Community Chat

[sunshine45]

i do take biotin daily......if i have to get blood tests i personally would stop all vitamins prior to getting those tests.

via the FDA

How Vitamins are Regulated

Vitamin products are regulated by FDA as "Dietary Supplements." The law defines dietary supplements, in part, as products taken by mouth that contain a "dietary ingredient" intended to supplement the diet.

Listed in the "dietary ingredient" category are not only vitamins, but minerals, botanicals products, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, microbial probiotics, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 requires that all such products be labeled as dietary supplements.

In June 2007, FDA established dietary supplement "current Good Manufacturing Practice" (cGMP) regulations requiring that manufacturers evaluate their products through testing identity, purity, strength, and composition.

Starting December 22, 2007, any serious adverse events reported to a dietary supplement manufacturer must be reported to FDA within 15 days of the manufacturer receiving the adverse event report.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fortify-your-knowledge-about-vitamins

it really just isnt ONLY the biotin......

Taking too much of a vitamin can also cause problems with some medical tests or interfere with how some drugs work.

[suzyQ3]

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@novamc1 wrote:

@suzyQ3 

I do the same as you.  Only take occasional vitamin supplements (a multivitamin, Vitamin D, a hair/skin/nails supplement,  and vitamins especially for the eyes recommended by my eye doctor).  

Have always been wary, however, of some of the dosages in those supplements, which seem huge to me (especially the biotin in hair/skin/nails pills and also the zinc in eye vitamins), which are  way beyond any "recommended daily amount".

That's why I don't take all of them every day and often only one or two times per week.

I do wonder why I just had to have three skin biopsies done by a dermatologist for odd things that have popped up recently on my skin.  The biopsies revealed nothing dangerous and probably were caused by friction of clothing around my neck and and on  one leg (perhaps caused by wearing spandex exercise tights during workouts at the gym).

Maybe--just maybe--hair/skin/nail supplements help promote overgrowth of skin cells and promote abnormal growths.  Don't know, but I'm now sticking to a simple multivitamin about three times a week. Skipping any extra biotin.

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@novamc1, good news about your biopsies. My main thing about supplements beyond the basics is that I am very skeptical that, anecdotal evidence aside,  they actually do anything other than float right out of your system.

[Icegoddess]

I take Biotin and have known this for quite some time.  It doesn't concern me as I stop taking it before known bloodwork.  It is on me to let medical providers know that I'm taking it if I was unable to stop it before.  The main thing is to educate medical providers about this so they don't just blow you off if you tell them you're taking it.  

It's not that biotin is bad.  It's because biotin is used in some of the tests so more biotin in the blood can throw the test results off.  Grapefruit is a perfectly good fruit to ingest unless you are on certain medications, and then it's bad.  

I really don't want the FDA more involved with my supplements.  

[suzyQ3]

I think that the government should oversee nutritional supplements to make sure that what is sold is accurately stated and to make sure of quality and safety.

[shoekitty]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

I think that the government should oversee nutritional supplements to make sure that what is sold is accurately stated and to make sure of quality and safety.

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@suzyQ3 

Shoekitty said, i didnt even know they had an FDA anymore.  It was whittled down to a handfull, and no inspections in many places   But I totally agree with you.

[sidsmom]

The fact one has to...stop a supplement...to get an

...accurate blood reading...SHOULD be cause for concern.

Stunning how people can not see the downside of supplements.

[suzyQ3]

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@shoekitty wrote:

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

I think that the government should oversee nutritional supplements to make sure that what is sold is accurately stated and to make sure of quality and safety.

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@suzyQ3 

Shoekitty said, i didnt even know they had an FDA anymore.  It was whittled down to a handfull, and no inspections in many places   But I totally agree with you.

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@shoekitty. I'm shocked, shocked, I tell ya.

[ann1989]

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@Icegoddess wrote:

I take Biotin and have known this for quite some time.  It doesn't concern me as I stop taking it before known bloodwork.  It is on me to let medical providers know that I'm taking it if I was unable to stop it before.  The main thing is to educate medical providers about this so they don't just blow you off if you tell them you're taking it.  

It's not that biotin is bad.  It's because biotin is used in some of the tests so more biotin in the blood can throw the test results off.  Grapefruit is a perfectly good fruit to ingest unless you are on certain medications, and then it's bad.  

I really don't want the FDA more involved with my supplements.  

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Very true. 

[Mindy D]

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@noodleann wrote:

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@NickNack wrote:

I thought this notice from the FDA was interesting.  I used to take Biotin for my nails.  It didn't seem to help, so I quit.  I told a friend about this notice, and she said that one of her lab results was really strange.  She's going to stop taking Biotin and have them retest it.

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MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program

A MedWatch Safety Alert was just added to the FDA Medical Device Safety webpage.  TOPIC: Biotin May Interfere with Lab Tests - Safety Communication: Update AUDIENCE: Consumer, Patient, Health Professional BACKGROUND: Many dietary supplements promoted for hair, skin, and nail benefits contain biotin levels up to 650 times the recommended daily intake of biotin. Physicians may also recommend high levels of biotin for patients with certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Biotin levels higher than the recommended daily allowance may cause interference with lab tests. ISSUE: The FDA updated the 2017 safety communication to remind the public, health care providers, lab personnel, and lab test developers that biotin, often found in dietary supplements, can significantly interfere with certain lab tests and cause incorrect results that may go undetected. Incorrect test results may lead to inappropriate patient management or misdiagnosis. For example, a falsely low result for troponin, a clinically important biomarker to aid in the diagnosis of heart attacks, may lead to a missed diagnosis and potentially serious clinical implications. RECOMMENDATION: Please click on the "Read Safety Communication" button below to read specific recommendations for consumers, health care providers, lab personnel, and lab test manufacturers and developers. Health care providers, consumers and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program: Complete and submit the report online. Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178.

Read Safety Communication

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Thanks for posting this, @NickNack . I got the message from the FDA and hoped someone would post about it, since it's an updated warning that anyone taking biotin should know about. 

Specifically, " . . . the FDA is particularly concerned about biotin interference causing a falsely low result for troponin, a clinically important biomarker to aid in the diagnosis of heart attacks, which may lead to a missed diagnosis and potentially serious clinical implications. The FDA continues to receive adverse events reports indicating biotin interference caused falsely low troponin results."

There's no way for most people to know when they're going to have a heart attack so they can't discontine the supplement in anticipation of the event. That suggests that it's especially important to make sure your medical records reflect your use of biotin as a supplement.

The FDA further states that "Since the FDA's safety communication on this topic in 2017, some lab test developers have been successful at mitigating the biotin interference of their assays, but others have not yet addressed it. The FDA remains concerned about troponin laboratory tests that have not addressed the risk of biotin interference. The FDA has posted a webpage onBiotin Interference with Troponin Lab Tests - Assays Subject to Biotin Interference to notify the public about troponin assays where the risk of biotin interference has not yet been addressed."

Last, "Consider that the daily recommended allowance for biotin is 0.03 mg and that amount does not typically cause interference in lab tests." That amount is what's usually listed as "30 mcg" on supplement labels.

All this info I've posted can be found in the "Safety Communication," the last link in NickNack's post. Thanks again for posting about it, @NickNack.

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Thoughtful, well-written response. Your point about the unpredictability of a heart attack is well-taken. I’m checking my multi vitamin, Centrum Silver for Women, for the biotin content right now. 

[Shelbelle]

Article today in the People's Pharmacy newsletter says to stop taking a Biotin supp 2 days before blood is drawn, sounds simple enough.