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Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Research & Evidence

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Evidence Level

Strong

Vitamin B6 has strong evidence for morning sickness treatment, with the ACOG recommending pyridoxine (10-25 mg, 3 times daily) as first-line therapy. The FDA-approved combination of doxylamine/pyridoxine (Diclegis) is supported by multiple RCTs. Wyatt et al. (1999) published a BMJ systematic review of 9 RCTs demonstrating B6 at 50-100 mg/day significantly improved PMS symptoms. For neurology, Hvas et al. (2004) showed that B6 supplementation improved mood in subjects with marginal B6 deficiency. The neuropathy risk at chronic high doses (>200 mg/day) is well-documented and led to the 100 mg/day UL.

Evidence by Condition

ConditionStudied DoseEvidence
General health1.3-2.0 mg dailyStrong
Morning sickness10-25 mg three times dailyStrong
PMS relief50-100 mg dailyModerate
Homocysteine reduction25-50 mg daily with B12 and folateStrong
Full Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Guide

References

  1. (). Efficacy of vitamin B-6 in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: systematic review. BMJ. DOI
  2. (). Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology. DOI
  3. (). Vitamin B6 level is associated with symptoms of depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. DOI