Tingle in my Fingle? (Month 2, Day 33)

Why the fingers, I ask?  What exactly does INH do that makes the fingers tingly, hurt and otherwise feel painful?
Good question...I don't really know.  I just know that often B6 is prescribed to combat it.  But what's really going on?

INH creates peripheral neuropathy in some people.  If you have tingling or numbness in your hands, you could be having an adverse reaction to INH (duh). Why?  Could be for a couple of reasons, but my research suggests that the top two are these:

1. You already have a condition that lends itself to neuropathy such as diabetes, uremia, alcoholism, HIV, malnutrition, cirrhosis, hyperthyroidism or congestive heart failure.  I think this covers a wide range of people...I mean, malnutrition?  Do people who simply aren't getting the right numbers of vitamins and minerals in their diet fall into this category?
2. INH interferes with the metabolism of pyridoxine (B6).  (Source)  Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is required for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine and for myelin formation. (Source) Pyridoxine deficiency in adults principally affects the peripheral nerves, skin, mucous membranes, and the blood cell system.  In children, in can affect the CNS.  Here's a sentence that I found interesting: "In vivo pyridoxine is converted into coenzymes which play an essential role in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and several other substances, including brain amines, INH apparently competitively inhibits the action of pyridoxine in these metabolic functions."  In other words, malnutrition, fatigue and brain fog with INH could also be the result of B6 deficiency...?  Here's something even weirder - too much B6 will create neuropathy-type symptoms...go figure.

So how much B6 do we need? Well, turns out that most people are already deficient in B6.  Combine that with INH, and you have a much greater deficiency.  One other thing: B6 requires Magnesium to metabolize, so if you aren't taking a multivitamin, you may want to look into that. Most sources say between 50 to 100 mg of B6 is good supplementation when taking INH.  Normal supplementation is 10–25 mg per day. However, high amounts (100–200 mg per day or even more) may be recommended for certain conditions. (Source)



Course, I tried taking B6 separately on advice of my nurse and it didn't seem to work for my aching, arthritic hands.  BUT, truth be told, I only gave it 5 days.  Just looked at the amount she gave me: 50 mg.  I just checked my multivitamin and it says it has 200 mg in it!  Um...Could my multi be giving me too much B6?

Hmmm...well, as a practice, here is a good paragraph on taking B6:
Our practice is to give B6 with each dose of INH, whether it is daily or twice weekly. B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is not stored, but INH is likewise a short-acting compound so this approach is most practical.

Yesterday's Diet:
Pre-Breakfast: 32 oz water, 2 acidophilus
Breakfast: 2 slices manna bread, fresh cut honeydew
Snack: Pot of Tea with coco cream and stevia, more honeydew
Lunch: Bowl of quinoa with about 4 small red/yellow peppers cut up in it topped with goddess dressing.
Snack: Rice cakes (2) with leftover Haroset (from Monday's Seder - not sure what's in it other than jicama, walnuts, raisins, apple juice, apples...), Pumpkin seeds.
Dinner: 2 microwaved potatoes with Earth Balance, cut up peppers, salad with artichoke hearts and hearts of palm 
Dessert: Blackberries with Whipped Cream.
Post-Dinner: 1/2 rice cake with Haroset (I'm HUNGRY lately - must be losing weight and my body is freaking out!)
Pre-bed - Movie and a pill

Possible Histamine Triggers:
-Manna Bread - has raisins
-Haroset - the unknown quantity...but does contain cinnamon, cloves and raisins...
-Tea - I drink bunches still