Doses of vitamin B6 may cause damage

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Doses of vitamin B6 may cause damage

(St. Catharines Standard - June 24/96)

http://lindacrabtree.com/cmtnews/drugs-vitamins-dietary%

20supplements/Vit%20B6.html

Doctors who prescribe vitamin B6 to carpal tunnel syndrome patients

could be doing them more harm than good, a University of Michigan

study indicates.

The vitamin supplements could cause serious nerve damage to patients

with the painful wrist ailment, the study said.

Doctors occasionally prescribe B6 to carpal tunnel syndrome patients

because limited studies have indicated the vitamin may have some

therapeutic effects, said Dr. Alfred Franzblau of the University of

Michigan School of Public Health.

But this is not so, Franzblau said.

" When you actually look at these studies and review them carefully,

they are very, very bad, " he said last week.

Franzblau said the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance of B6 for

adults is 1.6 to 2.0 milligrams a day. Doctors are prescribing

supplements of 150 milligrams to 300 milligrams a day.

Too much B6 can cause permanent nerve damage, including symptoms that

mirror multiple sclerosis, experts say.

Uncovering the harmful effects of vitamin B6

Critics of megavitamin therapy often have been tolerant of the

practice because it seemed to do no harm. This view was especially

common in the case of water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin B6. The

amount beyond that needed by your body was presumably harmless and

eliminated in the urine. (Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fat

cells and remain for a longer time in your body.)

Recently abuse of vitamin B6 has been the focus of much concern.

Vitamin B6 has been touted as a way to build muscles; to relieve

fluid retention and other problems associated with premenstrual

syndrome (PMS); and to treat kidney stones, nausea during pregnancy

and a variety of chronic

pain syndromes.

Like the claims for megavitamin therapy in general, these attributes

of vitamin B6 have never been verified. But we do know that excessive

consumption of vitamin B6 can cause serious nerve damage.

Symptoms include unsteadiness (to the point of being unable to walk

without a cane) and numbness or tingling of the feet and hands. When

large doss of vitamin B6 are taken, microscopic analysis shows

deterioration of nerve fibers in direct proportion to the amount of

B6 ingested. Large dose4s of vitamin B6 also can alter the effects of

penicillin, some medications for Parkinson's disease and certain

anticonvulsants.

Discontinuing megadose therapy will reduce or eliminate most

symptoms. However, adverse effects can linger for more than a year in

some cases.

It is recommended that you

Avoid self-medication with large doses of any vitamins. But

particularly vitamin B6. Although vitamins are a " natural " part of

your diet, some can have toxic effects if the dosage is too large.

We discourage megavitamin therapy except in rare instances, when

supervised by a physician.

If you take vitamin supplements in excess of 100 per cent of the

daily RDA, we urge you to tell your doctor. This information can be

of vital importance to your doctor in assessing your health and

prescribing medications for you.

Vitamin B6

The following items are on vitamin B6 and they reinforce the fact

that vit. B6 can be harmful.

Megadoses of Vitamin B6

Harmless vitamin can lead to serious nerve problems (February 1989)

" It can't hurt and it might help, so why not? " " More is better. " " You

can't get too much of a good thing. "

Our society's casual attitude toward multivitamins has dangerous

implications. Only a few generations ago, vitamin deficiency was a

frequent cause of disease; today, people sometimes have health

problems because they take too many vitamins.

Evidence now shows that at least one vitamin - B6 (Pyridoxine) - can

cause serious harm.

Despite a daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 2 or 3

milligrams of vitamin B6, tablets containing as much as 50 and 500

milligrams are readily available. People who apparently believe

vitamin B6 has no side effects sometimes consume 1,000 milligrams or

more each day. Such excessive dosages have recently been linked to

incapacitating nerve damage, from which recovery often can take

months or even years. In rare cases, the nerve damage may be

permanent.