When Dominic Noonan-O’Keefe started to take a selection of supplements to help him fight common bugs, he never expected that the ‘health boost’ pills would leave him with lifelong nerve damage.
Dominic Noonan-O’Keefe, 33, from Melbourne, Australia, started taking daily capsules of vitamin D, vitamin C, and what he thought was magnesium was, in the summer of 2023, to support his overall health.
But this simple decision ‘absolutely torn’ life.
The magnesium tablets contain considerably above the recommended dose of vitamin B6, which resulted in unpleasant symptoms that struck within three months of his new regime.
Mr. Noonan-O’Keefe began to experience nausea, dizziness and difficulties.
He told the Australian news site 9News: ‘I am dizzy, nauseous. I find it difficult to walk, there is a kind of generalized numbness and tingling over my body.
‘I walked in and I grabbed vitamin D, vitamin C, and what I thought was magnesium.
‘I did not intentionally bought B vitamins, and it has led my life to tore apart.
Dominic Noonan-O’Keefe that peripheral neuropathy (left) and Dr. Gemma Day has, a chemical pathologist who warns the public (right)
He now has peripheral neuropathy – damage in the limbs of the body, such as hands and feet, which leads to symptoms such as numbness, tingling and pain.
Vitamin B6 is a vital nutrient that is important for a series of functions such as metabolism, brain function and hormonal balance, and most of us get enough of our diet.
The vitamin is found in meat, dairy products and eggs, as well as spinach, kale, bananas and potatoes.
Although studies show that taking excessive quantities is almost impossible through food, experts have that Previously warned of the risk of an overdose with supplements.
Dr. Gemma Day, a chemical pathologist, said: “Weight loss shakes, energy drinks and freely available supplements can all contain high levels of B6 that in turn can cause this problem.”
Polaris lawyers told 9 news that they are investigating possible class actions against the company that fulfilled the supplement that Mr. Noonan-O’Keefe says he has taken.
Nick Mann at Polaris Lawyers said: “I think there should be a legal responsibility for the fact that these products are potentially toxic and is not done enough to protect consumers.”
A spokesperson for the manufacturer told 9 news: ‘All our products, including those with vitamin B6, have been developed in strict agreement with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regularly demands.
“We encourage consumers to consult a healthcare provider.”
Experts were previously demolished from the risk of overdose caused by supplementation
In the UK it is estimated that almost one in 10 people aged 55 or older is influenced by peripheral neuropathy.
The symptoms are numbness and tingling in the feet or hands and burning stitches or shooting pain in different areas.
It can also cause loss of balance and coordination and muscle weakness (especially in the feet).
The recommended daily amount of vitamin B6 varies from between 1 mg for older children to 1.4 mg for men, and 1.2 mg for women, according to the NHS.
It is known that taking around 200 mg per day leads to peripheral neuropathy.
Scientists do not know exactly why, but it is thought that surplus vitamin B interferes with how the brain hormone sends Gaba signals to the sensory nerves.
The NHS advises not to take more than 10 mg per day from B6, because the risks are unclear. Some studies have shown that nerve damage can occur with doses below 200 mg, while American health leaders say that the safe upper limit is between 40 and 80 mg, depending on the age.
The Australian Royal College of Pathologists, however, see blood results 600 times higher 1.9 mg in some patients.
Since 2020, the Australian Medicines Watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has received 147 reports of adverse effects of supplements that contain vitamin B6.
Andrés Lopez-Varela also suffered from extreme peripheral neuropathy and he believes that the perpetrator was vitamin B6 in a freely available supplement.
Andrés Lopez-Varela, from Newcastle, New South Wales, also suffered from extreme peripheral neuropathy.
He experienced tingling, burning and shooting through his peripheral nervous system for four years – a period that he described as ‘the worst in his life’.
Mr. Lopez-Varela said: ‘I could not make a phone call with the handset that was held on my ear because it was partially closing my hand so unbearable.
I stopped driving well because closing my hand around the steering wheel would send burning pain in my arms and in my chest, “he tells me.
‘I couldn’t even sit for a long time, because sinking in my chair would cause the pain to explode. It was a fiery, burning, nerve pain that rarely left. ‘
He believes that the perpetrator was vitamin B6 in an over-the-counter supplement he took.
The Royal College of Pathologists in Australia has warned the potential dangers of excessive vitamin B6 consumption.
Dr. David Kanowski, a chemical pathologist at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology in Brisbane, has observed an increase in patients with peripheral neuropathy.
“There has been an increase in people who took pretty serious medication for their health, not realizing that it could be harmful,” he said.
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