Biotin - Are you taking it?

[Lucky_Lucy]

I just bought Biotin today-300 µg. I heard that Biotin might make you break out, but for some people it was OK. :D So I thought I'd give it a try! ^ ^
Now tell me: Are you taking Biotin? How much do you take every day? ( I thought I'd take two pills a day, since I got the 300µg ones). Does it make you break out? If so, does it get better with time(if you've been using it for some time, does your skin get better?) And last, but not least: How does it influence your hair growth rate & the health of your hair? :D

[amanda_the_tall]

when i was taking it, it was 5000 mcg. normally i'd only take one. it gave me terrible cystic acne, but that's probably because the dosage was so high. it didn't help my hair any either, i took it regularly for approximately 6 months. from what i've read, if you get your b vitamins out of balance that'll mess your skin up. usually if you get a regular multi and eat healthily you'll be getting all you need since most people aren't biotin deficient.

[akilina]

I broke out horribly. I hardly noticed any better growth. I would get a good balanced supplement with some biotin...but I really do not understand why people over dose themselves on it. I don't think it is that worth it just for a tiny bit (in my experience) of growth.
I hardly got an 1/8 inch extra however it did make all my body hair (except my head hair) grow mega fast.My break outs weren't just a few zits either, they were very painful deep seeded cystic zits that wouldn't go away for a very long time. Also...I got really bad headaches every day I took it.
So to me, biotin is not worth it. What is worth it is drinking plenty of water, taking a balanced supplement, and eating healthy. NOTHING will ever beat that.

[Iolanthe13]

I've been using a "Hair, Skin and Nails" supplement for a few weeks now, and biotin is towards the end of the list of ingredients. I haven't been measuring, but my roots are certainly coming in quickly this month. Regular exercise seems to help, too - my hair barely grows when I'm at home, but at uni I walk everywhere, and it grows more quickly.

[seven77]

I've been taking Rejuvicare Hair and Nail formula for 2 weeks, it has 300 mcg biotin.. I take one a day, no breaking out.. I don't know about hair growth, my nails have been growing like crazy. I just measured my hair this morning and will measure again in a month to see how it's growing :)

[Madora]

I've been taking 5000 mcg of biotin for over a year. No breakouts but my nails grew faster. Alas, it hasn't seemed to have done anything to speed hair growth.

[IvanaGil]

I took Biotin for about 3 months. I didn't breakout and I saw no benefits to my hair :(

[LeonineMane]

I take 5,000mcg along with a b-vitamin complex (it's essentail to take this with biotin so as to not upset the balance). It didn't speed up my growth at all but it greatly helped the quality of my hair and nails and stopped my hair falling out in clumps (now I only shed less than 50 hairs a day!) :D I started off with a small doseage as it can cause acne starting too high then slowly increased to where i'm at now (if you get acne from it then taking zinc will help).

[KwaveT]

I take 3500 mg every morning. I don't think it affects hair growth but hair strength it most certainly helps. But have to keep it up for a long time because only the new hair is going to benefit. It is not going to change the hair already on your head. All this taking it three months and stopping it is not giving it a fair chance. Think how long it takes to grow a head full of hair. You have to keep at for multiple years to get a change on your entire head.

[Tristania]

Been taking it for about a week. I've heard horror stories about massive cystic breakouts, although I haven't noticed anything just yet. I'll give it a few months and see how it goes.

[firegypsy]

I take it in fairly large doses. Not for hair growth, but that's a nice side effect! I have acne prone skin (cystic acne) and this never once caused a breakout for me. In fact, my skin is better than ever.

I've been taking it for around 8 years and I would say it is in part what cleared my skin up.

[MinderMutsig]

Please don't use mega doses of biotin. It is very possible to get too much vitamins and cystic acne is the least of your problems then. There are reports, even here on LHC, about people ruining their kidneys and even getting permanent renal damage from mega dosing biotin. It's just not worth it to loose your eyesight for a couple of inches extra of hair. In the end it's just hair. It will get there eventually. Just please please don't risk your health for it.

[blondie9912]

I tried it consistently for about 3 months last fall. My hair did not grow faster whatsoever, but I didn't break out either.

[firegypsy]

Please don't use mega doses of biotin. It is very possible to get too much vitamins and cystic acne is the least of your problems then. There are reports, even here on LHC, about people ruining their kidneys and even getting permanent renal damage from mega dosing biotin. It's just not worth it to loose your eyesight for a couple of inches extra of hair. In the end it's just hair. It will get there eventually. Just please please don't risk your health for it.

this just doesn't make any sense to me. When people say things like this I wish they'd cite references. There is nothing that I've found to support this assertion in the literature. In fact, quite the opposite from what I can tell....there is no known toxicity associated with biotin.

