Should you take a higher dose of vitamins

Some vitamins have proven health benefits and can make a big difference to a person’s day to day life if taken correctly. On any vitamins you buy, it will tell you the recommended dose. This dose may be the upper limit to what a person can safely take but you may find that if you speak to a specialist they will advise you to take a higher dose.  

Taking a higher dose of any vitamin or medication without professional medical advice can result in irreversible damage to your body and be quite dangerous.

Many people swear by vitamin B6 as a way of helping with tiredness, mood swings, hormone imbalances and a number of other issues. The daily recommend dose of B6 is around 1.3mg for an adult between the ages of 18 and 50. Often people will be self-medicating with 200mg plus a day of the vitamin in desperation to see results. For many people this may be ok and not have any negative side effects, but with B6 having an effect on your nervous system, taking high doses for a long period may cause nerve damage. This may be reversible once you have stopped taking it, but it is not worth the risk.