Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is not known to be toxic in humans. The only adverse effect noted was diarrhea resulting from very high intakes of 10–20 g/day calcium D-pantothenate (17). However, there is one case report of life-threatening ‘eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion’ in an elderly woman who took a combination of 10 mg/day vitamin B7 (biotin) and 300 mg/day pantothenic acid for two months (18).

 

Tolerable upper intake levels

Due to the lack of reports of adverse effects, a tolerable upper level of intake (UL) for pantothenic acid has not been established (12, 13).

 

Pantethine is generally well tolerated in doses up to 1,200 mg/day. However gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea and heartburn, have been reported (19).

 

Drug interactions

Please note:
Because of the potential for interactions, dietary supplements should not be taken with medication without first talking to an experienced healthcare provider.