I agree that megadosing certain vitamins and minerals can be seriously problematic, but apparently not this one. Go ahead and google "biotin toxicity." If I'm wrong, please post a link.

[pepperminttea]

this just doesn't make any sense to me. When people say things like this I wish they'd cite references. There is nothing that I've found to support this assertion in the literature. In fact, quite the opposite from what I can tell....there is no known toxicity associated with biotin.

I agree that megadosing certain vitamins and minerals can be seriously problematic, but apparently not this one. Go ahead and google "biotin toxicity." If I'm wrong, please post a link.

Here's a link. (http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.co.uk/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html)

[firegypsy]

Here's a link. (http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.co.uk/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html)

Thanks, but that's not really definitive, is it? There's no science behind it, no studies linked etc.

Anyone downing a bottle should think twice, but science continues to tell us there is no known toxicity. That's not to sell supplements.

ANYTHING in excess can be problematic, and I'm not telling anyone to go take a handful of biotin. But taking high doses making people lose their eyesight, or damage their kidneys beyond repair? All I'm saying is those kinds of assertions deserve a citation.

Everyone should be careful and well informed about what goes in their body. I don't think anyone is disputing this, but if we're sharing information I think it should be with a grain of salt. ;)

[Astraea]

There is nothing that I've found to support this assertion in the literature. In fact, quite the opposite from what I can tell....there is no known toxicity associated with biotin.

I agree that megadosing certain vitamins and minerals can be seriously problematic, but apparently not this one. Go ahead and google "biotin toxicity." If I'm wrong, please post a link.

I only found one published study of possible negative effects in a 60+ y/o woman combining 10,000mcg with 300mg of pantothenic acid and no indication as to other conditions, verity of Biotin causing her problems, mitigating factors, etc., so I dismissed the report.

I took 10,000mcg of Blue Bonnet biotin for 5 months. I didn't notice extra hair growth and my skin stayed great but my fingernails became diamond hard, I mean I seriously couldn't cut them, Lol! I also took about 10,000mg of Blue Bonnet MSM at the time. Again no hair or skin effects, but my back pain and leg pain just dissolved! I questioned whether the nail fortification Biotin or MSM provided also did the same for my strands, like protein >( but I've no proof. I probably wouldn't take the same amounts again but may resume taking both with more knowledge of how to balance it with my current nutritional intake.

[pepperminttea]

Thanks, but that's not really definitive, is it? There's no science behind it, no studies linked etc.

Anyone downing a bottle should think twice, but science continues to tell us there is no known toxicity. That's not to sell supplements.

ANYTHING in excess can be problematic, and I'm not telling anyone to go take a handful of biotin. But taking high doses making people lose their eyesight, or damage their kidneys beyond repair? All I'm saying is those kinds of assertions deserve a citation.

Everyone should be careful and well informed about what goes in their body. I don't think anyone is disputing this, but if we're sharing information I think it should be with a grain of salt. ;)

I'm all for grains of salt, but I think taking thousands of mg of biotin - and that being stated as a perfectly normal dosage - should be taken with a grain too. ;) There just hasn't been enough research done yet. And reading stories like Jojo (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=1527599#post1527599)'s, who went into stage two renal failure due to it, is hardly comforting.

Incidentally, I'd be interested to see any research the other way, endorsing such large doses of Biotin (that hasn't been funded by someone selling it).

[firegypsy]

Incidentally, I'd be interested to see any research the other way, endorsing such large doses of Biotin (that hasn't been funded by someone selling it).

I highly doubt that exists.;) I'm not sure beyond the studied amount there are any real benefits.

[pepperminttea]

I highly doubt that exists.;)

Funny that. ;)

[firegypsy]

I sense the sarcasm, but please understand I'm not for or against this. I wouldn't ever advise someone to overdose on a nutrient on a message board. I take biotin because I personally need it. That doesn't mean anyone else does, just that I do. I shared my dose. Same with magnesium. I do better taking higher than average recommended doses. I still wouldn't never tell anyone else they should too. I do what's best for my body.

I just don't like misinformation being put out to the masses without facts. I have no issues with people saying "I heard that it can do x, y and z." I do have issues with people saying it DOES x, y and z with no information to support it other than heresay. That's all. I'm certainly not looking for a tiff, just explaining my position.

[pepperminttea]

I sense the sarcasm, but please understand I'm not for or against this. I wouldn't ever advise someone to overdose on a nutrient on a message board. I take biotin because I personally need it. That doesn't mean anyone else does, just that I do. I shared my dose. Same with magnesium. I do better taking higher than average recommended doses. I still wouldn't never tell anyone else they should too. I do what's best for my body.

