Vitamin Overdose

Vitamins are good. They are an essential component to many of our body's functions and processes and they contribute to our health. That's why we take them as pills, power juices and energy bars. We even have cosmetics and body care products enriched with vitamins. So how can anything good be bad? Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? More importantly, can you overdose on vitamins?

When a good thing is a little too much Unfortunately for health conscious people, taking too many vitamins at very high doses can have some unwanted consequences. Too much can actually be toxic to the body. This is the reason why health agencies issue RDAs or recommended daily allowances to regulate the doses of vitamin intake. The RDA is the average amount a person needs in order to meet his daily vitamin requirement. Even with an RDA, vitamin needs also vary depending on age, gender and other conditions such as a pregnancy or certain illnesses.

Symptoms of vitamin overdose Water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin C and the B group while fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K. Of these, water-soluble vitamins are probably the easiest to dissolve and get rid of, while fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fat cells. These are the symptoms of overdose for the following vitamins:

Vitamin C Overdose of this vitamin causes stomachaches, stomach upset or diarrhea, nausea and renal colic. It was thought that too much Vitamin C caused kidney stones, but there is little evidence to support if that’s true.

Vitamin B1 or thiamine If you overdose on this vitamin, you increase your risk of developing hypotension (low blood pressure), headaches, body weakness, cardiac dysrhythmias and convulsions.

Vitamin B2 Overdose causes a yellow-orange tinge in the urine.

Vitamin B3 or niacin Causes headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, wheezing, flushing and pruritus. If toxicity is chronic, it can cause jaundice and abnormal functions of the liver.

Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine Overdose of this vitamin leads to burning pains, clumsiness, paralysis and numbness.

Vitamin A The RDA for Vitamin A or retinol is only 5,000 IU per day. If you take 25,000 IUs, expect your feet and the palms of your hand to turn a pale yellow orange. Overdosing on Vitamin A can also cause blurred vision, hair loss, headaches and liver damage.

Vitamin D Overdosing on the sunshine vitamin can lead to calcium buildup, which interferes with muscle functions.

As you can see, vitamin use is only beneficial up to a certain point. Always keep the recommended dosage in mind to avoid overdose.