Wow, over 3 months since my last update! Sorry about that. But as I said in my last post, B6 toxicity has taken a backseat in my life, so I'm not inclined to write about it every day or every week. Which is good, in my opinion, because it means that I'm back in control of my life.
So what's new?
The answer is: Nothing. I still have B6 toxicity, my elbows still tingle, and I still can't eat high-B6 foods. I have to closely monitor my diet, which is highly restrictive, and I still have dizzy spells. On the plus side, I've found several good meals that keep me from feeling deprived. For the most part, I'm doing well.
That said, I've had a few "relapses" over the past few months. Most were fairly small, taking the form of gentle reminders from my body that B6 is not too good for me. Once, for example, after eating guacamole several meals in a row, I had neuropathy in my hands. That's fine. I can live with that. But some of the relapses have been bad. The worst was last week, when I finally broke down, threw caution to the wind, and ate at a restaurant. That was a mistake. Within a few hours, all the old symptoms had returned: muscle spasms, pain, tingling, etc. It was bad enough to keep me up at night (with anxiety, if not pain). I didn't know when, or if, I would get better. But I'm glad to say that the symptoms have mostly passed, and I'm starting to get back to "normal."
So what's the take-away? I would say that recovery is slow. I don't expect healing in less than a year, maybe two years. I got B6 toxicity in October 2015, so I can expect a full recovery by October 2016 at the earliest. October 2017 sounds a lot more likely -- assuming I stick to my diet and don't fall off the wagon too many more times. It might be October 2018. That wouldn't surprise me.
Either way, I think I can do it.
I'll leave you with this handy tidbit. It's the website I use to track B6 content in foods: the official USDA website, which I've found it to be very reliable: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
Good luck!
Hi! I am glad you are better and you moved on with your life. I cant wait to get to the point too.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you about your sea body feeling. I still have something like this: my hip/back and elbows feel little loose. Is that something you experienced?
I had the loose/jelly legs for almost 2 months and finally its all gone. This all is so terrible. Mine also started about 1,5 months after quitting B6.
Thank you and wish you full recovery!
Hi Gyorgyi! I'm not sure we're experiencing the same thing, but I do feel a little "loose" in the hips and legs sometimes. I think this has to do with motor nerves and neurology. Sometimes my head feels like it's detached from my body. I call this "dizziness," but it's actually subtly different, like being perpetually off-balance. I suspect that some of my motor nerves (such as the vagus) were damaged by the B6. At one time, I thought these symptoms had completely gone away, but that was probably because I'd just gotten used to them. Anyways, they're not terrible symptoms -- I can walk and jog just fine, but I'm not sure I would trust myself to stand atop a ladder. Hopefully my body will heal over time.
DeleteI hope your recovery is going well.
Hi Thomas. I think I have or had B6 Toxicity after just reading what is on the internet. I have been taking GNC Mega men 50 Multi pack and Mega Men perfomance and vitality vitamins for about 5 years. About a year ago, roughly August 2015 I started experiencing severe Neuropathy or what I think was nerve pain (legs and arms discomfort day and night) along with many other symptoms including balance an coordination problems. I proceeded to see many doctors including visiting the Emergency Room multiple times. Finally I went to see a neurologist back and he recommended just through a guess to test my B6. He also requested bloodwork for a few other things. Results followed a few days later. My B6 was at 215 with reference range being 1.1. to 21. I stopped taking these GNC Vitamins and within weeks my neuropathy was gone. I was retested one month later in December 2015 and the B6 was at 27. It has been 9 months since I stopped taking these vitamins but I notice I still have some symptoms that may be related but I am not sure. My balance and coordination is still way off. There is some leg weakness from time to time also. Are any of these symptoms anything that you experienced? I am just trying to find evidence of people recovering from balance and coordination problems.
ReplyDeleteThanks and I hope you are doing well.
Your symptoms certainly sound like B6 toxicity. I'm surprised your neuropathy went away so quickly. Did you have to restrict your diet? And if so, have you gone back to eating normally?
DeleteAs for balance and coordination, I wouldn't say that mine is way off, so you might be experiencing those symptoms worse than I am. I have heard about people completely recovering from B6 toxicity, but most of the evidence is spotty, as most people seem to stop reporting their symptoms after they recover. It would be nice if more people told their stories, explaining how long their recovery took and what they did to expedite it. Because as it is, there isn't enough information (that I can find) to indicate how long recovery typically lasts and how complete it is.
