Regular intake of excessive quantities of certain nutrients can cause hair loss in some cases due to a temporary condition known as
Increasing your intake of biotin may help make your hair stronger and more resistant to falling out. Biotin is a common over-the-counter supplement that is touted to promote healthy hair growth.
Biotin is safe to take — even at high doses. But taking too much can sometimes cause side effects like stomach ache, trouble sleeping, and excessive thirst. Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you've taken too much biotin. You can also contact Poison Control if you're having trouble reaching your provider.
Mayo Clinic states that 10,000 mcg is a safe dose, as no adverse side effects have been noted to date. Reassuringly, even “mega doses” of 300,000 mcg found no side effects in neurological research.
While 5,000 mcg of biotin may work well for some people, for the most part, that may be too high for others who find that 200 mcg of biotin helps their hair grow. Look for a biotin vitamin that doesn't contain a ridiculously high dose amount like 10,000 mcg – this is usually excessive.
Takeaway. Your body makes enough biotin on its own through your dietary intake each day. Therefore, you shouldn't take biotin supplements unless directed by your doctor. There are some rare health conditions that can cause some people to need biotin supplements on a regular basis.
Can biotin be harmful? Biotin has not been shown to cause any harm. However, supplements that contain biotin above recommended amounts may cause false results in some lab tests, including those that measure levels of certain hormones, like thyroid hormone.
The bottom line. There's no strong evidence to support using biotin for hair growth or to prevent hair loss in people without a deficiency. Because hair thinning and poor hair growth are sometimes associated with a biotin deficiency, correcting a deficiency can help restore hair growth in some people.
Can You Take Too Much Biotin? Not really! Even at higher dosages, excess biotin has not been shown to cause any harm. Biotin has been used in clinical studies and in the clinical setting in doses as high as 5 mg/day (5,000 mcg/day) for up to two years.
The normal recommended biotin dosage for adults is 30 to 100 micrograms (mcg) per day. But there's no evidence of high levels of biotin being harmful or causing toxicity, which is why you'll commonly see biotin supplements containing 5,000 to 10,000 mcg.
Does biotin cause weight gain? No, there is no evidence to suggest taking biotin supplements can lead to weight gain. In fact, biotin is sometimes touted as a weight-loss supplement. However, there is no research to support this use.
Biotin is a common component of multivitamin preparations and at high doses it has been reported to cause interference in immunoassays resulting in abnormal thyroid function tests [2].
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
If no home remedies work for your hair loss, use a daily biotin supplement for at least 6 months to start seeing results.
Foods that contain the most biotin include organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, and certain vegetables (such as sweet potatoes) [2,12].
The most commonly recommended time slot to consume biotin supplements is with your morning meal. The water-soluble nature of biotin will ensure that your body is absorbing it with the other nutrients in your meal.
If you are experiencing thinning or balding, our Bosley experts recommend washing no more than three times a week.
Most of the websites touting biotin for hair growth recommend taking 2-5 milligrams (2,000-5,000 mcg) of biotin in supplement form each day, and many supplements are sold under the name Biotin 5000, indicating a 5000 mcg (5 mg) size.
Biotin is generally safe even at high dosages. Side effects of biotin are minimal and easily reversed because excess biotin is easily passed by the body through urine. We recommend taking 500 mcg-5,000 mcg of biotin per day to support healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Most commonly, biotin use can result in falsely high levels of T4 and T3 and falsely low levels of TSH, leading to either a wrong diagnosis of hyperthyroidism or that the thyroid hormone dose is too high.
The biotin should be discontinued for at least 48-72 hours before thyroid assaying by any commonly used biotin-streptavidin immunoassay.
Another supplement to watch out for is biotin. It's commonly taken for its hair, skin, and nail benefits. Biotin doesn't interfere with thyroid medication, but it can interfere with a thyroid blood test. Stop taking biotin at least 2 days before doing a TSH blood test.