Posted by Lao Tzu on February 5, 2010, at 10:06:28
If you're taking vitamin B6 for depression, you might try adding P5P to regular pyridoxine. In the morning, I take a combination of 25mg of B6 and 25mg of P5P (pyridoxal 5' phosphate). I find that this combination improves my energy than taking just regular B6 alone. I've tried all different dosages. 50mg of P5P gives me increased energy, but I noticed that over time I felt wired on this dosage. So I decreased it to 25mg plus the addition of 25mg of regular B6. That seemed to work, and I'm getting at least 50mg per day. On days where anxiety is an issue, I do take more B6, about 150mg per day, but on most days I stick with the B6/P5P combination and I'm usually okay. Someone said more is not always better. I think this statement fits sometimes when it relates to vitamins. You really have to be mindful of the dosage you put into your body. Another point I wanted to make is that if you are pyroluric, you may need to supplement with zinc as well as B6. Personally, zinc picolinate is the most useful form for me. Be careful with zinc, however. Not everybody needs large doses of it. In some people, supplementing with zinc can actually worsen depression. I've had this experience in the past when using zinc gluconate. For some reason, zinc picolinate doesn't cause worsening of depression for me. The thing about zinc is that gradually you may find yourself increasing the dosage until you reach a plateau dosage that you take everyday for maintenance. Adequate zinc is important in depression, but depending on your biochemistry, you may require more or less, and some people probably will not need it or like it. I find that it does help my depression to a certain degree, but vitamin B6 is absolutely essential for good mental health.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:936024
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20091202/msgs/936024.html