This may help

[TwoPuffsAl]

**Moderator warning: there is no good evidence in humans that Vitamin B6 supplements can help with asthma, even if individuals have found it seems to help. If you do try it, please don't stop or change your asthma medication without medical supervision, however good you feel. B6 supplements can be toxic in larger quantities, so please don't take any more than a maximum of 100mg per day.**

Hi all, some time ago I read about several pieces of research that showed positive results for vitamin B6 being helpful for anxiety. As an asthmatic for 70 years and also suffering from anxiety and stress I thought I’d give it a try. Amazingly after about six weeks on 100mg a day , my asthma is considerably better. I’m still taking my preventative pumps but am now hardly using my salbutamol at all, whereas I was getting through that pump once a month.

my B6 tablets are ‘natures aid’ brand and are pure B6 , I.e not mixed with anything else. I can’t put this dramatic improvement down to anything else and I certainly didn’t start taking them thinking it would help my asthma.

I hope this might be helpful

[Homely2 Administrator]

Stress can effect my asthma, so if something can help with an asthma trigger, that is all to the good.

I generally now avoid things that are likely to stress me, which has partly removed one of my asthma triggers.

Have you tried breathing exercises, they can help with stress, anxiety and asthma.

[TwoPuffsAl in reply to Homely2]

I tried breathing exercises in my youth without too much of an effect. However, I did go on a course with a Russian sounding name where I learned to always breath through my nose and to breath from the lower part of my lungs. This has helped a lot.

[Poobah in reply to TwoPuffsAl]

The Buteyko breathing method? It was recommended by my respiratory physiotherapist. It's helped me as persistent mouth breathing isn't great for anyone, asthmatic or not. But it would always be in addition to prescribed meds, not instead of.

Thanks for sharing your experience with VitB6.

[TwoPuffsAl in reply to Poobah]

spot on Poobah, Buteyko that was it. They had me running round the garden holding my breath and when I couldn’t go any further, I had to stop and recover my breath as soon as possible.

Agree that anything you try you must continue with your preventative medications as usual.

[Karjade]

High B6 can cause peripheral neuropathy. I had a blood test for B6 as I have been diagnosed with neuropathy and it was high. I was told that this could have caused my neuropathy and to eat a low B6 diet, avoid all energy drinks and do not take supplements. Please get your B6 levels checked by your doctors which is a special blood test. Please Google this all up to get more information. This was all told to me by my Consultant at the Pain Clinic at the hospital.