Hi Thomas!
ReplyDeleteCan u explain the loose hips and legs? Is it getting better for you?
I could explain mine like when i move my hip left and right it moves too easy. So when i turn around it feels like it does not hold me strong enough . Is this something symilar you have? Mine is very annoying.
Thank you.
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteYou know a lot about B6, and you've done tons of research. I just wanted to share my experience though, for what it's worth.
I started taking vitamins to deal with a thyroid issue. After a few weeks on a B-50 complex, I noticed my toes were burning sometimes. Some research led to a lot of scary stories about B6 toxicity. All my symptoms matched so I immediately stopped the supplements. My burning toes and tingling finger symptoms didn't really go away. I read it can take a while. So I was patient. I didn't avoid B6, but I didn't take B6 either. I took all the B-vitamins separately so I didn't get any B6 that way.
After a trip abroad and a few days with not much sleep, I developed a sore burning tongue! The zapping in my feet got worse. A few times at night my entire leg hurt. My arms were going numb completely at night sometimes.
I was taking every vitamin except B6. B6 deficiency can cause a sore tongue. So I started to question the B6 thing. The tongue thing got worse and worse, so I was desperate to fix it. I started with small amounts of B6, and immediately felt better. I felt much happier! But at the same time, i noticed more burning and zapping in my toes and fingers.
It's a long story but eventually I figured some big things out. Thiamine. Thiamine deficiency will cause nerve pain and muscle pain. Thiamine was the reason for all the zapping in my feet, and the stabbing pains in my legs. I was taking thiamine, so I didn't think it was thiamine. But apparently some people have a transport problem with thiamine and only huge doses will cross the small intestine. It's similar to what some people have with B12.
Unlike B6, thiamine is extremely safe and there is no upper limit. It's worth a try for anyone with that burning and tingling toe thing, take thiamine and see if things get better. 200mg of thiamine with each meal for a few days. A large dose is important to compensate for absorption problems, which is usually the cause.
After a week of high dose thiamine, my burning toes are gone. After six months.
I'm taking B6 as well and feeling so much better. I slowly raised my B6 and found that I actually feel best right now with a B-100 complex (100mg of B6) extended release tablet twice a day. That's 200mg of B6!!! I never even had B6 toxicity.
Thiamine deficiency is pretty rare, but can happen in people with thyroid issues, and anything affecting the absorption. Ironically, thiamine deficiency can lead to absorption problems..... sooooo then you just stay thiamine deficient unless you take a ton of thiamine. Also, illness of any kind, pregnancy, lactation, and diarrhea can deplete thiamine stores causing deficiency. Alcohol also uses up thiamine stores.
The reason a person will develop burning toes after even a few doses of B6 is that B6 helps get iodine into the thyroid. If the thyroid increases for a few days, thiamine stores can be depleted, leading to thiamine deficiency symptoms.
From all I've read and from my experience, B6 supplementation leads to thiamine deficiency. Fix the thiamine deficiency, and it fixes the nerves.
BTW, thiamine is needed to get magnesium into cells.
I recently read this elsewhere actually, where are you getting this information about b6 driving down thiamine?
DeleteHi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI'm 9 months off B50 complex and I burn over my entire body. My back, legs and arms are the worst, sometimes roof of my mouth. My 30 some other symptoms have healed and my hands and feet are good. It's the rest of me not cooperating.
Has anyone found they had toxic levels of B6 but wasn’t taking any type of supplement/vitamin? I first visited a neurologist for tingling on the side of my face & feeling lightheaded/unable to balance myself standing up. He put me on gabapentin & symptoms became drastically worse! I quit the gabapentin after a couple months, worst withdrawals I ever experienced from anything. Since then I’ve seen another neurologist who then referred me to a cardiologist. This is due to the fact I never w experience heart palpitations, breathlessness & consistent dizziness. After 9 months of agony with my first neurologist discounting it as simply anxiety, I was administered a B6 test & my levels are double what is considered normal. My doctor said she never saw toxic B6 & is unsure the next course of action. Once again I never took supplements or drank energy drinks & always had a healthy diet so there is nothing for me to cancel out. Any suggestions?
ReplyDelete