Safety warning over popular supplement after father develops life-ruining disability linked to the vitamin
When Dominic Noonan-O'Keefe started taking a selection of supplements to help him fight common bugs, he never expected the 'health boosting' pills would leave him with life-long nerve damage.
Dominic Noonan-O'Keefe, 33, from Melbourne, Australia, started taking daily capsules of vitamin D, vitamin C, and what he thought was magnesium, in the summer of 2023, to support his overall health.
But, this simple decision 'absolutely ripped apart' life.
The magnesium tablets contained significantly above the recommended dose of the vitamin B6 in them, resulting in unpleasant symptoms that struck within three months of his new regime.
Mr Noonan-O'Keefe started experiencing nausea, dizziness and difficulties walking.
He told Australian news site 9News: 'I'm dizzy, nauseous. I find it difficult to walk, there's sort of generalized numbness and tingling across my body.
'I walked in, and I grabbed vitamin D, vitamin C, and some what I thought was magnesium.
'I didn't deliberately purchase any B vitamins, and it's resulted in absolutely ripping apart my life.
He now has peripheral neuropathy—nerve damage in the body's extremities, like hands and feet, leading to symptoms like numbness, tingling, and pain.
Vitamin B6 is a vital nutrient that is important for a range of functions such as metabolism, brain function, and hormonal balance, and most of us get enough of from our diet.
The vitamin is found in meat, dairy and eggs, as well as spinach, kale, bananas and potatoes.
While studies show that taking excessive amounts is almost impossible via food, experts have previously warned of the risk over overdosing with supplements.
Dr Gemma Day, a chemical pathologist, said: 'Weight loss shakes, energy drinks and over the counter supplements can all contain high levels of B6 that can then in turn cause this issue.'
Polaris Lawyers told 9 News they are investigating possible class actions against the company that manufactured the supplement Mr Noonan-O'Keefe says he took.
Nick Mann at Polaris Lawyers said: 'I think that there needs to be some legal accountability for the fact that these products are potentially toxic and not enough is being done to protect consumers.'
A spokesperson for the manufacturer told 9 News: 'All our products, including those containing vitamin B6, are developed in strict accordance with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regularly requirements.
'We encourage consumers to consult a healthcare professional'.
In the UK, it is estimated almost one in 10 people aged 55 or over are affected by peripheral neuropathy.
The symptoms include numbness and tingling in the feet or hands and burning stabbing or shooting pain in different areas.
It can also cause loss of balance and coordination and muscle weakness (especially in the feet).
The recommended daily amount of vitamin B6 ranges from between 1mg for older children to 1.4mg for men, and 1.2mg for women, according to the NHS.
Taking around 200mg per day is known to lead to peripheral neuropathy.
Scientists don't exactly know why, but it is thought that excess vitamin B interferes with how the brain hormone GABA sends signals to the sensory nerves.
The NHS advises not to take more than 10mg per day of B6 as the risks are unclear. Some studies have found nerve damage may occur at doses below 200mg, while US health chiefs say the safe upper limit is between 40 and 80 mg, depending on age.
However, the Australian Royal College of Pathologists are seeing blood results 600 times higher 1.9mg in some patients.
Since 2020, the Australian medicines watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has received 147 reports of adverse effects of supplements containing vitamin B6.
Andrés Lopez-Varela, from Newcastle, New South Wales, also suffered through extreme peripheral neuropathy.
He experienced tingling, burning and shooting pains through his peripheral nervous system for four years—a period he described as 'the worst in his life'.
Mr Lopez-Varela said: 'I couldn't have a phone conversation with the handset held to my ear because the act of partially closing my hand was so excruciating.
I stopped being able to drive properly because closing my hand around the steering wheel would send burning pain up my arms and into my chest,' he tells me.
'I couldn't even sit down for long periods because slumping in my chair would cause the pain to explode. It was a fiery, burning, nerve pain that rarely went away.'
He believes the culprit was vitamin B6 in an over-the counter-supplement he was taking.
The Royal College of Pathologists in Australia have warned against the potential dangers of excessive vitamin B6 consumption.
Dr David Kanowski, a chemical pathologist at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology in Brisbane, has observed an increase in patients presenting peripheral neuropathy.
'There has been an increase in people taking over-the-counter medication in earnest for their health, not realising that it could potentially be harmful,' he said.
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