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In the U.S.—

Beesix Doxine Nestrex

Pyri Rodex Vitabee 6

• Antidote, to cycloserine poisoning
• Antidote, to isoniazid poisoning
• Nutritional supplement, vitamin

Vitamins (VYE-ta-mins ) are compounds that you must have for growth and health. They are needed in small amounts only and are usually available in the foods that you eat. Pyridoxine (peer-i-DOX-een ) (vitamin B 6) is necessary for normal breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Some conditions may increase your need for pyridoxine. These include:

• Alcoholism
• Burns
• Diarrhea
• Dialysis
• Heart disease
• Intestinal problems
• Liver disease
• Overactive thyroid
• Stress, long-term illness, or serious injury
• Surgical removal of stomach

In addition, infants receiving unfortified formulas such as evaporated milk may need additional pyridoxine.

Increased need for pyridoxine should be determined by your health care professional.

Lack of pyridoxine may lead to anemia (weak blood), nerve damage, seizures, skin problems, and sores in the mouth. Your doctor may treat these problems by prescribing pyridoxine for you.

Claims that pyridoxine is effective for treatment of acne and other skin problems, alcohol intoxication, asthma, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, mental problems, migraine headaches, morning sickness, and menstrual problems, or to stimulate appetite or milk production have not been proven.

Injectable pyridoxine is given by or under the supervision of a health care professional. Other forms of pyridoxine are available without a prescription.

Pyridoxine is available in the following dosage forms:

Oral
• Extended-release capsules (U.S.)
• Tablets (U.S. and Canada)
• Extended-release tablets (U.S.)

Parenteral
• Injection (U.S. and Canada)

For good health, it is important that you eat a balanced and varied diet. Follow carefully any diet program your health care professional may recommend. For your specific dietary vitamin and/or mineral needs, ask your health care professional for a list of appropriate foods. If you think that you are not getting enough vitamins and/or minerals in your diet, you may choose to take a dietary supplement.Pyridoxine is found in various foods, including meats, bananas, lima beans, egg yolks, peanuts, and whole-grain cereals. Pyridoxine is not lost from food during ordinary cooking, although some other forms of vitamin B ₆ are.

Vitamins alone will not take the place of a good diet and will not provide energy. Your body also needs other substances found in food such as protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins themselves often cannot work without the presence of other foods.

The daily amount of pyridoxine needed is defined in several different ways.

For U.S.—
• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to provide for adequate nutrition in most healthy persons. RDAs for a given nutrient may vary depending on a person's age, sex, and physical condition (e.g., pregnancy).
• Daily Values (DVs) are used on food and dietary supplement labels to indicate the percent of the recommended daily amount of each nutrient that a serving provides. DV replaces the previous designation of United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDAs).

For Canada—
• Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) are used to determine the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein needed to provide adequate nutrition and lessen the risk of chronic disease.

Normal daily recommended intakes for pyridoxine are generally defined as follows:

• Infants and children—
  • Birth to 3 years of age: 0.3 to 1 milligram (mg).
  • 4 to 6 years of age: 1.1 mg.
  • 7 to 10 years of age: 1.4 mg.
• Adolescent and adult males—1.7 to 2 mg.
• Adolescent and adult females—1.4 to 1.6 mg.
• Pregnant females—2.2 mg.
• Breast-feeding females—2.1 mg.

If you are taking this dietary supplement without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For pyridoxine, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your health care professional if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to pyridoxine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—It is especially important that you are receiving enough vitamins when you become pregnant and that you continue to receive the right amount of vitamins throughout your pregnancy. The healthy growth and development of the fetus depend on a steady supply of nutrients from the mother. However, excessive doses of pyridoxine taken during pregnancy may cause the infant to become dependent on pyridoxine.

Breast-feeding—It is especially important that you receive the right amounts of vitamins so that your baby will also get the vitamins needed to grow properly. You should also check with your health care professional if you are giving your baby an unfortified formula. In that case, the baby must get the vitamins needed some other way. However, taking large amounts of a dietary supplement while breast-feeding may be harmful to the mother and/or baby and should be avoided.

Children—Problems in children have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts.

Older adults—Problems in older adults have not been reported with intake of normal daily recommended amounts.

Other medicines—Medicines or other dietary supplements

Although certain medicines or dietary supplements should not be used together at all, in other cases they may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your health care professional may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking pyridoxine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking the following:

• Levodopa (e.g., Larodopa)—Use with pyridoxine may prevent the levodopa from working properly

Dosing—

The amount of pyridoxine needed to meet normal daily recommended intakes will be different for different individuals. The following information includes only the average amounts of pyridoxine.

• For oral dosage forms (capsules, tablets, oral solution):
  • To prevent deficiency, the amount taken by mouth is based on normal daily recommended intakes:
    • Adult and teenage males—1.7 to 2 milligrams (mg) per day.
    • Adult and teenage females—1.4 to 1.6 mg per day.
    • Pregnant females—2.2 mg per day.
    • Breast-feeding females—2.1 mg per day.
    • Children 7 to 10 years of age—1.4 mg per day.
    • Children 4 to 6 years of age—1.1 mg per day.
    • Children birth to 3 years of age—0.3 to 1 mg per day.
  • To treat deficiency:
    • Adults, teenagers, and children—Treatment dose is determined by prescriber for each individual based on the severity of deficiency.

To use the extended-release capsule form of this dietary supplement:

• Swallow the capsule whole.
• Do not crush, break, or chew before swallowing.
• If the capsule is too large to swallow, you may mix the contents of the capsule with jam or jelly and swallow without chewing.

To use the extended-release tablet form of this dietary supplement:

• Swallow the tablet whole.
• Do not crush, break, or chew before swallowing.

Missed dose—

If you miss taking a vitamin for 1 or more days there is no cause for concern, since it takes some time for your body to become seriously low in vitamins. However, if your health care professional has recommended that you take this vitamin, try to remember to take it as directed every day.

Storage—

To store this dietary supplement:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store the capsule or tablet form of this medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the dietary supplement to break down.
• Do not keep outdated dietary supplements or those no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

Side Effects of This Dietary Supplement

Along with its needed effects, a dietary supplement may cause some unwanted effects. Although pyridoxine does not usually cause any side effects at usual doses, check with your health care professional as soon as possible if you notice either of the following side effects:

• With large doses
  • Clumsiness;  numbness of hands or feet  
  
  

Also check with your health care professional if you notice any other unusual effects while you are taking pyridoxine.

Revised: 05/01/1995