Biotin made my scalp sore and itchy

[arr]

Ive been waiting until i was sure before sharing this, just in case it was something else. I started taking 5000 mcg of biotin daily, which was the recommended dosage on the bottle. I have never in my life had any scalp problems. About a week into it, i noticed my scalp was becoming extremely tender and sore. It kept getting worse and worse until i couldn't even wear my hair up. Everything i did hurt. I could barely wash it or even touch my head. Then itchiness started to set in on top of the soreness. There were no flakes or redness. By now i was getting very worried. This went on for about 3 weeks. I tried to figure out what it could be, what was different. I hadn't changed products, brushes, eating habits, nothing. Finally i realized the only thing in my life that had changed was adding the biotin. I immediately quit taking it and my scalp started feeling better about 2 days later. By 5 days later i was completely normal again. I realize this sounds far fetched that a simple vitamin could have this effect, but i truly believe it was the cause. I wanted to share this just in case someone else is having similar issues and takes biotin. It might be worth it to take a break from it just to see if it could be the problem.

[MadeiraD]

I'm about to start taking biotin now I'm nervous

[LauraLongLocks]

The B-vitamin complex, of which biotin is a member, needs to be taken in the proper balance. If you increase one, then you increase the body's needs for the others in the complex.

Below is what Adelle Davis recommended.

In chart form, the ratio is thus:

1 part:
B1
B2
B6
Folic acid

20 parts:
Niacin amide
Pantothenic acid
PABA

500 parts:
Inositol
Cholin

Plus 3 micrograms/day of B12, and "some" biotin.

So, if you are going to take mega doses of biotin, you should probably be taking a b-complex in the proper ratios.

[MinderMutsig]

The B-vitamin complex, of which biotin is a member, needs to be taken in the proper balance. If you increase one, then you increase the body's needs for the others in the complex.

Below is what Adelle Davis recommended.

In chart form, the ratio is thus:

1 part:
B1
B2
B6
Folic acid

20 parts:
Niacin amide
Pantothenic acid
PABA

500 parts:
Inositol
Cholin

Plus 3 micrograms/day of B12, and "some" biotin.

So, if you are going to take mega doses of biotin, you should probably be taking a b-complex in the proper ratios.
Or just not risk your health and you liver just to gain a few inches a bit faster than normal. What is that English saying about leaving a pretty corpse?

It's just not worth it. Seriously, it's not. Megadosing on anything is extremely dangerous. Vitamins aren't harmless. Please just don't.

[Firefox7275]

Nothing far fetched about it, the bottle is a marketing tool not an independently researched medical opinion. Micronutrients work synergistically and in opposition you can easily do more harm than good randomly supplementing or mega dosing. Please don't rely on nutrition advice from unqualified strangers on a forum: it is a subject allied to medicine for good reason.

Eat a balanced nutrient dense wholefood diet. Biotin is found in numerous healthy foods.

[jeanniet]

Or just not risk your health and you liver just to gain a few inches a bit faster than normal. What is that English saying about leaving a pretty corpse?

It's just not worth it. Seriously, it's not. Megadosing on anything is extremely dangerous. Vitamins aren't harmless. Please just don't.


Nothing far fetched about it, the bottle is a marketing tool not an independently researched medical opinion. Micronutrients work synergistically and in opposition you can easily do more harm than good randomly supplementing or mega dosing. Please don't rely on nutrition advice from unqualified strangers on a forum: it is a subject allied to medicine for good reason.

Eat a balanced nutrient dense wholefood diet. Biotin is found in numerous healthy foods.


^^This. All of it. Supplements have their place, but they aren't benign. Everything has to be processed through your liver and kidneys, and you can easily have either of those organs damaged and not know it. A member here had a growth on her liver, probably for a long time, and didn't know it. She had 2/3 of her liver removed. 1 in 9 of the US population has kidney damage and doesn't know it, and if you are in a high risk group (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, etc.), the numbers are even higher. You can be close to complete kidney failure and not know. Random supplementation could cause further damage before you're even aware there's a problem. The notion that some vitamins are safer because they're water-soluble is a myth. Your kidneys still have to work, and damaged kidneys are more stressed and have to work harder. Improve your diet instead.

[arr]

Thank you for your replies everyone. I feel rather foolish actually for trying the biotin without considering how it would throw my body off balance. Im usually more well informed about my health. Especially because there is nothing wrong with my hair in general, it grows the average 1/2 inch a month, is thick, shiny and healthy. I exercise, drink lots of water, and eat a healthy diet. I guess i was hoping for some kind of miraculous extra growth beyond what is normal. Ive learned my lesson and i just need to be patient. It feels great to have my scalp back to normal.

[swearnsue]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm often tempted to try some vitamin or herbal supplement. It's a good reminder to be careful.

I just checked my B Complex vitamins to see how much biotin it has in it. It has 600 mcg.

[hafattack]

I take biotin once in a while but only at small doses and not regularly. At higher than 3000mcg I start to notice some significamt skin problems

[Fericera]

I'm glad I read this. I was thinking about starting to take some but now I won't waste the money. I'll look up foods that contain it instead.

[jeanniet]

I take biotin once in a while but only at small doses and not regularly. At higher than 3000mcg I start to notice some significamt skin problems

A small dose of biotin would be 100mcg, certainly not more than 300mcg. At amounts approaching anywhere near 3000mcg, you're very much mega-dosing.