B-6 Level High
For the past 2 months my extremities, upper and lower have been getting numb and tingly more than usual. ( I have had 2 cervical spine surgeries, and have a narrow spinal column)
After realizing this could be due to low B-12 and not necessarily my neck and back problems I called my surgeon and asked to get my labs done a few weeks early. He did a gamut of test which I posted on here a few weeks back, but my B-12 was good, so he said it maybe my neck and to f/u with neurosurgeon.
I am so glad I actually posted my labs here because Kelly asked about a few he didn't run and suggested I get them done. B-6, Selenium, Copper. Zinc, Vit A Vit K Prealbumin, and Ferritin. I did ask for these. I saw my surgeon Monday and he said my B-6 was high, but he left it at that. I asked for a copy of my labs, came home did some research.
Come to find out a high B-6 level causes numbness and tingling in arms/hands-legs/feet! My level was 86. The normal ranges on the sheet was 1.2-12. I am currently taking GNC Ultra Mega Women's Vits. It calls for 2 once a day Ive been taking 3 to get my 200%.. but I may decrease it to 2 or 1.5. It has 2500% of recommend B-6 in it or 50 mg per 2. My Vit A was a tad low as well as my prealbumin. I read that can be from not enough protein, so I need to make sure I get enough protein a day. I know some days I do not get 60. I will have to supplement with shakes. I have a f/u with labs in 2 months will be interesting to see if B-6 goes down and IF the numbness goes away with less B-6.
I am going to call my surgeon and asking about High B-6 level and numbness/tingling correlation. Maybe he doesn't know this and it may help him with another patient.
Any thoughts from vets??
After realizing this could be due to low B-12 and not necessarily my neck and back problems I called my surgeon and asked to get my labs done a few weeks early. He did a gamut of test which I posted on here a few weeks back, but my B-12 was good, so he said it maybe my neck and to f/u with neurosurgeon.
I am so glad I actually posted my labs here because Kelly asked about a few he didn't run and suggested I get them done. B-6, Selenium, Copper. Zinc, Vit A Vit K Prealbumin, and Ferritin. I did ask for these. I saw my surgeon Monday and he said my B-6 was high, but he left it at that. I asked for a copy of my labs, came home did some research.
Come to find out a high B-6 level causes numbness and tingling in arms/hands-legs/feet! My level was 86. The normal ranges on the sheet was 1.2-12. I am currently taking GNC Ultra Mega Women's Vits. It calls for 2 once a day Ive been taking 3 to get my 200%.. but I may decrease it to 2 or 1.5. It has 2500% of recommend B-6 in it or 50 mg per 2. My Vit A was a tad low as well as my prealbumin. I read that can be from not enough protein, so I need to make sure I get enough protein a day. I know some days I do not get 60. I will have to supplement with shakes. I have a f/u with labs in 2 months will be interesting to see if B-6 goes down and IF the numbness goes away with less B-6.
I am going to call my surgeon and asking about High B-6 level and numbness/tingling correlation. Maybe he doesn't know this and it may help him with another patient.
Any thoughts from vets??
-Suzanne
I'm glad you got the additional labs done. I bet your surgeon doesn't know that high B6 can cause numbness and tingling. And that is not to say anything bad about him. I bet high B6 is pretty rare. So this is not to say that he missed something obvious. But that is really the purpose of getting so many labs done - hopefully it lets us catch something before we develop real obvious symptoms or some kind of permanent damage.
What about switching to a different multi that doesn't have such a huge amount of B6? Like, Centrum only has 100% of B6 per tablet. If you have a lot left of the one you've been taking, I understand not wanting to waste them. But if you swtiched to a different multi, maybe you could take the new multi most of the time but take the old ones now and then so they get used up. Because even just taking one of the GNC multi you've been taking with give you a lot more B6 than you need, and if you cut back to one, you may be cutting out other things you need.
The prealbumin is low from not getting quite enough protein, yeah. What I usually do is tally up my protein for the day and then have a shake in the evening if it was a low protein day for me. I don't eat meat, so some days mine is low. Like, if I go to a restaurant for dinner, I might get a big salad that usually comes with chicken, but I don't eat chicken so I leave that off. Then it's a yummy salad but almost no protein. Then I make up for it with a shake.
What about switching to a different multi that doesn't have such a huge amount of B6? Like, Centrum only has 100% of B6 per tablet. If you have a lot left of the one you've been taking, I understand not wanting to waste them. But if you swtiched to a different multi, maybe you could take the new multi most of the time but take the old ones now and then so they get used up. Because even just taking one of the GNC multi you've been taking with give you a lot more B6 than you need, and if you cut back to one, you may be cutting out other things you need.
