Vitamin Bs

[Cinnabon74]

I am interested in taking Vitamin Bs, but I noticed they all contain DEXTROSE, How bad of an effect does this have with T1 Diabetes?

[Larry68]

You don't say what you want to take B vitamins for, but I would guess to help avoid or treat neuropathy. I have taken B supplements for over 20 years, and have had neuropathy for nearly 30 (diabetic for 40 years). My experience is that B vitamins truly do help preserve nerve health and reduce the incidence of neuropathy pain. I take a 50 mg B complex (50 mg of each B vitamin) daily, and have also taken better control of my blood glucose levels, I no longer have neuropathy pain and have not lost significantly more feeling in my feet since then.

When I have increased the level to 100 mg, I started to have pain again. I have since learned that B6, while helpful, can increase pain of neuropathy in higher doses. I am now experimenting with high doses of B12 (1000 mg daily) along with Alpha-Lipoic acid (600 mg) to try to improve the response in nerves I have left. Alpha-Lipoic acid has been used for 50 years to treat neuropathy in  German, and the Mayo Clinic has recently studied its effectiveness (see http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2003-rst/1733.html )

As for your ENDO not believing in supplements, mine is the same. She apologized to me, however, when I told her specifically what I was doing and why. Supplements are a big rip-off industry today, feeding the mass market a lot of expensive junk that has no proven (or even implied)effectiveness. It's no wonder the medical community has a poor opinion of it.

In my opinion (not medical), B vitamins (especially B6 and B12) and Alpha-Lipoic acid are beneficial for diabetics with compromised nerve health. Do some research on the web (verifiable medical research), become well informed, and then approach your ENDO again.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hi Cinnabon,

While you ask about Vitamin B specifically (not sure which of the B vitamins you have in mind) you might like to read about vitamins "in general." This website has objective and generally well-researched info:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-b.htm

It's a good idea to chat with your doc, nutritionist or CDE about vitamins, particularly when to take them if you are taking other meds. While vitamins & minerals can play an important role in our overall health, many vitamins are available from a balanced & varied diet. There does seem to be some debate over the quality & usability of different vitamin formulations, so it's good to chat with folks who really study this info.

Vitamin pills may contain bulk and binders to make the formulation consistent. I'd expect that the BG-impact of a vitamin pill is neglible and especially if we take the doses as recommended, and avoid overuse. If there is a noticeable carbo content on the vitamin, the label should disclose it.
Since I'm not a physician or nutritionist, you should check in with your doc.

JDRF-Team-LRS

[Cinnabon74]

I have tried talking to him about these 2 vitamins; B-6 and B-12 and he always sidekicks my questions.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Sorry to read that your endo isn't willing to discuss the vitamins with you.  If he's otherwise a good endo, and listens and coaches well, then perhaps he's not informed on these issues.  If you don't already have access to a CDE (certified diabetes educator) or if that's not possible -- a nutritionist with diabetes specialty, I'd ask for a referral to one. Typically, CDEs focus more on our day to day management issues, at levels of detail most endos cannot.

Good luck, tho'.  You really do seem to be working diligently to manage your diabetes and that's a gift to yourself that will pay you repeatedly into the future.