AboutDr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi Expertise I can provide information on drugs and medicines, their actions, uses, interactions and adverse effects. To avoid confusion, generic names of
medicines may please be provided. I am a pharmacologist, having worked
on animal and human pharmacology, and presently I am the Dean of Bilcare Research Academy, where we teach courses on clinical research. We dont work on saturdays and sundays, hence questions reachng me on these days will be replied on Monday, please bear with me.
My daughter aged 18 used to have bouts of palpitation, shortness of breath, tingling sensation in hands and fateigued,lack of energy. She had MVP We consulted internist who sent her to pulmologist for PFT which was normal Then to rule out progression of MVP 2D Echo was done which was normal Then lastly, shhe had bkood tests for Thyroid T3 T4 TSH which were normal. Then we consulted our family physician who is a PCP He prescribed NEUROBION which contains B1-10 mg B2-10 mg B3-100 mg B6-3 mg B12 1 mcg Calcium Pantothenate 50 mg. After she started all her symptoms vanished Our PCP told us that particularly B1 B2 are very vital for her anwiety neurosis. What is this combination of vitamins. Even my wife who had identical symptoms started this combination, she felt better. Both my daughter and wife say that if they take this combination, they feel better but if discontinued they will start discomfort. What is this combination of vitamins Can you educate
Answer Hi Harsvadan,
For long a combination of Vtamins B1, B6 and B12 (Not only B1 and B2)were considered as neurotrophic, which meant that this combination improved the nerve function in a rather general way. Neurobion a very common product was sold worth Crores of rupees every year and some patients did benefit. In late 1980's the Drug Technical Advisory Board, met in Delhi and considered the rationality of this combination. Companies manufacturing this formulation were asked to submit data to authenticate the efficacy of the combination, through literature review and trials. Most companies failed to establish the efficacy of the combination.
Finally in 1999 the Drugs Controlled General of India banned the combination, and Merck challenged the order in Delhi high Court. Merck failed to get any relief from the court.
Companies tried many tricks to maintain the combination in market but failed. Finally they have taken shelter under a clause of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (Schedule V, sub note 2) that the law applies to only oral preparations.
If you ask me whether these vitamins are really effective, my honest answer would be I dont know. Between 1988 and 1994, when I was the advisor to a pharmaceutical company that manufactured this combination, we tried to find proof of the efficacy, but failed. Individual cases have always been there showing that the combination is useful, but if tested on a large scale, we have not been able to prove that the combination works better than a placebo.
Now in the case of your daughter or wife, if the find it useful let them continue to use it, but I am unable to say why it works or how it works.
Please let me know if you need more information.
Regards
Ravi Ghooi
