My life just 8 years ago was a muddled mess of barely started projects, partially completed articles and late appointments. Working for a few years for the army, a structured environment that emphasizes reliability, has helped me learned many coping strategies on organizing myself. While reconnecting to my emotions and instincts has boosted my ability to handle the world, I still have traits resembling ADHD such as carelessness and difficultly with verbal instructions.
I started taking Learner’s Edge for 2 weeks, and it helped me become more alert and clear, however, the effect was insufficient for me to justify its cost. I have already started taking a multivitamin, a sprinkling of Epsom salt (for magnesium and sulfur) and a small quantity of omega-3,6,9 oils daily. I also took 30mg of Zinc and 250mg of Vitamin C 3-4 times a week. I decided to do some more research to see if there is something cheaper that I am lacking.
After reading that vitamin B6 (accompanied by magnesium) is frequently recommended for biomedical of autism, and that it plays an important part of the methylation cycle, I decided to try it. The therapeutic dose of vitamin B6 is between 100-500mg of the Pyridoxine form (or 20% that for the more bio-available version Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate or P5P). At the same time I have also came across some studies that claim that taking too much vitamin B6 over the long term can cause harmful side effects like sensory nerve damage.
I took the same approach as trying out vitamin B12 – start with a low dose since most of my biomedical issues have already cleared up. In addition to the 30mg of Pyridoxine I am already getting in my multivitamin daily, I added 50mg more from another supplement by carefully chopping the 100mg tablet into half.
Unlike the immediate and tremendous effect from vitamin B12, the effects of vitamin B6 was harder to describe. Over the next 2 days, I felt a subtle change in my mental processing. It seems easier to focus, remember and decide. I also felt more “in this world”. 2 weeks later, the benefits became apparent when I effortlessly speed-read 15 books in 90 minutes at the library, something I have not done for 10 years. I also started remembering more dreams before I woke up.
For the price I am paying for Vitamin B6, I think it is a worthwhile investment. Do remember that you must also take magnesium supplements at the same time since B6 inhibits magnesium absorption.
