NOW FoodsSupplements, Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine HCl) 100 mg, Cardiovascular Health, 250 Veg Capsules

I like NOW as a brand, hence the 5 stars. However, it’s REALLY important before/while taking this you have your doctor test your B6 levels (mine is attached--3x upper limit after I hadn't taken it for a month!).We’ve always been told since Bs are water-soluble you can’t take too much because you pee out what you don’t need. Not necessarily true with B6. And even low levels of B6 can build up to toxic levels in your body and cause debilitating and possibly permanent health issues. I know it sounds wacky--but I’ve got a legit link below for you to read. As with everything, do more of your own research and draw your own conclusions. I’m simply letting folks know just in case you start experiencing the same issues as me (and my uncle).The RDA for B6 is 1.5-2mg depending on age/sex. This 100mg supplement is 5882% of the daily dose. The maximum allowance according to the FDA is 100mg/day in the US, however, in other countries (Europe, Australia) they consider B6 dangerous as low as 10mg a day. My doctors always praised me for taking my Bs and never asked how many milligrams I was taking. They also never tested my vitamin levels. That may be the case with you too (if so, keep reading).I’ve had neuropathy in my legs (that feels like water retention with no visible swelling), chronic fatigue, massive brain fog, bladder problems, body aches & very sore joints, rashes, itching, loss of s3xual sensation, and a whole host of other symptoms getting progressively worse for SEVENTEEN YEARS. As these mystery symptoms progressed, I and my doctors wondered if I had some sort of auto-immune issue. We also explained away some symptoms with age/arthritis/out of shape/perimenopause/not ENOUGH vitamin B12 & 6/edema/drink more water/get more exercise/etc.I started taking 100mg of B6 in 2019 in addition to the daily B6 I had been getting for 15ish years from a high protein diet, multivitamins, B-complex, fortified protein shakes & bars, vitamin water, etc. (FYI - B6 is fortified in so many foods. Between that and what we get from our diets, especially if we eat meat--we’re already likely getting enough/too much. Energy drinks often have a lot too).By this year (2021) my symptoms went off the rails. For the 15+ years prior they had been annoying and getting progressively worse. But in early 2021 they became intolerable & completely debilitating. It was HORRIBLE, I could not function. I wondered if I was dying, had early signs of chronic disease, cancer, etc. I honestly thought the doctor would find I had MS. All I knew for sure was something was VERY WRONG.Through months of HELL I came across something about B6 toxicity. I had stopped taking all supplements 4 weeks before this when I started an elimination diet to see if I could figure out why my symptoms were happening. I was just starting to feel MUCH better when I learned B6 toxicity was a thing and fit my symptoms to a T. I got a B6 lab test and my blood tested three times the upper limit for B6 (attached). This was after NOT taking B6 for a month and feeling so much better--I can’t imagine how high my B6 blood levels were at my worst. From what I understand when stopping B6 your blood levels drop fast (although it's stored in your muscles and tissue for years). Detectable blood levels typically cut in half after about 2 weeks. I may have been 6-7x the upper limit or more!I was taking this NOW B6 supplement plus a regular drugstore B-complex, and getting B6 from natural food and fortified foods. All together 110mg of B6 a day tops. My nerve damage from that (and years of much lower levels--probably 5-25 mg a day 2004-2019) may be irreversible. Even if I can reverse it, it will take at least a year or two for the excess B6 to release from storage in my muscles, tissues, etc. During that time I’ll have to carefully monitor my B6 intake and still go through periods of debilitating symptoms.B6 toxicity is not uncommon either. It also doesn’t only happen to people who have been taking it for years like me. It IS often missed/misdiagnosed tho because docs in the US typically don’t routinely test vitamin levels. B6 toxicity also has very similar symptoms to B12 deficiency so we’re accustomed to just guessing & sometimes throwing the wrong vitamin at our problem. Vitamin supplementation has also skyrocketed over the pandemic too so this is affecting more people right now.Emery Pharma who was behind the Zantac recall just petitioned the FDA on 9/20/21 to regulate B6 supplements. Their stance is 100mg is way too much for someone who isn’t confirmed deficient by a doc/blood test and can be very dangerous. This is the 19 page FDA petition & it has very insightful info about mega doses of B6 (again, a 100mg pill is 5882% of the RDA). I don't think I can put weblinks in a review so the P D F is called B6-Citizen-Petition-Final and it's on the Emery Pharma dot comm websiteMy elderly uncle also started taking 100mg of B6 daily because his doctor said it would be good for him. Doc never tested his levels. He took it for a few years. He went from a very active/healthy old man to very suddenly unable to walk, control his toileting, horrible vertigo, and other symptoms that are all classic B6 toxicity issues. His health rapidly declined for 1.5 years up until his death in 2019. There’s no way to know for sure if the B6 was responsible for some/all of his issues but based on everything else--it’s very possible it was at minimum partially a factor.I had NO IDEA the RDA for B6 was so low, 100mg supplements were too high for someone without a verified deficiency, and it could cause all of these health problems. I also had no idea that “you pee out B vitamins your body doesn’t need” isn’t true with B6.Before you supplement with high doses of B6 like this I URGE YOU get your vitamin levels assessed via blood test. And if you’ve been taking this and have mystery symptoms you chalk up to age/changing bodies/maybe you’re getting leg cramps because your electrolytes are off/you have these symptoms so you must need MORE B vitamins/etc. Look into too much B6 being the culprit.I’m not demonizing B6 or NOW (again, I like the brand). I also understand some people legit need high levels of B6 like this. What I am saying is many of us THINK we can tolerate these high levels based on a guess & if we’re wrong it's no big deal because B vitamins are “harmless.” Nope--in reality, if we guess wrong it could have very serious health consequences. Please consult your doc & do some of your own research on B6 before popping 100mg every day.

When I need supplements I always check for NOW brand first, they've been my goto for years. So far I've never been disappointed with NOW brand knock on wood.

A vitamin is a vitamin--what's to review?

Overdose can cause side effects such as headache & peripheral neuropathy (numbness in legs). Some foods like bannanas contain B-6.

Good quality

When I don’t take this supplement, I notice a significant decrease in energy.

I like now brand products, ty

We have been using NOW Foods Supplements, Vitamin B-6 for years and we have never had a problem with it. Comes in a plastic bottle with a pull off top to seal it. Good way to get your B-6 easily.