I just don't like misinformation being put out to the masses without facts. I have no issues with people saying "I heard that it can do x, y and z." I do have issues with people saying it DOES x, y and z with no information to support it other than heresay. That's all. I'm certainly not looking for a tiff, just explaining my position.

I'm not looking for a "tiff" either, don't worry; your post was after many others, I didn't mean to single you out for your specific dosage. :flower: It's the high dose posts in general that trouble me; that someone reading about all these many people taking such high dosages could think it's normal, start mega-dosing blindly, and not do the best for their body, too.

[Silverbrumby]

Not quiet sure of your position. Then again I need more coffee. I take 5000mg a day which is high IMO. I have been taking it for just on a year now. Before that I was only on biosil.

My nails have changed. Before biotin/biosil I had 'onion skin' nails. They peeled easily and never grew much past my nail bed. 18 months since taking supplements that are meant for nails/skin/hair I have to say I now have nails that no longer peel but snap. They are noticible thicker and strong. My husband is amazed that a supplement has changed my genetic tendency of having peeling weak nails (no matter what my diet) to what I have today.

Also biotin makes my skin smoother. I noticed a difference if I stop taking it for more than two weeks which has happened a few times.

My hair... It's filled in at the front, I think it's smoother to the touch. at my growth rate of 6 inches a year I have about 17 to 18 inches now of hair that has had supplementation. I think it's better quality but I still have flat iron damage from a 15 months ago. About 12 inches which still needs to be trimmed out over time to get a real sense of how it's effected my hair. If what is happening to my hair mirrors my skin and nails I'm happy I've taken this dose. The lower dose which I tried didn't seem to work as well.

This is a long term project but after 12 months of LHC and supplements for longer I think I'm making a difference. Time will tell.

Woops. In my signature picture you can see that first 8 inches or so of heat damage free and supplement hair.

[christyrose]

I am taking 5000 mcg twice a day of biotin. I did notice I broke out a little but I also am making sure I drink more water because its water soluble and whatever your body doesnt use it just flushes out. If you dont have enough fluids I think it can effect you more. My face does feel a little more oily since I started biotin, but I also started putting oil in my hair at the same time so I cant say which is causing it. I have only been taking for a week now, so I cant say I have seen any changes in my hair, but I do know they say it can take 1-6 month to see the effects of any vitamin. I do feel like I have more energy since I have been taking it so thats a plus.

[blondebazinga]

I used to but I couldn't handle all of the breakouts I get. Does anyone know if it is the same if applied mixed in with an oil? Thanks :blossom:

[firegypsy]

Not quiet sure of your position.


sigh. if this is directed at me, my position is that I take issue with people stating things as facts that aren't. Share your opinion or fears or stories all you want if you qualify them as such. Saying that megadosing biotin will lead to kidney failure and blindness is not helpful when the literature does not in any way support that.

My issue has nothing to do with biotin, or nutrition in general. Just with spreading misinformation intentionally or unintentionally.

and are you really taking 5000mg or is that a typo? Because holy wow.

[christyrose]

Oh and just to add I would agree that you should take more than a recommended amount unless you see a dr. My biotin is 5000mcg, so its 5mg, and it says to take once or twice daily. I take it twice daily. I dont see it as taking too much since its the recommended amount on the bottle.

[Silverbrumby]

sigh. if this is directed at me, my position is that I take issue with people stating things as facts that aren't. Share your opinion or fears or stories all you want if you qualify them as such. Saying that megadosing biotin will lead to kidney failure and blindness is not helpful when the literature does not in any way support that.

My issue has nothing to do with biotin, or nutrition in general. Just with spreading misinformation intentionally or unintentionally.

and are you really taking 5000mg or is that a typo? Because holy wow.

Gak... Sorry. 5,000mcg

My oops

That would be mega dosing if it was 5,000mg

[Silverbrumby]

Oh and just to add I would agree that you should take more than a recommended amount unless you see a dr. My biotin is 5000mcg, so its 5mg, and it says to take once or twice daily. I take it twice daily. I dont see it as taking too much since its the recommended amount on the bottle.

You can take it twice a day? Woot. I need to read labels but I see that on mine it says the same. I'm ok with 5,000mcg for now. Sees to be working well.

[christyrose]

Yeah I am going to take it twice daily for a month, then go to once daily. I just wanted to start out strong. I am also taking about 40mg of folic acid twice daily along with 2 childrens multi vitamin gummies and a childrens gummy vitamin d. Hehe. The gummies help me to actually take them, and I know they make grown up ones, but I eat healthy/lots of veggies.

[christyrose]

You can take it twice a day? Woot. I need to read labels but I see that on mine it says the same. I'm ok with 5,000mcg for now. Sees to be working well.
I cant remember if you said this above, but have you seen growth, or just healthier hair? I figure its making me feel better, and my nails are super brittle so it wont hurt to take it, but I need hair growth too!

