This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

hi,

i started a regimen of supplements awhile back which included zinc citrate, mag citrate, vitamin C, B complex, and vitamin D. after taking it for a few days i started to get this strange sensation on my skin. its hard to explain, but i felt numb and just sort of strange. i double checked the pill bottles and found that the dosage for the B complex was 1 capsule and i had taken two at the very least for that day but i could have unknowingly taken two for a few days. here is my regimen: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/regimens- ... 21959.html knowing that B vitamins can be toxic in high doses, i stopped taking the supplements and then forgot about them. the strange sensations went away immediately. yesterday i pulled the supplements out and decided to give them another shot. i'm certain i just took one B complex but i had increased numbness and burning mostly on my left foot and left arm all day. still this morning i can tell that my sensation is not right. i was having some slight increased numbness before i took the supplements yesterday. is it possible that one of the supplements i am taking is causing parasthesias to be exacerbated? i was wondering in particular about the magnesium. could this be somehow a good thing, a sign that the supplements are working? the numb/burning sensation is not usually this bothersome. i'm hoping its a transient thing and not another subclinical flare like i had a few weeks ago that caused me to be dizzy and fall over in the bathroom :/

excess b6 can cause numbness, how much b6 were you getting when you were doubling up on the b complex? i don't imagine magnesium will cause you any issues with numbness. mag citrate is not the most soluble form so it's doubtful you're in magnesium excess. i should think you'd be more likely to feel weakness than numbness from excess mag. i will look at your regimen tomorrow and let you know if i see anything there.

i was getting 50 mg of B6 when i accidentally doubled up. that was at least 6 weeks ago though so i doubt it could have been the culprit last week. but one b complex has 1250% of vitamin B6 in it, so maybe thats just too much for me? i am still having problems with parathesias, it feels like i have a gob of icy hot on my left hand and arm and i haven't taken anything since thursday... wondering if i should let my study coordinator know.

mmpetunia wrote:i was getting 50 mg of B6 when i accidentally doubled up. that was at least 6 weeks ago though so i doubt it could have been the culprit last week. but one b complex has 1250% of vitamin B6 in it, so maybe thats just too much for me? i am still having problems with parathesias, it feels like i have a gob of icy hot on my left hand and arm and i haven't taken anything since thursday... wondering if i should let my study coordinator know.

Proprioception is the body's awareness of itself. For example, movement, position and muscle tension. Certain nerves provide feedback into the CNS so that we can know if our body is responding the way we directed it to. For example, one time I fell asleep on my arm in a peculiar position and my arm went completely numb. When I woke up I tried to move my arm and immediately knew that it didn't happen. As an example, proprioception allows us to walk without looking at our feet. It also allows us to know that our fingers are moving even when our hand is behind our back, etc. Anyways, an overdose of vitamin B6 will inhibit proprioception leading to annoying neurological side effects.

more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6_excess
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... tysymptoms

it looks like doses would probably need to be much higher to result in toxicity. can you clarify, do you mean you accidentally doubled up for a few days 6 weeks ago? or you have been taking b50 complex for 6 weeks and accidentally took at least two per day for a few days more recently? it's possible that for you the b-complex in addition to dietary intakes could be having an effect, but it would be tough to say without having bloodwork done to look at your levels.

there's a vague possibility that you might be accumulating something in the regimen to excess due to some sort of imbalance overall. I know in my case I used to react badly to a b-complex supplement that contained 1g of folic acid (my levels went very high and the related neuropathy was a super annoying phantom itch), but that was years ago and I have since identified and corrected various nutritional issues. I was surprised to notice at one point that a new b-complex product also had 1g of folic acid, but I wasn't reacting with the same symptoms any longer.

can you refresh my memory re the study?

interestingly, re proprioception, mine was gone until I started the klenner protocol, which actually contains a lot of b complex vitamins. the proprioception issue resolved in a matter of days. however, there are quite a few things in the mix so I can't be sure that the b-complex was responsible. in fact I think the vitamin e in the regimen may have had a lot to do with my restored abilities (loss of position sense is one of the symptoms of vit e deficit). anyway that was my single best and most noticeable improvement from supplements ever. no comparison.

anyway, I will check out the rest of your regimen.

Hi MMPetunia,

I am also in the SF Bay Area and I really appreciate your blog.

I have also been struggling with dizzyness recently.

Good luck.

can you clarify, do you mean you accidentally doubled up for a few days 6 weeks ago? or you have been taking b50 complex for 6 weeks and accidentally took at least two per day for a few days more recently?

jimmy,

6 ish weeks ago i began a supplement regimen, and at some point during the first week of taking them i began having increased numbness and strange sensations. this is when i discovered i had taken more than one of the B complex capsules. i stopped taking them at that point.

one day last week, i decided i would try the regimen again so i started taking the supplements again, but this time i made sure i was only taking one B complex capsule. the parathesias worsened but was already present before i took the supplements. i also developed really intense stomach pain that woke me from sleep every night. therefore, i once again stopped the supplements because anything i put into my stomach was painful. its been about 5 days and the stomach pain is mostly gone. yesterday was a very bad day for the parathesias mostly in my left hand. my left foot seems to be pretty affected as well. today my sensation feels much better. i'm not sure if i should tempt fate with trying the supplements again or not!

i keep hearing a little voice in my head saying "symptoms lasting longer than 24 hours could be a relapse" and this has me worried.

Cali,

thanks!! glad you enjoy it

heya - thanks for the clarification. I have a few urgent priorities today but will look at your regimen ASAP

ah okay I went back and reviewed your regimen. I think you're pretty okay, nothing jumps out, BUT I think it would be great if you could get some tests done. or at least do a careful audit of your diet. you may be supplementing something you didn't need in the first place.
you could also consider an experiment. try each component on its own for one week apiece, then see how you feel. if you get a red flag on one thing, dump it for now. you could think about trying it again later once you're no longer on copaxone.

according to neuro its a relapse. gah!!!

and will- do Jimmy. thanks for taking a look.

Just a long shot, from faaaar left field, maybe something in the pills (ie fillers or even vitamins) act as a trigger for you.

NHE wrote:For example, one time I fell asleep on my arm in a peculiar position and my arm went completely numb. When I woke up I tried to move my arm and immediately knew that it didn't happen.

Totally unrelated to MS, I once awoke in the middle of the night and immediately knew I had been sleeping on my arm such that my hand was totally numb. It was totally numb, no pins or needles or anything, so i was a little worried, so while on my back, I raised it in front of my face to see if it was blue. When I did this I felt a lump of dead flesh fall on my face! For a split second I thought my hand had fallen off my wrist!! I did not feel my own face with my hand, I did not feel that my hand had dropped (ie proprioception) It was for all intensive purposes disconnected from my body! It scared the absolute be-jezus out of me. At this point I would like to remind everyone it was for a split second, and in the middle of the night, and I was only half awake. That's my excuse...