Vitamin B6: Too Little and Too Much
In Australia, too much vitamin B6 is now a bigger worry than too little. It hides in magnesium, energy and multivitamin products, and long-term high doses can damage nerves.
Too much: B6 toxicity
- Causes numbness, tingling or burning in the hands and feet, and sometimes clumsiness or unsteadiness.
- High doses (grams a day) for months are a well-known cause, but Australian reports include people taking much less, sometimes from several products at once.
- The TGA has received 174 reports of nerve damage linked to vitamin B6 (to June 2025), mostly since 2023.
- Symptoms usually improve after stopping, but recovery can take months and isn’t always complete.
New rules from 1 June 2027
- Up to 50 mg a day: general sale.
- More than 50 mg and up to 200 mg a day: pharmacist only.
- More than 200 mg a day: prescription only.
- Until then, check every label: B6 may be listed as pyridoxine, pyridoxal or pyridoxamine.
Too little: deficiency
- Who’s at risk: kidney disease and dialysis, heavy alcohol use, coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, and some medicines (isoniazid, some epilepsy medicines).
- Signs: sore tongue, cracked mouth corners, scaly rash, low mood or confusion, anaemia, and in babies, seizures.
- Adults need about 1.3–1.7 mg a day. That’s easily met by food.
Food sources
- Chickpeas, fish, chicken, beef, potatoes, bananas and fortified cereals.
Save your money
- Stacking supplementsMagnesium, “energy”, sleep, stress and multivitamin products often all contain B6. Add up the total.
- B6 for tiredness or PMSEvidence is limited, and the risk of nerve damage rises with dose and duration.
See your GP if
- You have numbness, tingling or burning in your hands or feet: bring all your supplements to the appointment
- You take more than one supplement and aren’t sure of your total B6
- You have kidney disease, coeliac disease or take isoniazid
Common questions
What are the symptoms of too much vitamin B6?
Numbness, tingling, burning or pins and needles in the hands and feet, and sometimes poor balance. Stop B6 supplements and see your GP.
How much vitamin B6 is too much?
Nerve damage is well documented at very high doses, but Australian cases include people on much lower doses over long periods. From June 2027, products over 50 mg a day will be pharmacist-only and over 200 mg prescription-only.
Is B6 toxicity reversible?
Usually it improves after stopping, but this can take months and some people are left with lasting symptoms.
Which products contain vitamin B6?
Many: magnesium supplements, B complexes, multivitamins, energy and sleep products. Look for pyridoxine, pyridoxal or pyridoxamine on the label.
Who gets vitamin B6 deficiency?
People with kidney disease or on dialysis, heavy drinkers, people with gut absorption problems, and people on some medicines such as isoniazid.
Helpful resources
- TGA: Medicines containing vitamin B6Safety update and the list of affected products. Free.
- Healthdirect: Vitamins and mineralsPlain-English Australian Government guide. Free.
Evidence and more information
- TGA: Medicines containing vitamin B6 (safety update)
- TGA: Final decision on vitamin B6 scheduling (Nov 2025)
- Medical Republic: TGA makes final decision on vitamin B6 regulation
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6
maladywise.com/vitamin-b6/