Have you got problems with peripheral neuropathy and your doctors don't know why? It might be an overdose of vit B6.

[PMRpro]

I know there have been a few posts recently with people saying their doctors don't know why they are having tingling and other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

I have just read an article in the Guardian which is warning of potential overdosing of vitamin B6 because they are taking various supplements which, in addition to what they are getting in their food. Many cereals, energy drinks and other foods are supplemented with B6 and other supplements besides multivitamins have B6 added as well. One study found that some people were potentially taking 120mg a day where the recommended dietary intake is under 2mg!

Contrary to what some think, just because a little of something is good for you - too much can cause all sorts of problems!!! Check what you are taking!!!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Good advice as always…

[piglette]

I always think that if you can take a vitamin as food rather than a supplement that is all to the good. I agree that it is not always possible, but it is estimated that 96% of vitamins sold are not needed. That may be an exaggerated figure, but I can believe there is an awful lot of money wasted on vitamins.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

I'd suspect it might be on the low side - 98% maybe?????

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

99.999%???

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Getting there ...

[Bedwell]

thanks for that! My hands are tingling as I press buttons!!! I just take an organic multivitamin .. just one a day.. so don’t think too much .. but will check ingredients of granola for example .. my cranial osteopath insists that a regular swim.. or walking in water even can help the neuropathy.. so am trying that. Mmmmm ? ! First one yesterday. Twice a week for 10/ 15 mins. Any more and I’m completely exhausted. Onwards everybody and a Happy healthy 2025!!! And again many thanks for this forum.

[Bedwell]

just checked .. 2 mgs B6 only .. in my multivitamins .. so will look at other possibilities.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bedwell]

The RDA for older women is actually 1.5mg - so that tablet is already more than you need. But it is present in many foods, even if in the UK there aren't the amount of additions there are in the USA. So it isn't difficult to get what you need from diet if you eat meat, poultry and fish plus vegetables.

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/V...

But another question - which fingers? Could it be carpal tunnel syndrome?

[piglette in reply to Bedwell]

Why do you need a multi vitamin? Are you vegan or do you have a poor diet? You may already have enough of some/all the vitamins in your diet already. Do you suffer from malabsorption or have you had weight loss surgery? If none of these are true you probably do not need a multi vitamin. If you need a particular vitamin buy that, don’t waste your money on a load of vitamins you don’t need, spend money on a healthy diet instead.

[Bedwell in reply to piglette]

They were recommended by a homeopathic doctor that I trust. It’s actually Women’s Health formula .. a few vitamins and then iron zinc copper. Manganese Selenium etc etc.

[kangaroojohn]

I recently tapered off pred, and a few weeks after that have developed tingling and stiffness in the fingers of my right hand (and very occasionally of my left hand instead) which is bad on waking but quickly resolves when I wriggle my fingers, apart from a residual very slight numbness at the tips pf my thumb and middle finger which lasts all day. From details I have picked up here and elsewhere I guess it is carpal tunnel syndrome. I have appoinments soon, but I hope it will go away before I get to them.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to kangaroojohn]

Often a very low dose of pred is enough to keep the swelling that causes carpal tunnel syndrome suppressed.

[rosie_jones]

Link to the article if anyone wants to read it. theguardian.com/australia-n...

[bookish]

Whilst I agree with the caution to be aware of what you are taking, as well as how much, it is important to point out that the form (vitamer) can make a huge difference. B6 in supplements is commonly pyridoxine, which is the inactive form and competitively inhibits P5P which is the active form (and which I use). If symptomatic and taking large doses of pyridoxine, then best to stop. But B vitamins are complicated and high serum for most of them, especially B6, folate (B9) and B12, could mean that you are pooling in the blood rather than able to get the vitamin from blood to cell - ie high serum (especially if unsupplemented or only from diet/low supplement level) may mean that you are actually cellularly deficient. As an example, my folate was high in the case of a B12 deficiency and my serum folate reduced when I started to take the right vitamer (for me) of folate.

For anyone interested pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/287...

B12 testing is so poor that peripheral neuropathy is often due to missed deficiency, assuming that blood sugar and thyroid have been properly considered. But taking an oral supplement can raise serum without necessarily repairing the nerve damage and can make a diagnosis very hard to get. Too little B6 and B2 may also cause this, as well as folate deficiency, as they are all very interlinked through one carbon metabolism.

[Topps]

thank you very much PMRpro.I. Will be checking my input ofB6.

[papadapadoo]

As I mentioned elsewhere, I had consistent obnoxious tingling in the ankles for a couple of years, but when I started taking low-dose naltrexone to help the PMR (it did little for that, unfortunately) the tingling stopped and hasn't returned. That was two years ago.

[Sumojo]

I have unexplained neuropathy in my feet. I read that B6 is often in high dose magnesium supplements. I’ve been taking magnesium for year to aid with PMR. I checked my brand and it has 9mg in each tablet!

Is there a blood test to check B6 level?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Sumojo]

There is yes - not sure if GPs offer it routinely but you can ask. And it looks as if you can get postal tests to do it yourself.