't have to be taking supplements to get B6 toxicity, some people have a presumably genetic enzymopathy that causes B6 to build up.

Would love to hear back if any of you with PN find your B6 levels sky high.

Excess intake of Vitamin B6 is known to cause sensory neuropathy.

Its Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is between 1-2 mg/day for adults.

Its Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 100 mg/day for adults.

See http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-B6 for more on this.

It wasnt a good choice taking b6, unless you were deficient in the first place. B6 toxicity causes PN in people. People often take megadoses of vitamins when they have no deficiency present, it also exacerbated by the fitness trend and hype nowadays, or people think it gives them a boost, however your body most likely eliminates any excess vitamins from the diet anyways.

The problem is that B6 is hidden in many pills. The Blackmores Magnesium pills I was taking carried 50 units of B6, the Swisse Zinc pills 25 units, the Blackmores Mega B another megadose of B6, and so on ...

I think some energy drinks have it too.

The daily B6 requirement is tiny, yet people take these huge doses, many unknowingly.

The link listed by Kiwi33 is excellent, but be aware that people are reporting B6 neuropathy and high blood B6 levels on lower doses than are generally regarded as dangerous in the literature.

As well as genetic processing issues (enzymopathies) I suspect some people have genetic weakness is their nerves, which makes them vulnerable to toxic assault.

yes, but it usually indicated on the nutrition facts, area. People consume it because, they believe it will boost them when they are working out or exercising, even if they have regular levels in thier body, assuming they dont have any undrerlying disorder. vitamins also carry a risk of containing other stuff in there, since they are not regulated.

It's encouraging to know that you improved. I have been off supplements for a long time and haven't noticed much improvement since the toxicity. I only took it for short periods of time, but did not know that was the reason for the nerve issues for a while.

Hi All... On the other hand, my B6 is quite low with a recommendation from my neuro for supplementation. I researched it and linked it potentially to the gabapentin use. There was no helpful advice on my doctor's end.

Oh yes....The phantom rock in the shoe thing. I know it well. :)

Eat avocados. Thy are super high in b6. High enough people actually get toxic off of them. I would not take a supplement if I were you.

Is the B6 Plasma test the right one to take? Mine shows me right in the middle:

Component
VITAMIN B6,PLASMA

Your Value
19.9 ug/L

Standard Range
5.3 - 46.7 ug/L