Vitamin B6 and Peripheral Neurophathy

[Amadeus]

Hello, everyone.
My question is this: Does vitamin B6 help with peripheral neuropathy?

I had been taking Complera for one month with no overly negative symptoms. However, after that one month a new set of symptoms suddenly appeared, one of which being a tingling along my skin and loss of feeling along my extremities and later even more psrts. This started to get worse as the days passed, so I called my doctor.  In between the call and the appointment dates, I did not take the medication, and the numbness went away. However, my doctor thinks that by taking vitamin b6, I will still be able to take Complera with no other issues. Since your sense of touch is involved in typing, texting, driving, etc. this is very important to me.  Has this happened to anyone else? Has adding more vitamin B6 helped your tingling, numbness and/or peripheral neuropathy?

[Jim Allen]

Hi

Ill be honest, if you believe your meds are making your peripheral neuropathy worse or aggravating it, I would be asking for a change in treatment. Taking too much B6 can cause or aggravate the condition.

peripheral neuropathy caused by HIV happens, peripheral neuropathy caused by HIV meds is far more rare and normally limited to older classes of drugs

Anyhow wishing you all the best.

Jim


https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/peripheral-neuropathy

[leatherman]

peripheral neuropathy caused by HIV meds is far more rare and normally limited to older classes of drugs

I would also point out that along with almost all PN being associated with older meds, PN usually does not happen within a month of taking meds. Definitely talk to your doctor about other factors or perhaps a med change as you may be experiencing some odd side effect rather than actual PN.

What causes peripheral neuropathy?
There are several possible causes of peripheral neuropathy. Direct injury, such as a broken bone or a severe burn, can cause damage to peripheral nerves. Certain diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis, or lupus, can also result in nerve damage. A lack of essential vitamins and minerals, particular vitamins B12 and E, can contribute to nerve damage. Conversely, taking too much vitamin B6 (more than 200 mg a day) can actually cause this condition.

HIV itself has also been shown to cause nerve damage, usually in people with seriously suppressed immune systems. Though researchers aren't yet certain how HIV causes nerve or brain injury, many believe it is due to chronic immune system inflammation due to HIV replication.

In 2009, researchers from the CHARTER study reported that they were able to find symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in a significant percentage of older HIV-positive individuals—even in people without other risk factors. The degree of peripheral neuropathy was very mild in most people, and in fact most were unaware that they had sustained any nerve damage.

Moderate to severe peripheral neuropathy in people living with HIV is a usually side effect of certain medications, including those used to treat HIV and certain AIDS-related infection. These drugs can damage peripheral nerves and eventually lead to symptoms of neuropathy.

The most likely reason why certain HIV drugs cause peripheral neuropathy is that they can damage mitochondria—the genetic powerhouses inside cells that help convert nutrients into energy that our cells need. Too much mitochondrial damage, researchers believe, can lead to nerve damage and peripheral neuropathy.

Some of the HIV/AIDS drugs that can cause peripheral neuropathy include:

Hivid (zalcitabine) – no longer sold
Videx; Videx EC (didanosine) 
Zerit (stavudine)
Nydrazid (isoniazid) – for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis (TB)
Oncovin (vincristine) or Velban (vincristine) – for the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)
Myambutol (ethambutol) – for the treatment of MAC and other bacterial infections
Flagyl (metronidazole) – for the treatment of amoebas and parasitic infections
Zyvox (linezolid) – for the treatment of bacterial infections
dapsone – for the treatment of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) and other infections

While peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of these drugs, this does not mean that all people who take them will experience nerve damage or develop symptoms of neuropathy. It's possible that people who combine these drugs—such as Zerit and Videx, two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) that are no longer routinely used together—are at a greater risk of experiencing neuropathy or developing more severe and painful symptoms. Similarly, people who use these HIV medications with other drugs known to cause peripheral neuropathy may also be at an increased risk of this side effect. The risk of peripheral neuropathy may be higher still if these medications are used in people with a history of neuropathy, diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and/or older age.

[Amadeus]

Thank you for the quick replies.

 After reading the serious side effects list for Complera, it does say that numbness is a sign of lactic acidosis. I'm going to talk once more with my doctor, and if they try to keep me on the meds I'll switch doctors.

[CaveyUK]

Thank you for the quick replies.

 After reading the serious side effects list for Complera, it does say that numbness is a sign of lactic acidosis. I'm going to talk once more with my doctor, and if they try to keep me on the meds I'll switch doctors.

For a start, don't get hung up on the side effects list of HIV drugs. One glance at a similar list of fairly mundane drugs will also contain many of the same things.

Secondly, I highly doubt that your meds are causing PN. It's just too soon for stuff like that. There may be side effects from your meds that can cause muscle pain - that is true of any med...I had horrendous problems on an common antibiotic the other year, for example. But I wouldn't just jump to the conclusion that it must be your HIV meds, and certainly if the meds are causing a side effect, it wouldn't be PN this quickly.

Thirdly, as mentioned by others PN is an incredibly common condition that can be caused by a variety of medical and physical issues. If you DO have PN, then you need to get that evaluated in case there is something else going on.

Given the timeline, my money would be on some transient side effects, but certainly discuss with your doctor.

[eric48]

Hi,

My doctor prescribed B12 , not B6..., and that solved the issue

I still swallow one vial a month, just in case