The prealbumin is low from not getting quite enough protein, yeah. What I usually do is tally up my protein for the day and then have a shake in the evening if it was a low protein day for me. I don't eat meat, so some days mine is low. Like, if I go to a restaurant for dinner, I might get a big salad that usually comes with chicken, but I don't eat chicken so I leave that off. Then it's a yummy salad but almost no protein. Then I make up for it with a shake.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I did just buy the new vits not to long ago... however great idea Kelly I will get some Centrum, and once in awhile take a GNC as not to waste them... Or I can give them to my husband..lol wonder if he will go for that being that they are a "womens" vits.
I think I need to be a bit more vigilant in keeping track of my protein. I have a hard time figuring out how much protein is in 2 or 3 bites...
As for my doc I know youre not saying anything bad, I get what you mean.I think he knows me well enough now to know I have NO problem educating him..
I am gald he wanted to re-run these test in 2 months and not wait 6 months or so.
I think I need to be a bit more vigilant in keeping track of my protein. I have a hard time figuring out how much protein is in 2 or 3 bites...
As for my doc I know youre not saying anything bad, I get what you mean.I think he knows me well enough now to know I have NO problem educating him..
I am gald he wanted to re-run these test in 2 months and not wait 6 months or so. -Suzanne
The women's vites would actually be just fine for your husband. I'm not sure what they have in them that would be different than a men's vitamin. Maybe a little extra iron for women? Or a little extra vitamin D since women seem to be more prone to osteoporosis? Nothing that would hurt him. My partner probably wouldn't want to take them if he saw "women" on the label, though. But I'm tricky, I would put them in a different container and give them to him.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I had a very high B6 level, too. In Feb. it was 161.7 and last month it was 135.9. Maybe our labs use different criteria because on my labs it says the range is 20 to 125 nmol/L.
Anyway, I was told to cut my B complex to every other day but otherwise not to worry about it as the B vitamins are peed out of our body if there is an excess.
Anyway, I was told to cut my B complex to every other day but otherwise not to worry about it as the B vitamins are peed out of our body if there is an excess.
WLS 10/28/2002 Revision 7/23/2010
High Weight (2002) 240 Revision Weight (2010) 220 Current Weight 115.
We normally do pee out extra B vitamins. But if your B6 level is high, then you aren't peeing it out.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I definitely recommend you stop the multi you are taking and switch to centrum silver - chewables perferably. I am not sure if the tablets have selenium and you really need the selenium. You want the silver because you dont want the iron in your multi - you want to take a separate iron supplement.
What happened to you is very common but for a different reason. Many people post op take a B complex with either of either 50 or 100mg of each of the b vitamins which as happened to you is overkill for vitamin B6. You didnt take a b complex, but you got the same dose of 50mg of vitamin B6 from your multi which is way too much for us. What we need is 100mg of vitamin B1 and that can be taken by itself and that can't go toxic - you just pee out the excess - it is water soluable like B12 but B6 isnt' water soluable, so you just but up the excess until you become toxic and end up with the symptoms like you are developing.
When I see my neurologist, the first thing he does is check my B12, b1, b6 and copper levels. These all can affect your nerves in different ways.
If your vitamin A was low, that is not good either since vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness. When I was diagnosed vitamin A deficient, I was put on 25,000 units of dry vitamin per day from vitalady.com they are by biotech and they work great. Eventually I had to increase to 50,000 units per day which is what I continue to take. Dont' ignore a low vitamin A level, you want to be at the mid to upper mid range - normal 38-98 and you want to be in the 60's or 70's if possible. When I hit 40, I was treated.
You said your B12 was good - you want it to be around 1200-1800, if it is in that range then continue what you are doing, if lower then you should increase it. Going by the range on the lab sheet is very decieving. Anything below 500 can also cause your symptoms.
What happened to you is very common but for a different reason. Many people post op take a B complex with either of either 50 or 100mg of each of the b vitamins which as happened to you is overkill for vitamin B6. You didnt take a b complex, but you got the same dose of 50mg of vitamin B6 from your multi which is way too much for us. What we need is 100mg of vitamin B1 and that can be taken by itself and that can't go toxic - you just pee out the excess - it is water soluable like B12 but B6 isnt' water soluable, so you just but up the excess until you become toxic and end up with the symptoms like you are developing.
When I see my neurologist, the first thing he does is check my B12, b1, b6 and copper levels. These all can affect your nerves in different ways.
If your vitamin A was low, that is not good either since vitamin A deficiency can lead to blindness. When I was diagnosed vitamin A deficient, I was put on 25,000 units of dry vitamin per day from vitalady.com they are by biotech and they work great. Eventually I had to increase to 50,000 units per day which is what I continue to take. Dont' ignore a low vitamin A level, you want to be at the mid to upper mid range - normal 38-98 and you want to be in the 60's or 70's if possible. When I hit 40, I was treated.
You said your B12 was good - you want it to be around 1200-1800, if it is in that range then continue what you are doing, if lower then you should increase it. Going by the range on the lab sheet is very decieving. Anything below 500 can also cause your symptoms.
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