Herbs of Gold Vitamin B6 100mg

Our naturopaths ask more questions about B6 than most supplements before anyone buys it. These are the questions they ask in store.

A good fit if

• PMS brings on low mood, irritability or tiredness each month, which is the side of PMS the trials found B6 helps
• You want a single B6 you can take on its own, rather than stacking it inside several combination products
• You've checked your other supplements and your total B6 stays within the Upper Level

Check with us first if

• You're pregnant and feeling sick. B6 has good support for pregnancy nausea, but the dose needs your doctor's input, and anything above 50 mg a day is over the pregnancy Upper Level.
• You take levodopa for Parkinson's disease. Pyridoxine can make levodopa work less well, so ask your prescriber first.
• You're buying for a child or teenager. The legal and safe limits are much lower than for adults, from 15 mg at 1 to 3 years up to 40 mg at 14 to 18.
• You already take a multivitamin, magnesium, zinc, iron or stress formula. The TGA names these as places B6 hides, so add up your total first.
• You're on the pill. People taking oral contraceptives are more likely to run low in B6, so raise it with us rather than taking a high dose on your own.
• You've had a transplant, or you take any prescription medicine at all.

• Pyridoxine hydrochloride. Best known for: The standard, stable form, and the one used in almost every B6 trial, for PMS, pregnancy nausea and homocysteine. Absorption: Has to be converted to the active form first. No head-to-head human absorption trial against P5P was found. Typical use: Tablets and most multivitamin, magnesium and B-complex formulas. Labels declare it as pyridoxine, so 50 mg of the salt is about 41 mg of B6.
• Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (P5P), including the monohydrate. Best known for: The active form itself, so it skips the conversion step. Absorption: Looked less toxic to nerve cells in laboratory tests, but no human trial shows it works better than pyridoxine. Typical use: Practitioner and 'activated' products. Same legal caps, same label warning and same 2027 pharmacy rule as pyridoxine.
• Pyridoxamine. Best known for: A third natural form, studied overseas in kidney research. Absorption: Not relevant here, because it isn't a permitted ingredient in Australian listed medicines. Typical use: Not sold as a listed medicine in Australia. Mentioned so overseas studies and products make sense.

Reference values. The NHMRC sets the Recommended Dietary Intake at 1.3 mg a day for adults aged 19 to 50. It's 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women over 50, 1.9 mg in pregnancy and 2.0 mg while breastfeeding. Children need 0.5 mg at 1 to 3 years, 0.6 mg at 4 to 8 and 1.0 mg at 9 to 13.

Typical supplemental range. Multivitamins usually contain 10 to 25 mg, and B-complex and magnesium formulas 25 to 50 mg. The PMS trial that found a benefit used 50 mg a day, and most of the pregnancy nausea trials used 10 to 40 mg.

Upper level. The adult Upper Level is 50 mg a day from all sources combined, as pyridoxine. It's lower for children: 15 mg at 1 to 3 years, 20 mg at 4 to 8, 30 mg at 9 to 13 and 40 mg at 14 to 18. For babies under 12 months no Upper Level can be set, and the NHMRC says their B6 should come from breast milk, formula or food only. Signs of too much can take years to show. In one study, people had been taking supplements for an average of 2.9 years.

Worth knowing. The number that matters most isn't on any one label. It's the total across everything you take, because B6 turns up in multis, magnesium, zinc, iron and stress formulas. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Organ meats: listed by the NHMRC (no verified per-serve figure yet)
• Muscle meats: listed by the NHMRC (no verified per-serve figure yet)
• Breakfast cereals: listed by the NHMRC (no verified per-serve figure yet)
• Vegetables: listed by the NHMRC (no verified per-serve figure yet)
• Fruits: listed by the NHMRC (no verified per-serve figure yet)

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Tingling, burning or numbness in hands or feet. Stop and see a practitioner as soon as possible; excess B6 causes sensory neuropathy.
• Anyone combining products. Multivitamins, magnesium, zinc, iron and stress formulas can all contain B6; total it.
• Long-term use. Neuropathy can take years to appear; one study averaged 2.9 years.
• Levodopa. Pyridoxine can reduce its effectiveness; ask the prescriber.
• Isoniazid. Pyridoxine is prescribed alongside it by the treating doctor; not a retail decision.
• Oral contraceptives. Linked to lower plasma B6; discuss with a practitioner.
• Tacrolimus and kidney transplant. Low B6 status is common; practitioner referral only.
• Pregnancy. Doses above 50 mg a day exceed the Upper Level; nausea use needs the doctor's input.
• Children and teenagers. Upper Levels of 15, 20, 30 and 40 mg by age band.
• Infants under 12 months. B6 from breast milk, formula or food only.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.