[Astraea]

this just doesn't make any sense to me. When people say things like this I wish they'd cite references. There is nothing that I've found to support this assertion in the literature. In fact, quite the opposite from what I can tell....there is no known toxicity associated with biotin.

I agree that megadosing certain vitamins and minerals can be seriously problematic, but apparently not this one. Go ahead and google "biotin toxicity." If I'm wrong, please post a link.


I am taking 5000 mcg twice a day of biotin. I did notice I broke out a little but I also am making sure I drink more water because its water soluble and whatever your body doesnt use it just flushes out. If you dont have enough fluids I think it can effect you more. My face does feel a little more oily since I started biotin, but I also started putting oil in my hair at the same time so I cant say which is causing it. I have only been taking for a week now, so I cant say I have seen any changes in my hair, but I do know they say it can take 1-6 month to see the effects of any vitamin. I do feel like I have more energy since I have been taking it so thats a plus.


Agreed on helpfulness of increased water intake and resulting increased energy.

[ladylowtide]

I take 5,000 mcg of Biotin about every third day. I used to take it daily. I had break outs for a while and it tapered off some. But now if I take it couple times a week it seems to not break me out at all.

The first month I took biotin I had a 1" inch increase in growth. Now its leveled off to just 1/4" more than my regular growth. So between .5" - .75" from .25-.5

[Silverbrumby]

I cant remember if you said this above, but have you seen growth, or just healthier hair? I figure its making me feel better, and my nails are super brittle so it wont hurt to take it, but I need hair growth too!

My hair isn't growing any faster on it. The only thing that seems to be helping with the growth rate for me is Whey protein powder.

Biotin, biosil and monistat made no difference to the growth rate for me.

[christyrose]

I have heard of the whey protein powder a lot, I am going to have to go get some! Monistat is working for me like crazy! I used the monistat 3 and overnight it was 1/4 inch difference! I used it a second time and it was like 1/16 of an inch, but a slight difference, this is all in 4 days, using every other day. I honestly went in very skeptical, but wanted to try just in case. I was also worried about headaches or pain, but I havent even felt tingling. I have to say the greasiness isnt pleasent so it the whey works for me I will stop the monistat, and will be stopping the monistat in a couple weeks either way!!

[pink.sara]

I broke out horribly. I hardly noticed any better growth. I would get a good balanced supplement with some biotin...but I really do not understand why people over dose themselves on it. I don't think it is that worth it just for a tiny bit (in my experience) of growth.
I hardly got an 1/8 inch extra however it did make all my body hair (except my head hair) grow mega fast.My break outs weren't just a few zits either, they were very painful deep seeded cystic zits that wouldn't go away for a very long time. Also...I got really bad headaches every day I took it.
So to me, biotin is not worth it. What is worth it is drinking plenty of water, taking a balanced supplement, and eating healthy. NOTHING will ever beat that.

All these things :(

Breakouts, headaches. Horrid stuff.
Plus my hair didn't grow faster, whether I took 500mg or 5000mg a day. Just my nails?! And that was poor quality growth that resulted in splitting peeling nails months later.

[Lucky_Lucy]

Thank you everyone for the useful information! I guess I won't overdose on biotin-300µg is much less than what everyone else was taking! I bought this on a whim because I was so devastated 'cause I was(and still am) having a big shed.

Firegypsy - I'm sorry you might have been misunderstood here! I totally get what you were saying. Everyone's different, therefore the ways our bodies react to any kind of stimuli(i.e. supplements, medicine, weather...anything really!) are different too. Overdosing anything would probably have bad effects, not all of them can be life-threatening, but some might be. I agree that people shouldn't say stuff just because they heard it somewhere and act as if what they said is a definite fact. But fear is always a trigger when saying these sorts of things. Sbd hears sth bad about biotin(for example)->they get scared->they don't want to take it->they tell others not to take it. This is a normal reaction.
I personally don't believe that the side effects of overdosing biotin would be that horrible such as loss of eyesight and renal failure. It just doesn't seem to have any scientific explanation.
It seems that biotin might be good for people with diabetes, and the prescribed amount for them seems to go up to 15000µg if needed. Which means it shouldn't be potentially dangerous for your body.
I also found this link, I know it's not much but still, it states that it might be bad for people who already have some sort of health issues and that those people should use it only under medical supervision.
http://myhairgrowthvitamins.org/biotin-overdose.php

I never meant for a disagreement to be born out of this:( Sorry..:flower:
The initial purpose of this thread was for people to share their dosage of biotin, reasons why they take/don't take it and their results.

[Silverbrumby]

I have hair filled in at the temples, my ponytail increased by 1/4 inch, nails strong for the first time in my life. Hair thickness might be from better care.