Vitamin B-complex without B6?

[Jocelin]

Hi all,

Does anyone know a good brand of a vitamin B-complex without vitamin B6?

Thanks!

Jocelin

[Luna1390]

Hi Jocelin! I also can't take B6 (in either form). I cannot tolerate B12, either. So what my dr had me do was to buy B1, B2, B3, and B5 in separate capsules. I got Thorne B2 and B3 and Pure Encapsulations B1 and B5. They are each powder in little clear capsules. I open the capsules and put a little of each into an empty capsule or just eat the powder (they don't taste great--but it's not that bad). This method brought all my B vitamins into the optimal range in a few months. For B6, I purchased organic beet powder on Amazon and for B12, I eat sardines, liver, and canned baby oysters during the week. Each is very high in B12. Hope this helps!

[Jocelin in reply to Luna1390]

Hi Luna1390,

Thanks for your reply. Seems indeed hard to find then, a B-complex without B6, if your doc has advised you this. I'll go take a look at the brands you mention. And really educational: organic beet powder for B6, never heard that! I have been vegan for 30 years and started to add eggs and dairy and some ansjovis once in a while to find out if it would make me feel better. Still having some mental problem though with eating animals. But the baby oysters might be doable. Never had these, do not even know how they look or taste. You sure have put me on a learning path ;-).Thanks, I enjoyed your help!

[Luna1390 in reply to Jocelin]

Dr. Alan Christianson (who is awesome!) is the guy who suggests canned baby oysters for B12 and iron. I thought they would be gross, but when mixed with a yummy spaghetti sauce, I can barely taste them.

Beet powder is also great for MTHFR, if you have that. Most thyroid patients do. It's full of folate to help methylation.

[Jocelin in reply to Luna1390]

Hi Luna, thanks, so sweet of you to provide me with more info. I already checked two supermarkets for baby oysters, but they do not have it here. Maybe when I am in a city, I'll find a shop that has them. I'll check out this Dr. Christianson, I remember seeing him once on youtube I believe.

Is it normal where you live to be checked for MTHFR? My GP and endo do not believe in it, they say folic acid is always converted into folate. I've read that about 45% of the world population has MTHFR. So the chance seems high to have it. My folic acid was tested several times in the past and was always in the upper part of the range or above. Same for B12. I did take B-complex sometimes, that may have upped them, but it might also be a sign of not converting to active forms. I have recently tried to find a private lab to test for folate instead of folic acid but have not found one that I trust yet. My zinc, copper and ferritin are in the very bottom of the range, so these seem to be absorbed/processed OK and I am supplementing them now. Does the beet powder contain lots of carbs? I ask because I have diabetes type 1 and try to eat low carb. I guess eating raw beets would also add a valuable amount of folate? Does having MTHFR mean that one needs much more folate than the RDA? I do eat broccoli, spinach, sunflowerseeds, chickpeas etc. very frequently. What is your idea, experience? Would that be sufficient?

[Luna1390 in reply to Jocelin]

I wouldn't say it is a regular part of testing, but I asked for it & the dr was fine doing the MTHFR test. It's a blood test or a cheek swab, depending on the dr. You can also do 23andme and then run the results thru Genetic Genie & it will tell you if you have it, along with other gene mutations.

Beet powder doesn't have a ton of carbs. It is the same as eating beets. I just find it easier to take the powder because I don't love eating lots of beets. Raw beets do have lots of folate. If you're eating many folate containing foods, you should be good.

[Jocelin in reply to Luna1390]

Thanks again, Luna1390. It seems a quite pricy test and with a very low income I have to consider it very thoughtfully. I luckily love beets, and the natural folate is a good reason to eat them more often. Comforting idea that with the other veggies I should get enough folate. Great to have learned from you, Luna1390 :-). Wish you a wonderful day!

[Luna1390 in reply to Jocelin]

You could just eat lots of good folate foods & avoid folic acid. That's what you would do if you found out you did have it, anyway.

[Jocelin in reply to Luna1390]

Yeah, I thought it would work sort of like that. Thanks for confirming :-). As Hippocrates said: your food is your medicine :-).