Vitamin B6 and Nerve Damage: Risks of High Doses

Taking very high doses of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) may cause nerve damage called sensory neuropathy. The symptoms include pain and numbness in your arms and legs and, in severe cases, difficulty walking.

Dosage

• According to the Linus Pauling Institute, sensory neuropathy usually occurs only at doses of B6 greater than 1,000 mg each day, but a few people have developed nerve damage when taking doses of less than 500 mg daily over a period of months.

Supplements Only

• Only vitamin B6 from supplements, and never from food, is documented to cause nerve damage.

RDA

• According to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, the Recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin B6 for adults up to age 50 is 1.3 mg. Over age 50, the RDA is 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women.

Prevention

• The NIH reports that to prevent sensory neuropathy, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine set the upper limit for vitamin B6 at 100 mg/day for adults.

Folic Acid

• Another vitamin that can sometimes cause nerve damage is folic acid, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Taking more than 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day may cause nerve damage in people who do not have enough vitamin B12 in their bodies.