Vitamin B6 : Dosing

by MedlinePlus

(Page 2 of 3)

Adults (18 years and older):

Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of vitamin B6: Males (19-50 years) 1.3mg; (51 years and older) 1.7mg; females (19-50 years) 1.3mg; (51 years and older) 1.5mg. Some researchers think the RDA for women 19-50 years should be increased to 1.5-1.7mg per day. Pregnant women, 1.9mg; and lactating women, 2mg.

Recommended maximum daily intake of vitamin B6:Adults, pregnant and lactating women (over 18 years) 100mg.

Hereditary sideroblastic anemia: Doses of 200-600mg per day, decreasing to 30-50mg per day after an adequate response have been used.

Preventing seizures in people receiving cycloserine: Doses of 100-300mg taken daily in divided doses have been used.

Vitamin B6 deficiency: Doses of 2.5-25mg per day for three weeks, then 1.5-2.5mg per day as maintenance therapy have been used.

Preventing anemia due to pyridoxine deficiency or neuritis in people receiving isoniazid or penicillamine: Doses of 10-50mg per day have been used.

Decreasing rate of restenosis after coronary angioplasty: Pyridoxine10mg combined with vitamin B12 400mcg and folic acid 1mg per day has been used although this is not a well proven regimen.

High homocysteine levels in the blood: Doses of 25-50mg per day have been used to treat mildly and moderately elevated total plasma homocysteine levels. For post-prandial hyperhomocysteinemia, doses of 50-200mg of pyridoxine alone or a combination of pyridoxine 100mg and folic acid 0.5mg daily have been used.

Kidney stones: Doses of 10-500mg per day have been used. For primary hyperoxaluria, 2-200mg daily doses have been used. When used with magnesium for preventing kidney stones, pyridoxine 10mg per day has been used in combination with magnesium 300mg per day.

Pregnancy- related nausea: Doses of 10-25mg every eight hours have been used. Alternatively, 75mg of sustained-release pyridoxine combined with 12mcg vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), 1mg folic acid, and 200mg calcium (PremesisRx®) has been used daily as an FDA-approved prescription supplement for nausea during pregnancy.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms: Doses of 50-100mg per day have been used. Pyridoxine 50mg per day plus magnesium oxide 200mg per day seemed to relieve PMS-related anxiety in one study. Higher doses have not shown greater benefit and may increase the risk for adverse effects.

Vitamin B6 deficiency in women taking oral contraceptives: Doses of 25-30mg per day have been used.

Tardive dyskinesia: A dose of 100mg per day has been adjusted weekly up to 400mg per day, given in two divided doses. In one study, supplementation with pyridoxine 400mg per day seemed to improve Parkinsonian, dystonic, and dyskinetic symptoms in patients taking neuroleptic drugs for schizophrenia.

Metabolic disorders: Doses of 100-500mg per day have been used for treating metabolic disorders including xanthurenic aciduria, primary cystathioninuria, and primary homocystinuria.

Children (younger than 18 years):

Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of vitamin B6: Infants (0-6 months) 0.1mg; (7-12 months) 0.3mg; children (1-3 years) 0.5mg; (4-8 years) 0.6mg; (9-13 years) 1mg; males (14-18 years) 1.0mg/day; females (14-18 years) 1.2mg/day.

Recommended maximum daily intake of vitamin B6:Children (1-3 years) 30mg; (4-8 years) 40mg; (9-13 years) 60mg. Males, females, pregnant and lactating females (14-18 years) 80mg.

Seizure in neonates and infants: Pyridoxine exists as FDA-approved prescription product that is available in a 100mg/mL injection for use in seizures in neonates and infants. Ten to 100mg pyridoxine IV or IM is recommended a qualified healthcare provider if needed.

Hyperkinetic cerebral dysfunction syndrome in children: A dose of 300mg per day was used in one clinical trial which also suggested that some children can require larger doses ranging from 500mg to 2 grams daily.

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