The Kefir helped with the neuropathy? What is the thinking behind that? I am so curious...can't wait to try it!

Thanks so much for the help...:)

I don't know how it works.... maybe by getting rid of Candida?

Anyway...it has been a miracle for me. Worth a try...not expensive and very tasty.

B6
 

Okay I realize nobody has posted on this thread for quite some time but hopefully someone will have an answer to this question.

What is the normal range for B6?

I can't seem to find 2 answers that are the same. My doctor's normal range goes from 20-125 but when I search online I see things like 5-30?! or 30-50?!

My level is 21...so I'm either good or on the low end of normal.

Anybody?

It depends on the labs doing the testing. The ranges are given for those types of machines they use.

It is very arbitrary however in the upper ranges. The ranges were not done on people using supplements, so anyone taking a vitamin containing B6 will show higher levels.

The ranges are just statistical analyses done on many people..believed to be "normal"..that is without symptoms.
It is really not that accurate IMO for many nutrients.

Being low in B6 can cause neuropathies. It wouldn't hurt to take a small amount daily IMO in your case.

I agree that fluoroquinolones should be in a higher risk category than "minor or uncertain" for people with CMT. "The Annals of Pharmacology" published an article on 8/31/2011 about hereditary neuropathy being unmasked by levofloxacin. I had a similar experience to the patient who is described in this article.

Yes, that paper is posted here somewhere. ( on the Peripheral Neuropathy forum ) ;)

It begs the question as to how many other drugs will unmask reveal CMT in otherwise symptom free people.

It is very difficult to find lists of PN triggers that are inclusive.
When I search for them, they all differ in some way.

And the sporadic papers of B6 "toxicity" never give lab range of that patient mentioned either. It is possible it is so high because of calibration limits, etc. I only found one paper mentioning what dose the patient was taking. :rolleyes:

Here is an article concerning this.

http://www.theannals.com/content/45/10/1312

However, it appears that this person and some of his family already had symptoms that seemed a bit obvious - at least to me.

Now P-5-P
 

In researching P5P products I ran across this review that is critical about the magnesium in the Now P-5-P.

at Amazon search for Now Foods P-5-P

The review was posted on 18 Apr 2013 (only 2 reviews posted)

Is this anything to be worried about?

Thanks

Mike

Solgar P5P
 

Solgar Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P-5-P) 50 mg Tablets (Specially Coated)

Does the "Specially Coated" mean it is encapsulated?

It lists Other Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate, Methacrylic Acid, Vegetable Cellulose, Vegetable Magnesium Stearate, Riboflavin, Titanium Dioxide, Glyceryl Triacetate, Vegetable Glycerin.

The UPC for 100 tabs is 033984023086.

Thanks

Specially coated means, to protect from stomach acids.

NOW also makes one that is a bit more affordable.

http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-P-5-P...60-Tablets/740

http://www.iherb.com/Solgar-P-5-P-50...-Tablets/12335

The word encapsulated typically means that something has been put into a capsule. It can be used to describe the tiny time beads found in some long acting products. The little beads are coated individually to change dissolution rates. It might be interesting to open a Metanx capsule and see if there is a little enteric coated pellet inside, containing the P5P?

Back in the olden days!!!... Darvon compound-65, which was a combination product capsule, had a pellet inside mixed into the powder. The pellet (the Darvon part) had a coating, to protect it from the aspirin that was in the powder. At that time I worked in a hospital and we had to make up placebos of Darvon Compound-65, for a specific doctor on the OB/GYN wing. He had many Darvon habituated patients, and typically used the placebos a day or two after hysterectomies. So we emptied out the manufacturer's capsules--removed the pellet, -- and replaced the contents with lactose, leaving the aspirin/caffeine intact.:rolleyes:
Darvon was finally reformulated to remove the pellet:
http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx...985&SizeDisp=7
It became Darvon Napsylate..aka Darvon-N

The amount of magnesium in NOW's brand is really small. 75% is magnesium oxide, and that is not absorbed. It is too small an amount to be really laxative as well. A typical oral magnesium oxide laxative (Phillips brand caplets) is 500mg.
100mg ----of magnesium oxide 75% and mag taurate 25%.
No mag from the oxide will be absorbed and 25mg of mag taurate is a very small amount. But it looks "fancy" doesn't it?
Manufacturers do this to "beef up" they supplement lists to look more important. Many less reputable places use "proprietary mixture" to get away with not putting ingredients quantities on the label. NOW doesn't do that, thank goodness.

I suspect the magnesium is in there as a filler. There isn't much left to use as an inert filler when so many items are listed as NOT included. Magnesium also is used as an anticaking compound to improve flow of the powder inside the tablet pressing machines.
Magnesium stearate also serves this function. Both are not absorbed and instead pass out in the stool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticaking_agent

Most people replying on "reviews" do not have chemistry/biopharmaceutical training. Please keep that in mind while reading them.;)