Q: I am 28 years old, suffering from vitamin B1 deficiency. I have done all required tests and the doctor has advised me to take Becosules capsules. It has been a month now but the sweating and palpitations have not yet stopped. I have been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia for the past 5 years and am taking Trinicalm plus tablets daily. For the palpitations the doctor had also given me Ciplar 10 but it causes a lot of drowsiness. How long will I have to take the B-complex tablets and does it really help for controlling the deficiency? Is Trinicalm the cause of the deficiency?

A:Thiamine or vitamin B-1 is a water-soluble vitamin that gets destroyed on heating and pasteurisation. It is required in certain reactions of carbohydrate metabolism and possibly has a role in nerve conduction. Good dietary sources of thiamine are whole grains and legumes but it is not present in fats, oils, and refined sugars. Alcohol intake interferes with intestinal uptake. Its deficiency is usually seen in chronic alcoholics and patients with gastro-intestinal diseases who are unable to absorb the vitamin. Severe deficiency has been reported in patients with human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) infection, patients on renal dialysis, patients on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and patients with hypermetabolic states (e.g. fever, infection, pregnancy, strenuous exercise). Body stores get depleted within a month of thiamine deprivation but symptoms usually appear within a week in the absence of thiamine intake (palpitations, weakness, neurological symptoms). As beriberi often presents with other B-complex deficiencies, all other vitamins of the B complex are given to the patient as a part of treatment. Recommended treatment is by injections for a few weeks followed by maintenance dose of 2.5-5 mg per day orally, unless a malabsorption syndrome is suspected. Trinicalm does not cause vitamin B1 deficiency.