Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is a developmental disorder characterized by concentration difficulties and impulsive behavior. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that symptoms usually arise in childhood, but ADHD can also affect adults. Drug treatments and behavioral therapy are commonly used to help to keep symptoms under control. Vitamin B-6 may also help to alleviate ADHD symptoms, but scientific evidence to prove this is limited. Get medical advice before adding vitamin supplements to your ADHD treatment program.
Vitamin B-6
Vitamin B-6 is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in a number of biological processes, including protein metabolism immune function and the production of hemoglobin. It also helps to regulate blood glucose levels. UMMC adds that the body needs vitamin B-6 to produce serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, the neurotransmitters that may be affected in people with ADHD.
Sources and Administration
A host of foods contain vitamin B-6, including potato, bananas, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, tuna and soybeans. You can also get vitamin B-6 by taking a dietary supplement, alone or as part of a B-vitamin complex. The amount of vitamin B-6 required to support treatment of ADHD may vary according to age, sex and other medicines you may be taking. The Office of Dietary Supplements notes that the upper tolerable level of vitamin B-6 in adults is 100 mg per day. Get medical advice before adding a vitamin B-6 supplement to an ADHD treatment program, particularly for a child with this condition.
Scientific Research
Studies examining the role of vitamin B-6 in treatment of ADHD are limited. However, research published in the March 2006 issue of "Magnesium Research" found that taking a magnesium-vitamin B-6 complex improved ADHD symptoms. In addition, the authors found that when treatment was withdrawn, symptoms of the disease reappeared in a few weeks. Since vitamin B-6 was combined with magnesium, it is difficult to say whether vitamin B-6 would have had the same effects if administered alone. More studies are needed to confirm the role of vitamin B-6 in the treatment of ADHD.
Considerations
The Office of Dietary Supplements notes that taking too much vitamin B-6 may cause side effects including neuropathy, a condition characterized by nerve damage. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center adds that taking a vitamin B-6 supplement may cause headache and drowsiness, but adds that these effects are infrequent. It may interfere with other medicines, including phenobarbital and levodopa.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6
- "Magnesium Research"; Improvement of Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children Supplemented with Magnesium-Vitamin B6 in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders; M. Mousain-Bosc et al.; March 2006
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Vitamin B6
- RxList: Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
