Comment · Tue, September 12, 2023 · Nootropics Depot & Natrium Health
Is B6 toxicity actually something I need to be worried about?
Original post in this thread
Banjosolo69 · 18 points
I just started a B complex and I’m loving it but I’ve seen several people on here warn about the dangers of B6 toxicity. When I google it I only find evidence stating that only abnormally high doses will cause damage, and when you stop taking it it should go away. My current B complex contains 25mg Pyroxidine and 3.4mg Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate. What are your personal experiences with this?
What they were answering
Yo_It_is_Me · 1 points
Hm im considering supplementing with P5P as I was having problems with pyridoxine. Someone mentioned that supplemental P5P is converted to pyridoxine and is then absorbed as pyridoxine in the gut. This made me hesitate to supplement P5P. Some people also reported getting toxicity from both forms
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Nootropics Depot & Natrium Health
No, the study I linked above showed that P5P doesn't meaningfully convert to pyridoxine in the periphery. P5P is the active form. There would be no reason for it to convert to pyridoxine in the gut.
As expected, supplementation with PLP did barely increase plasma PN levels, since PLP is pharmacologically active and does not need to be transformed into PN. PN was detectable in plasma (5.9 nmol/L) in only one participant. The detected concentration is comparable with low plasma concentrations of PN in the placebo group reported by Bor et al. [20]. The presence of PN intracellularly or in CSF after PLP supplementation can be explained by the presence of proteins with pyridoxal reductase activity, which was recently revealed in vitro and in vivo by Ramos et al. [19].
Even if some did convert, the issue is too much pyridoxine inhibiting the conversion to P5P. If you are supplementing P5P, then it is going directly to work in the body. The prevailing theory is the pyridoxine inhibits P5P formation, which then inhibits GABA production, which causes excitotoxicity. If you supplement P5P, then your body has what it needs to make GABA, and you don't get the toxicity. Even so, just keep your P5P dose under 100mg a day, as going higher is unnecessary.