PYRIDOXINE IN FOCUSNEEDS®

The Details

What Are Pyridoxine and Pyridoxyl-5-phosphate (P5P)?

Pyridoxine, also known as vitamin B6, is one of the eight B vitamins. Pyridoxine cannot be manufactured by humans and is thus a true vitamin, obtained exclusively from the diet.

Most supplements contain inactivated pyridoxine (vitamin B6), but some sources suggest that the activated form (pyridoxal-5-phosphate, abbreviated as PLP) is better. PLP is the form present in FocusNeeds®.

What Does Pyridoxine/P5P Do? 

The active form of pyridoxine, pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP), serves as an enzyme cofactor in over 100 enzyme reactions in carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Of importance in FocusNeeds®, PLP is the cofactor for the enzyme glutamate decarboxylase, which converts glutamate (the main excitatory neurotransmitter) into GABA (the main inhibitory neurotransmitter). Additionally, PLP is the cofactor for the enzyme aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase, which converts 5-HTP to serotonin. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter in the nervous system, including in the brain and gut, with important inhibitory roles. PLP is also involved in myelin and hemoglobin synthesis, and gene expression.

What Does a Pyridoxine/P5P Deficiency Appear As? 

Deficiency is generally found in individuals with highly-restricted diets and/or substantial gastrointestinal disease. Symptoms can include weakness, fatigue, depression, seizures, peripheral neuropathy, vomiting, anemia, and cardiovascular disease including stroke.

What About Pyridoxine/P5P Use in Disease?  

Pyridoxine or P5P are also frequently recommended for neurological conditions, including ADD/ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, Alzheimer disease, nerve pain, and migraine. In ADHD, on combined treatment with vitamin B6 and magnesium, improvement was noted on with in terms of inattention, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness [PMID 16846100]. In one study in ADHD adults, lower levels of blood B6 were associated with ADHD as well as its severity [PMID 27990293]. Metabolic profiles consistent with B6 deficiency were noted in people with ADHD [PMID 24321736], and per the authors’ retrospective analysis, “multi-year pyridoxine treatment normalizes completely the pattern of ADHD behavior, without causing any serious side effects.”

In addition, pyridoxine/P5P is sometimes recommended for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), Down syndrome, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, night leg cramps, muscle cramps, arthritis, allergies, acne and various other skin conditions, and infertility. It is also used for dizziness, motion sickness, preventing the eye disease age-related macular degeneration, seizures, convulsions due to fever, and movement disorders (tardive dyskinesia, hyperkinesis, chorea). Some people use pyridoxine for boosting the immune system, for eye or bladder infections, preventing cancer and kidney stones, increasing appetite, and helping people remember dreams.

What Are the Common and/or Important Side Effects of Pyridoxine/P5P?

Pyridoxine is a water-soluble vitamin and thus considered to be generally non-toxic. Side effects are rare at usual doses used in supplementation.

Is There Any Laboratory Testing for Pyridoxine/P5P Deficiency?

Laboratory testing can reveal the presence of a deficiency of this nutrient but is generally not likely to have clinically utility.