Vitamin B6 as a treatment for Autism

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 has been the subject of several studies and has been reported be helpful for autistic children. While the dosage was typically high for all these studies, between 3.5 mg and almost 100 mg per kilo of body weight, the consensus amongst most researchers is that 30 mg per kilo of body weight is an optimum dosage. Although no toxicity was reported in the studies, there is a potential for nervous system damage theoretically at doses of this level. One prominent researcher has stated that as a result of these studies vitamin B6 is in fact more heavily researched and validated as in autism treatment than are the pharmaceutical drugs that are commonly used. 1- 4

1. Lelord G, Muh JP, Barthelemy C, et al. Effects of pyridoxine and magnesium on autistic symptoms: Initial observations. J Autism Developmental Disorders 1981;11:219–29.
2. Martineau J, Garreau B, Barthelemy C, et al. Effects of vitamin B6 on averaged evoked potentials in infantile autism. Biol Psychiatr 1981;16:627–39.
3. Rimland B, Callaway E, Dreyfus P. The effect of high doses of vitamin B6 on autistic children: a double-blind crossover study. Am J Psychiatr 1978;135:472–5.
4. Rimland B. Vitamin B6 versus Fenfluramine: a case-study in medical bias. J Nutr Med 1991;2:321–2.