Vitamin B6 therapy during childbearing years: cause for caution?

Abstract

Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is either prescribed or recommended in large doses for a variety of ailments. These ailments include morning sickness and premenstrual syndrome, despite the fact that the effect of large doses of vitamin B6 on developing human fetuses is currently unknown. Both clinical reports and recent experimental evidence indicate, however, that large doses of vitamin B6 can have adverse affects on proprioceptive neuron function, and these deficits may be permanent if caused during development. This evidence suggests that ingestion of large quantities of vitamin B6 should be viewed with caution by pregnant women and women of childbearing potential.