Health Reference LibraryHow much vitamin B6 should I take, and what are the risks of long term high doses?
This entry is part of the Nutri Tailor Health Reference Library — cited research on supplements, nutrients and adjacent areas of health.
Summary
Food covers the 1.4 mg reference intake for men and 1.2 mg for women without effort, and a B6 supplement should be a defined course for a defined reason rather than a daily habit, because long term high doses damage the sensory nerves. The classic cases took 200 mg or more a day for months, but the 2023 European review found reports at lower doses over long periods and lowered the upper limit to 12 mg a day; the NHS says no more than 10 mg a day unless a doctor advises it. Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet on a B6 supplement means stop and see your GP.
Dose calculator: capsules to reach your vitamin B6 target
Enter the daily amount of vitamin B6 you are aiming for and see how many servings of each Nutri Tailor product reach it. Nothing you enter leaves this device. No AI is used.
This tool does arithmetic on the label figures. It is not personal dosing advice and it knows nothing about your history or blood results. The reference intake, the safe upper guide and the trial doses are on this page; talk to your GP or a registered nutritional therapist before changing what you take.
Effective dose
The reference intake is 1.4 mg a day for men and 1.2 mg for women. Food covers the reference intake for almost everyone: chicken, fish, potatoes and bananas are rich in it. A supplement makes sense only for a defined reason and a defined time. The premenstrual and nausea of pregnancy studies used 10 to 50 mg a day for weeks, not years. Ten milligrams a day is the line for anything open ended.
Safety profile
How much is too much: the NHS says not to take more than 10 mg a day from supplements unless a doctor advises it, and the European upper limit was lowered to 12 mg a day in 2023. Long term high doses of B6 damage the sensory nerves, causing numbness, tingling and unsteadiness that can take months to reverse. The classic cases took 200 mg or more a day for months; the 2023 European review found reports at lower doses over long periods, which is why the limit came down to 12 mg. The active form P5P is not exempt. Any tingling in the hands or feet on a B6 supplement means stop and see your GP.
Guideline positions
NHS vitamins and minerals guidance for vitamin B6. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet for vitamin B6 where one exists. The trial doses quoted above are from the sources listed on this page.
Practical framework
Capsules to reach the dose, from the Nutri Tailor range, all made in the UK: [vitamin B6 P5P capsules](/products/vitamin-b6-p5p-capsules), 34 mg of pyridoxal 5 phosphate per capsule, which is above the 10 mg NHS guide; suited to a short course of a few weeks under advice, not indefinite daily use; [vitamin B6 P5P liquid](/products/vitamin-b6-p5p-liquid), dosed by the drop, for smaller amounts. To read your own result against the UK ranges, use the free blood test result interpreter. This is a summary of published research, not personal health advice. Talk to your GP or a registered nutritional therapist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, have a diagnosed condition or are under ongoing care.
Common misconceptions
That more vitamin B6 works faster: above the doses the trials used there is no extra effect, only more side effects. That the front of the bottle states the dose: read the per capsule figure and the serving size on the back. That the NHS figure is a toxic threshold: it is the level below which harm is unlikely, which is a different thing.
Who this matters for
This entry is relevant for the following groups and situations:
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Adults over 65
- Endurance athletes
- Strength athletes
Recent updates
Reviewed and corrected against sources on , ,
Sources
- 2024. B vitamins and folic acid. NHS.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements 2025. Vitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements.
- 2023. Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B6. EFSA.