Minutus

Hi everyone

I have a patient who is 6 weeks pregnant, and wants to know if it is
safe to take Calcium Magnesium Zinc and Vitamin B6 in pregnancy - I have
a vague recollection of reading that Vitamin B6 is not safe to be taken
in pregnancy - if anyone is able to advise on any of these - or what is
safe and not safe supplement wise in pregnancy, I would much appreciate
it.

Kind regards

Karen

I think you'll find that B6 has been used to treat nausea in pregnancy

Regards

Robyn

"Each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard the past" (Maurice Maeterlinck)

Why does she want to take the Vit B6 anyway?
Regards
Rochelle

--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, "Karen Evans" wrote:
is
I have
taken
what is
appreciate

B6 and zinc I don't know about (is she talking about megadose, or "normal"
dose?). As part of a balanced, low-to-moderate potency B-complex or multi,
it would certainly be fine. (The ones that give you 50-100 mg of everything
are "balanced" in an entirely unbalanced sort of way, and IMO should be
avoided by everyone, but esp. during e.g. pregnancy.)

Calcium will be needed in higher amounts as the baby's bones start to form
etc. (tho if she eats plenty of green veggies she may not need to take any
extra), and magnesium can be used to prevent miscarriage and too-early labor
(it is anti-spasmodic). But she should be aware of how calcium and
magnesium interact with each other -- they are co-workers, and excess of one
can lead to "artificial deficiency" of the other, so she should know what
deficiency symptoms are, or at least be alert to whether the supplements are
making her feel better or worse! (If in doubt, stop supplements and see
what happens -- common sense, but people sometimes don't think to...)

Best,
Shannon
on 8/8/03 2:04 AM, Karen Evans at daveevans@cmdnet.lu wrote:

Dear Karen

Vitamin B6 is an acceptable short-term "natural" alternative to treat
nausea. Short-term, because B vitamins are synergistic and too much of any
one single member of the group creates an imbalance in the others.

A good source of B6 is oats; so muesli slice made on oats or Aussie Anzac
biscuits (both with crushed nuts and seeds in them for zinc) are a good idea
and when munched on regularly can help to keep the blood sugar steady while
providing some protein and easily assimilated sugars.

The flat, metallic taste that most mothers experience with morning sickness
is a reliable sign that the zinc is low. The gonads (ovaries and testes)
need lots of zinc to be healthy and until the placenta is formed at 12 weeks
the corpus luteum caries the burden along with the liver of providing
enough hormone (progesterone) to keep the pregnancy viable. Low stores of
zinc make this "difficult".

She probably needs Sepia. Is it the smell of cooking or the kitchen which <
her nausea? If she doesn't have nausea I'd suggest she just eat well with
the emphasis being on zinc rich foods especially seafood.

Large amounts of B6 in lactation can retard production of milk so it's NOT
advisable as a supplement then.

regards
Patricia Hatherly

Thanks to everyone who replied. She actually wanted to take the Calcium
and Magnesium, and the only product she could find here contained the
Vitamin B6,

Why does she want to take the Vit B6 anyway?
Regards
Rochelle

It's probably got only a minimal amount of B6 - like 2mg so I really don't think it matters. Many woman take 50-100mg a day.

Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk