Last updated: October 2026
Vitamin B6 helps your body use and store energy from food and supports your nervous system. Most people get enough from a varied diet. The NHS says adults need about 1.4mg a day (men) or 1.2mg (women). Don’t take more than 10mg a day from supplements unless a doctor advises it, as high doses can damage nerves.
Below: what B6 does, food sources, deficiency, how much is too much, and B6 for PMS, morning sickness, sleep and anxiety.
The 10mg rule: the NHS limit is for supplements, not food. B6 can turn up in multivitamins, B complex tablets and magnesium or zinc combinations, so add up every label before you take more than one product.
What does vitamin B6 do?
Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is a water-soluble B vitamin. The NHS says it helps the body use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food, and helps form haemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen.
These are the authorised health claims for vitamin B6 in Great Britain:
- Vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to normal psychological function.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to normal red blood cell formation.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism.
Tiredness has many possible causes, from sleep to iron levels, so see why am I always tired? and our guide to the best supplements for energy.
How much vitamin B6 do you need a day?
The NHS says adults aged 19 to 64 need about:
- 1.4mg a day for men
- 1.2mg a day for women
You should be able to get all of this from your daily diet, and the bacteria in your bowel make some B6 too. If you do take a supplement, the Department of Health and Social Care advice is clear: don’t take more than 10mg a day unless a doctor advises it. That’s roughly seven to eight times the daily need, so a low-dose product is plenty for most people.
Foods high in vitamin B6
The NHS lists pork, poultry, some fish, peanuts, soya beans, wheatgerm, oats, bananas, milk and some fortified breakfast cereals. Figures below are from the UK government’s food composition data, per typical portion.
| Food | Typical portion | Vitamin B6 (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, grilled, no skin | 120g | 0.76mg |
| Pork fillet, grilled, lean | 120g | 0.61mg |
| Turkey, light meat, roasted | 100g | 0.47mg |
| Chickpeas, canned, drained | 120g (half a tin) | 0.46mg |
| Cornflakes, fortified | 30g bowl | 0.45mg |
| Tuna, canned in brine, drained | 100g | 0.31mg |
| Banana | 1 medium (100g flesh) | 0.31mg |
| Wheatgerm | 1 tablespoon (10g) | 0.26mg |
| Edamame beans, boiled | 80g | 0.25mg |
| Salmon, grilled | 120g fillet | 0.19mg |
| Peanuts, plain | 30g handful | 0.18mg |
| Porridge oats (dry weight) | 40g | 0.14mg |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 200ml glass | 0.12mg |
A chicken salad, a banana and a bowl of fortified cereal cover a day’s needs. Vegans can rely on chickpeas, edamame, nuts, oats, bananas and fortified cereals. Many of these are good for magnesium too: see foods high in magnesium and brain foods.
Vitamin B6 deficiency: who’s at risk and symptoms
Because B6 is in so many foods, a lack of it usually has another cause. According to the MSD Manual, deficiency often comes from:
- conditions that stop food being absorbed properly
- alcohol use disorder
- kidney dialysis
- some medicines, including certain anti-seizure medicines, isoniazid (for tuberculosis), hydralazine (for blood pressure), steroids and penicillamine
- severe undernutrition
Symptoms in adults can include:
- a red, greasy, scaly skin rash
- numbness and pins and needles in the hands and feet
- a sore, red tongue and cracks at the corners of the mouth
- confusion or irritability
- anaemia, because B6 is needed to make red blood cells
- rarely, seizures
No blood test clearly confirms it, and the symptoms overlap with other deficiencies, so see a GP rather than guessing. Compare vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms and iron deficiency symptoms.
Too much vitamin B6: toxicity and nerve damage
With B6, more is not better. The NHS says:
- Taking 200mg or more a day can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, known as peripheral neuropathy.
- This usually improves once you stop, but in a few cases, particularly after large amounts for more than a few months, the effect can be permanent.
- The effect of doses between 10mg and 200mg is unclear, so there isn’t enough evidence to say how long they can be taken safely.
A 2023 systematic review of 20 studies agreed that high B6 levels, usually from supplements, can cause a mainly sensory nerve problem, and that people reported feeling better after stopping. The same review notes that low B6 has also been linked to nerve problems, so tingling or numbness needs a GP to work out the cause.
How people end up taking too much
The easiest way to go over is stacking products: a multivitamin, a B complex and a magnesium and B6 product can each look modest on their own. To stay safe:
- Check the label of every supplement you take for vitamin B6 or pyridoxine.
- Add up the milligrams. Keep the total from supplements at 10mg a day or less unless your doctor advises more.
- Stop and see a GP if you get numbness, tingling or burning in your hands or feet, or feel unsteady.
Vitamin B6 and PMS
B6 is one of the best-known supplements for premenstrual syndrome. The NHS lists vitamin B6, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium among supplements people try for PMS, but says there isn’t much evidence that they work.
One small University of Reading trial in 2000 found magnesium worked better for anxiety-type premenstrual symptoms when taken with B6. But it used 50mg of B6 a day, five times the NHS supplement limit. We cover the trials in detail in magnesium for PMS. If you’d like to try B6, keep it to 10mg a day from supplements unless your GP advises more, and check with a GP or pharmacist first if you take other medicines.
See also PMS symptoms, PMDD and hormonal imbalance symptoms.
Vitamin B6 for morning sickness
The NHS says morning sickness usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 and doesn’t put your baby at increased risk. First steps are plenty of rest, small frequent meals that are high in carbohydrate and low in fat, fluids sipped little and often, and cold foods if the smell of hot meals makes you feel sick. NICE suggests ginger for mild to moderate sickness if you’d prefer not to take medicine.
