Biotin affects other lab test results

[enting]

I wasn't sure whether to put this in the Mane forum or the Health forum. I came across this article the other day and thought that since a lot of us might supplement with biotin for our hair, we should know that it can affect lab tests other than just our biotin levels.

https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/january-2016-thyroid-month-beware-of-biotin/

MOD ETA: for discussion of bloodwork results that is only available to LHC members, see this thread: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146965

[embee]

Hoooo, that's something! Thanks for posting. I've not taken biotin, thank heaven, as I already have thyroid issues and it could have *really* messed with my bloodwork!

Maybe this should also go into the "bloodwork" thread?

[blackgothicdoll]

I was under the impression most doctors ask if you take vitamins during your physicals; mine asked which supplements I take. She didn't ask the amount of biotin so I'll bring it up next time I do a thyroid test, but my last thyroid test was neither high nor low so either she didn't know or wasn't concerned. It's a good thing to be aware of, for sure.

[Chromis]

I think this is fine here, lots of new forum members search for threads about biotin and supplement blindly with it since they've heard it's good for hair. (Tossing a link in the other thread is not a terrible idea either, go for it!)

You should be telling your doctor what vitamins and minerals you are taking, not just any prescriptions even if they forget to ask. Mine have always wanted to know even if it is "just" Vitamin C.

[neko_kawaii]

I added the bloodwork thread link in the OP.

[MusicalSpoons]

One thing they didn't mention is that one result of inflated test results can be missed hypothyroidism - it can be hard enough to even get the symptoms taken seriously, let alone sufficient blood tests ordered, so if the results (falsely) look even vaguely normal the person may well end up untreated.

I tend to stop taking supplements about a week before any blood tests, just to be on the safe side and to give a truer picture (fat-soluble ones I know probably won't leave my system that soon but the goal of taking them is to build up my stores of them where necessary, so for me the results tell me what I want to know). I think the last time the dr asked me about medication before a blood test was 3+yrs ago; the last battery of tests the dr just confirmed I was still taking one particular medication and didn't ask anything else at all :shrug: So I agree it is helpful to volunteer that kind of information!

[enting]

Thanks, modly ones!

Doctors are "supposed to" ask a lot of things that they don't necessarily. Also, this particular relationship may not be widely known, which makes it even more important for those who take biotin to know about it.

Ooh, MusicalSpoons, that's an excellent and important point. I know I'm usually asked to stop B vitamins and iron 3 days before any tests, but that's it.

[ZoeZ]

Thanks so much for posting this: I have a hyperthyroid condition and wasn't aware of this at all. I only take it occasionally as a vitamin, however, it's certainly good to know.

[Groovy Granny]

Wow!

I never take 'megadoses' of anything, have had thyroid issues, and sure don't need more/complications :tmi:
My doc asks about everything we take and I normally don't do anything without his orders anyway....even for vitamins :wannabe:
Thanks for posting this, because it has crossed my mine when I read of others benefiting from that supplement :flowers:

[Lady Stardust]

Someone posted a thread about this recently but it seemed to get overlooked so it’s good to bring it to everyone’s attention.

I take a multivitamin and it does contain Biotin (not that I was looking for a Biotin supplement, it just happens to be there). I’ve never been asked about supplements before having a blood test. Thanks for the reminder that I should bring it to the doctor’s attention.

[Silica]

The biotin supplement I take does have a warning on the label that it may interfere with medical lab tests, but even so, I don't think it is a widely known fact. Docs should definitely ask about everything you are taking!

[lapushka]

The biotin supplement I take does have a warning on the label that it may interfere with medical lab tests, but even so, I don't think it is a widely known fact. Docs should definitely ask about everything you are taking!

How high is the dosage, though?

I doubt a tiny bit of biotin in a multivitamin is going to do much (50µg in mine and it states 100% of daily amount), but I think it might be the high, really high dosages that are causing problems? Or tiny dosages as well?

[Chromis]

How high is the dosage, though?

I doubt a tiny bit of biotin in a multivitamin is going to do much (50µg in mine and it states 100% of daily amount), but I think it might be the high, really high dosages that are causing problems? Or tiny dosages as well?

That sounds like a question for your doctor.

[blackgothicdoll]

The article said the person in question was taking 10mg (10,000 mcg).

[pailin]

This is interesting, because I didn't know it. I was tested for thyroid problems in April, partly because of some hair loss (among other things), and it came back normal. But I had started taking hair vitamins- with quite a bit of biotin- maybe two weeks before the labwork. I was already thinking to get the labwork repeated when I go home this fall, so now I have one more reason to get it tested again.

[lapushka]

That sounds like a question for your doctor.

I am definitely going to ask. :)

[lapushka]

The article said the person in question was taking 10mg (10,000 mcg).

That is high.

I have 50µg in my multivitamin, and my bloodwork comes back fine for thyroid, things like that at least. I "suspect" (but I am no doctor, nor claim to be) it might be the high dosages causing issues.

[MusicalSpoons]

Re dosages, quote from the article:

For the interference to occur, the patient’s biotin level needs to be high — at least three times the upper limit of the healthy adult reference range, according to Grebe. But that level is easy to achieve with the megadoses many are taking.
:)

The safe upper limit is often set a fair way above the recommended daily intake, but the megadoses are also far above the RDI - 10x, even 20x the amount. (I guess if someone really wanted to calculate their maximum supplement level accordingly they could try, but biotin is also usually available in our diets and unless you know for absolute certainty what your unsupplemented level is, it really wouldn't be worth risking skewing blood test results!)

