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USE OF PYRIDOXINE (VITAMIN B6) IN PREGNANCY

Date of issue: April 2021, Version: 3

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is an essential vitamin. It is converted to pyridoxal-5’-phosphate which is the co-enzyme for a variety of metabolic transformations. Pyridoxine is used at varying doses in the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), isoniazid-induced peripheral neuritis, idiopathic sideroblastic anaemia and vitamin B6 deficiency states.

The majority of human pregnancy data relate to use of pyridoxine in combination with doxylamine in the treatment of NVP. Rates of infant congenital malformation following in utero exposure to products containing this combination of drugs have been widely studied, with the majority of analyses providing no evidence of an increased risk. No increased risk of miscarriage has been observed following gestational pyridoxine exposure. No association with low birth weight, preterm delivery, intrauterine death or neonatal complications has been identified, although data are too limited to exclude an increase in risk.

Exposure to pyridoxine at any stage in pregnancy would not usually be regarded as medical grounds for termination of pregnancy or any additional fetal monitoring. However, other risk factors may be present in individual cases which may independently increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Clinicians are reminded of the importance of consideration of such factors when performing case-specific risk assessments.

This is a summary of the full UKTIS monograph for health care professionals and should not be used in isolation. The full UKTIS monograph and access to any hyperlinked related documents is available to NHS health care professionals who are logged in.

If you have a patient with exposure to a drug or chemical and require assistance in making a patient-specific risk assessment, please telephone UKTIS on 0344 892 0909 to discuss the case with a teratology specialist.

If you would like to report a pregnancy to UKTIS please click here to download our pregnancy reporting form. Please encourage all women to complete an online reporting form.

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that this monograph was accurate and up-to-date at the time of writing, however it cannot cover every eventuality and the information providers cannot be held responsible for any adverse outcomes of the measures recommended. The final decision regarding which treatment is used for an individual patient remains the clinical responsibility of the prescriber. This material may be freely reproduced for education and not for profit purposes within the UK National Health Service, however no linking to this website or reproduction by or for commercial organisations is permitted without the express written permission of this service. This document is regularly reviewed and updated. Only use UKTIS monographs downloaded directly from UKTIS.org to ensure you are using the most up-to-date version.