Be cautious of over-the-counter products, such as vitamins and minerals – KPCnews.com

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you some information about vitamins and minerals, which are essential to healthy living. But how much, how often, and from what source(s) can be problematic.

One of the people who read that column contacted me with a vitamin story that surprised me. So, I asked if I could share the story with you with the identifying information removed.

The reader found out the hard way that some vitamins in excess are not good.

About 20 years earlier, a book talked about different vitamins and their benefits. Assuming they were safe because they were over-the-counter, the reader began taking a multi-vitamin, B Complex, C, D and calcium.

In 2019, biotin was added, and a prenatal vitamin was substituted for the multivitamin because of hair loss.

Later that year, while working as a health care provider, the reader started feeling faint, with tingling and numbness all over.

A visit to the ER for a blood pressure check resulted in an extensive work up including a CT scan of the head, an EKG, and lots of blood tests that required “barrels of blood” according to the reader.

Luckily, none of the tests showed the stroke that was casually mentioned.

The only thing they found was high blood pressure.

Having ruled out the life-threatening disorders they were looking for, the diagnosis of a panic attack was decided upon. The reader was reassured and referred to primary care for treatment of the high blood pressure.

The tingling and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) continued resulting in a referral to a neurologist who spent a long time with the reader with subsequent tests for things like Multiple Sclerosis, Lyme Disease, as well as others.

There were more blood tests, nerve tests, and an MRI.

Fortunately, the neurologist studies vitamins and was able to make the final diagnosis of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) toxicity.

Since vitamins and supplements are not regulated, a B-complex pill may have much more vitamin B6 than stated. It was explained that vitamin B6 can build up in blood and muscles over time.

In addition to the vitamin supplements, the reader ate a high vitamin B6 diet including chicken, bananas, potatoes, enriched foods like cereal and bread.

So, all the vitamin supplements and the above foods were stopped.

After a couple of months, the blood level of vitamin B6 was normal. The reader has continued to get better since then.

Some residual effects continue, especially when the reader eats a food high in vitamin B6.

There are Facebook groups with thousands of members dealing with the same issue.

From my standpoint, I was aware …….

Source: https://www.kpcnews.com/columnists/article_e2f692cb-884d-52bb-a50b-8d2a6367cd05.html