Pyridoxine does come up in pregnancy care. In the UK it’s part of a licensed medicine for pregnancy sickness, combined with an antihistamine called doxylamine, which a doctor can prescribe. A Cochrane review of 41 trials found only limited evidence for vitamin B6 or the combination medicine, and said no single treatment has strong evidence.
Only take vitamin B6 in pregnancy on the advice of your midwife, GP or pharmacist. Call your midwife, GP or 111 if you can’t keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, have very dark urine, feel faint or are losing weight, as this can be a more serious condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. See also magnesium in pregnancy.
Vitamin B6 for sleep and anxiety: what the research shows
B6 is involved in making GABA, a chemical messenger that dampens nerve activity in the brain, which is why it’s often sold for calm and sleep. The evidence in people is limited, and the doses studied are far higher than UK advice.
- Anxiety: a 2022 University of Reading trial gave 100mg of B6 a day for about a month to young adults. Self-reported anxiety fell compared with placebo. That’s ten times the NHS supplement limit, and it was a short trial in mostly students.
- Sleep and dreams: an Australian trial gave 240mg of B6 before bed for five nights. People remembered more of their dreams, but it didn’t improve sleep quality or other sleep measures.
So B6 isn’t a treatment for anxiety or insomnia, and these doses aren’t safe to copy. If anxiety or poor sleep is affecting your life, speak to a GP. For what else has been studied, see magnesium for anxiety.
Vitamin B6 vs B12: what’s the difference?
They’re often sold together but do different jobs.
| Vitamin B6 | Vitamin B12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Main roles (NHS) | Using and storing energy from protein and carbohydrates; forming haemoglobin | Making red blood cells, keeping the nervous system healthy, releasing energy from food, using folate |
| Adult need a day | 1.2mg (women), 1.4mg (men) | 1.5 micrograms |
| Main foods | Poultry, pork, fish, chickpeas, peanuts, oats, bananas, fortified cereals | Meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, fortified cereals |
| Who’s at risk of low levels | Uncommon; linked to alcohol use disorder, absorption problems and some medicines | Vegans, as it’s not found naturally in plant foods |
| Supplement guidance | No more than 10mg a day unless a doctor advises | 2mg or less a day is unlikely to cause harm |
You can take them together, as many B complex products do, if your B6 total stays within 10mg a day. See B12 deficiency symptoms.
Vitamin B6 for children
For children, food comes first: cereals, milk, bananas, chicken, fish and beans all provide B6. The NHS recommends vitamins A, C and D drops for children aged 6 months to 5 years; B6 isn’t on that list.
Don’t give children adult B6 or B complex supplements. If you’re worried your child isn’t eating enough, ask a GP, health visitor or pharmacist. Our products are for adults (18+) only.
Best form of vitamin B6 and best time to take it
Most supplement labels list B6 as pyridoxine hydrochloride. Some use pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (P5P). Whichever form you choose, the dose is what matters for safety: check the milligrams and stay within 10mg a day in total.
There’s no proven best time of day; with breakfast is easy to remember. If B6 at night gives you vivid dreams, take it in the morning. For timing other supplements, see best time to take vitamin D and magnesium and vitamin D.
Magnesium and vitamin B6
Some magnesium trials added B6 (see how long magnesium takes to work). Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex does not contain vitamin B6. That’s useful to know when you add up your B6: it won’t add to your total.
It’s a berry-flavoured evening drink with 148mg of elemental magnesium per serving from bisglycinate and citrate, plus glycine and L-theanine. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function. For adults only, and not during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Related guides
- Another water-soluble vitamin with a clear upper limit: see vitamin C: how much you need a day.
- See also our guide to zinc, another nutrient often found in the same multivitamins.
- Multivitamins: upper limits and label-reading checklist.
- For B12 doses, forms and who needs one, see vitamin B12 supplements.
- Eating bananas before bed, with a full nutrient table for a medium banana.
FAQs
What is vitamin B6 good for?
Vitamin B6 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal psychological function and to the regulation of hormonal activity. It also helps your body use energy from food and form haemoglobin in red blood cells.
How much vitamin B6 should I take a day?
Adults need about 1.2mg (women) or 1.4mg (men) a day, which most people get from food. If you take a supplement, the NHS says no more than 10mg a day unless a doctor advises more.
What are the symptoms of too much vitamin B6?
The main concern is nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy): numbness, tingling or loss of feeling in the hands, feet, arms or legs. Stop all B6 supplements and see a GP if this happens.
Is vitamin B6 safe in pregnancy?
B6 from food is fine. Only take a B6 supplement in pregnancy, including for morning sickness, on the advice of your midwife, GP or pharmacist.
Which foods are highest in vitamin B6?
Chicken, turkey, pork, tuna, chickpeas, fortified breakfast cereals, wheatgerm, bananas and nuts are all good sources.
Can I take vitamin B6 with magnesium?
Yes, they’re often combined. Just check the B6 content of every product you take and keep the total from supplements to 10mg a day unless your doctor advises more.
Sources
- NHS. Vitamins and minerals: B vitamins and folic acid.
- GOV.UK. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register.
- GOV.UK. McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset.
- MSD Manual. Vitamin B6 deficiency.
- NHS. Vomiting and morning sickness.
- NICE. Antenatal care (NG201).
- NHS. PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
- NHS. Vitamins for children.
- Muhamad R et al. The role of vitamin B6 in peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review. Nutrients, 2023.
- Matthews A et al. Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015.
- Field DT et al. High-dose vitamin B6 supplementation reduces anxiety and strengthens visual surround suppression. Hum Psychopharmacol, 2022.
- Adventure-Heart DJ et al. Effects of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and a B complex preparation on dreaming and sleep. Percept Mot Skills, 2018.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex, which does not contain vitamin B6.