[Silica]

How high is the dosage, though?

I doubt a tiny bit of biotin in a multivitamin is going to do much (50µg in mine and it states 100% of daily amount), but I think it might be the high, really high dosages that are causing problems? Or tiny dosages as well?


Yes, mine are a high dosage - 5000mcg. I agree that the small amount in a multivitamin probably isn't the issue here, but still worth mentioning before a test. I haven't had any tests since taking the biotin so haven't had the chance to bring it up with a doctor to ask about it. For what its worth, I haven't noticed a significant difference in my hair since taking it but there is a world of difference in my fingernails, which used to be so soft and dry and peeling that I could never grow them past the end of my fingers. They are healthy and strong now. But this kind of warning about the biotin does make me wonder about the long term health implications of it :confused:

[Six Seeds]

It's a good idea to be pro-active about the medication and supplement vs blood tests convo with your health care provider. Hormonal birth control interferes with one type of thyroid testing and I once had a doctor who apparently didn't know about it because he ran that panel despite having my medications on file. Sometimes doctors miss things, and I think with older doctors especially, sometimes they just don't know!

[lapushka]

Yes, mine are a high dosage - 5000mcg. I agree that the small amount in a multivitamin probably isn't the issue here, but still worth mentioning before a test. I haven't had any tests since taking the biotin so haven't had the chance to bring it up with a doctor to ask about it. For what its worth, I haven't noticed a significant difference in my hair since taking it but there is a world of difference in my fingernails, which used to be so soft and dry and peeling that I could never grow them past the end of my fingers. They are healthy and strong now. But this kind of warning about the biotin does make me wonder about the long term health implications of it :confused:

I once mentioned my multivitamin to my doctor, with the ingredients and dosages listed on the tube. He looked at it and saw no problem with it, so... there's that.

50µg against those type of dosages is a *big* big difference!

[martyna_22]

I never got around to jumping on the biotin bandwagon myself...
I'm not trying to criticize anyone, it just doesn't seem safe in the high doses. The only reason you should take biotin is biotin deficiency. With a healthy diet you'll get all the biotin that you need. And the supplements contain A LOT of it. Like 10000 of daily allowance even (seriously, my mom bought it too, I just advised her not to take it).
The dose is key, not the substance itself.
So yeah, I'm not surprised it may interfere with a healthy organism. As long as you don't overdo it, it's fine. Just stick to the recommendations.

[blackgothicdoll]

I never got around to jumping on the biotin bandwagon myself...
I'm not trying to criticize anyone, it just doesn't seem safe in the high doses. The only reason you should take biotin is biotin deficiency. With a healthy diet you'll get all the biotin that you need. And the supplements contain A LOT of it. Like 10000 of daily allowance even (seriously, my mom bought it too, I just advised her not to take it).
The dose is key, not the substance itself.
So yeah, I'm not surprised it may interfere with a healthy organism. As long as you don't overdo it, it's fine. Just stick to the recommendations.

There are no sources that prove biotin toxicity even exists. In fact, there is no TUL (tolerable upper limit) documented for biotin. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin


Toxicity


Biotin is not known to be toxic. In people without disorders of biotin metabolism (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/glossary#metabolism), doses of up to 5 mg/day for two years were not associated with adverse effects (52) (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin#reference52). Oral biotin supplementation has been well tolerated in doses up to 200 mg/day (nearly 7,000 times the AI) in people with hereditary disorders of biotin metabolism (1) (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin#references). Daily supplementation with a highly concentrated formulation of biotin (100-600 mg) for several months was also found to be well tolerated in individuals with progressive multiple sclerosis (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/glossary#multiple-sclerosis) (27, 28) (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin#reference27). However, there is one case report of life-threatening eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion in an elderly woman who took a combination of 10 mg/day of biotin and 300 mg/day of pantothenic acid (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/pantothenic-acid) (vitamin B5) for two months (53) (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin#reference53). Because reports of adverse events were lacking when the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for biotin were established in 1998, the Institute of Medicine did not establish a tolerable upper intake level (UL (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/glossary#UL)) for biotin (1) (https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/biotin#references).

[Dark40]

I'm glad I only take one multivitamin, vitamin B-complex, and vitamin C, and vitamin E. I don't even take biotin but I have read in other posts on here that people do benefit from it though.

[MusicalSpoons]

^ biotin is also known as vitamin B7 so it's worth checking whether it is in your vitamin B-complex :)

[Dark40]

Ok, thanks for letting me know that. I will check to see if it's in my B-complex. :)

[Groovy Granny]

^ biotin is also known as vitamin B7 so it's worth checking whether it is in your vitamin B-complex :)

I didn't l know that either....and yup...there is it :doh:

Well, maybe that's why my hair is looking/feeling good? :flower:

Thankfully it is not affecting my thyroid :whistle:

[Obsidian]

My doctor actually suggested biotin to me just today for hair loss. She also warned me about it messing with blood work and said I need to stop taking it at least two weeks before testing, especially since I have hypothyroidism.

Since I had my annual bloodwork yesterday, I'll give biotin a shot since I already have some hair vitamins.

[enting]

That's a really responsible and educated doctor you have there, Obsidian!