B-6 & Contraceptive Pills

Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is one of the B complex vitamins. It occurs in three forms in food -- pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine -- all of which are attached to a phosphorous group after you consume them. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate, or P5P, is the predominant biologically active form, but the cheaper pyridoxine is usually used in supplements. According to Elson Haas, MD, author of "Staying Healthy with Nutrition: Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)", vitamin B-6 is particularly important for women, as it is involved in metabolizing and balancing estrogens.

High Hormone States Demand Additional Vitamin B-6

Vitamin B-6 plays a number of roles in your body, especially in amino acid metabolism and in your central nervous system, where it participates in the synthesis and metabolism of neurotransmitters. P5P is necessary for utilizing the energy from all food sources, for the release of energy from your muscles and liver, and for the synthesis of DNA and RNA. P5P helps to maintain the balance of sodium and potassium in your body, thus influencing the electrical activity of your nerves, heart and muscles, and the movement of fluids through your tissues. During pregnancy and other high-hormone states, extra pyridoxine is needed to support these functions.

Vitamin B-6 and Estrogens Compete for Enzymes

Vitamin B-6, mostly in the form of P5P, is a vital co-factor in a wide array of enzymatic pathways, including those that synthesize serotonin, histamines, hemoglobin and dopamine, manufacture and degrade proteins, generate glucose from non-carbohydrate precursors, produce energy from stored glycogen, and facilitate gene expression. A nutritional deficiency of B-6 or substances that compete for B-6-dependent enzymes will reduce the efficiency of these processes. According to a 1978 "Vitamins and Hormones" review, estrogens interfere with P5P's ability to participate in many enzymatic reactions in your cells.

Oral Contraceptive Users Need Extra Vitamin B-6

A 1979 report in "Nutrition Reviews" suggested that women who take oral contraceptives have higher requirements for vitamin B-6, at least equal to that of pregnant women. An October 1980 review in "The Journal of Reproductive Medicine" demonstrated that oral contraceptives suppressed the activity of several nutrients, including vitamins B-2, B-6, B-12, folic acid, and vitamin C. The authors of these reviews all recommended higher doses of these nutrients for oral contraceptive users. A 1997 study in "Contraception" revealed that vitamin B-6 supplementation led to a reduction in the side effects -- nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, depression and irritability -- associated with contraceptive use, but the improvement was not statistically significant.

Considerations and Recommendations

Oral contraceptive use appears to reduce the levels or the effectiveness of several nutrients, including vitamin B-6. A B-complex vitamin that supplies an additional 5 to 10 mg of pyridoxine or P5P daily is recommended by some experts. Supplementation could alleviate some of the side effects of oral contraceptive use, but many of the metabolic benefits of taking additional pyridoxine might not be obvious. If you take oral contraceptives, ask your doctor if you should take a vitamin supplement.