There are 1000’s of multivitamins on supermarket and chemist shelves that contain vitamin B6 beyond what is needed. Read more to avoid poisoning your body with too much vitamin B6 from multivitamins and energy drinks.

Written by Michelle Wisbey for NewsGP, 10 April 2024 (CLICK TO READ)

KEY POINTS ABOUT VITAMIN B6:

• In Australia vitamin B6 is found in more than 1500 health products such as multivitamins, magnesium, zinc, iron, sleep supplements and energy drinks.  
• Taking too much vitamin B6 from supplements and energy drinks can cause high vitamin B6 blood levels. You should check labels for vitamin B6.
• If your vitamin B6 levels are too high, you might experience signs such as tingling, burning or numbness in your hands and feet or no signs at all. If left undetected permanent nerve damage can occur.
• The only way to know if your levels are too high is to have a blood test that checks your vitamin B6 level.
• There is a system to report high blood levels as an adverse event in Australia.

Are you at risk of a high vitamin B6 blood level?

Low levels or deficiency of vitamin B6 is rare. It is easy to keep your vitamin B6 levels in the normal range from the foods you eat every day.

You are unlikely to have a high vitamin B6 level if vitamin B6 from all your daily supplements and energy drinks stays below 2 mg a day.

You are more likely to be at risk of high vitamin B6 levels if:

• You take multiple supplements containing vitamin B6.
• You have been taking more than a recommended amount (above 2 mg) of vitamin B6 daily for a long time; many months or years.

Check the vitamin B6 level of all your multivitamins and supplements

Work out how much vitamin B6 you are taking each day.

On labels, vitamin B6 is also called:

• pyridoxine hydrochloride
• pyridoxal 5-phosphate
• pyridoxal 5-phosphate monohydrate.

Use all of these names to work out how much vitamin B6 you are getting daily from supplements and energy drinks.

How will I know if my vitamin B6 blood levels could be high?

• You have checked all of your daily supplements and energy drinks to find this adds up to be more than 2 mg. Your health professional can help you with this.
• You have symptoms such as tingling, burning or numbness in your hands and feet.
• Not everyone experiences symptoms and will need to rely on a blood test.
• You can ask your doctor or specialist for a blood test to check your vitamin B6 levels. Make sure you do not take any supplements with vitamin B6 for 24 hours before your blood test.

What do I do if I have a high vitamin B6 blood level?

Be reassured that your high level can return to normal by keeping vitamin B6 from supplements and energy drinks below 2 mg a day.

• Discuss your supplement requirements with your health professional and to get help to find a low vitamin B6 alternative.
• An Accredited Practising Dietitian can help you.
• Ask for a repeat blood test to check your levels return to normal. Your health professional can guide you on best time to repeat this test.

How to report a high vitamin B6 level:

Every blood test that is above normal can be lodged as an ADVERSE EVENT to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

This is the information that is needed to report an adverse event to the TGA:

A. Patient information; a date of birth is enough

B. Reaction e.g. a high blood test level and/or symptoms (eg tingling feet)

C. Medicine, supplement or energy drink details: vitamin B6 source and amount, batch number (optional), expiry date (optional), AUST L or AUST R number (optional)

For more information about reporting an adverse event:

If you are a health professional

https://www.tga.gov.au/report-adverse-event-or-problem-health-professionals

To report your own level

https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/reporting-problems/report-adverse-event-or-problem-consumers

If you or someone you know has a high vitamin B6 blood level and you would like some assistance with reporting an adverse event or general advice please email cathy@shinedietetics.com.au

Hopefully if more adverse events are lodged with the TGA we will see change where manufacturers decide to lower or even omit vitamin B6 from their formulations. This is now an advocacy project that has been supported by Dietitian Australia since 2022. Let’s work as a community to encourage change to keep all Australians safe.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) is aware of the problem but vitamin manufacturers only need to add a warning to their labels. This is what the TGA has to say (CLICK TO READ)

Learn more about vitamin B6 toxicity in an article published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A lived experience of B6 overdosing with use of B complex and magnesium supplements (CLICK TO READ)

Here’s another story of Mega-B causing peripheral neuropathy (CLICK TO READ)

And the Guardian published (5 Jan 2025) another story of B6 toxicity caused by magnesium supplement use (CLICK TO READ)

To learn more about what vitamin B6 does in our body use this link to the NH&MRC information about vitamin B6: National Reference Values (CLICK TO READ)