On Tuesday, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced a raft of changes to how products containing vitamin B6 are packaged and sold.

The TGA decision is based on an extensive review, prompted by widespread concerns earlier this year that high doses were causing toxicity and leading to lasting nerve damage.

The TGA says the tighter controls – which include restrictions on over-the-counter sales for higher doses – will strike a balance between the vitamin’s benefits and its potential harms.

This may leave some people confused about whether vitamin B6 is safe to take. How much is too much? And can I still buy my supplement over-the-counter?

B6 (also known as pyridoxine, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal) is an essential vitamin for good health, involved in more than 140 processes in the body.

But we can’t produce it ourselves, so we need to get it elsewhere – mainly from our diet.

B6 can be found in a wide range of foods, including animal products such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy.

Plant-based sources include:

The recommended dietary daily intake of B6 varies based on age. So wherever you get it – diet or supplements – this is........

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