Vitamins and minerals are essential to perform various bodily functions such as helping to fight infection, wound healing, making our bones strong, and regulating hormones. If your body lacks these essential vitamins or you have developed deficiencies, the doctor often prescribes supplements to treat you.
However, combining too many supplements or taking more than the recommended dosage can cause serious side effects. According to a report by Health, if you take too many vitamins and supplements, it can build up in your blood over time and increase the risk of overdose.
Although vitamins B and K do not usually cause toxicity, many nutrients can be toxic in excess amounts. Some of the most severe risks of an overdose come from calcium and iron supplements. Too much calcium in your blood or urine might increase your risk of heart disease and prostate cancer and an iron overdose might cause coma or low blood pressure and damage your intestines and liver.
Taking too much vitamin A might lead to coma and death in severe cases and harm pregnant and breastfeeding people. Some studies suggest that excess vitamin A may also harm the fetus during pregnancy and cause abnormal development of the eyes, heart, lungs, and skull.
Vitamin D boosts how much calcium your gut absorbs. Consequently, you might have too much calcium in your blood or urine. If you take too much vitamin E, the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or sudden bleeding in the brain may increase.
How much vitamins should you consume?
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has established tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for many minerals and vitamins.
- Calcium: Babies of 0-6 months should not take more than 1000 mg, for 4-8 year old it is 2500 mg, for 14-18 year old is 3000 mg and for 71 and above it is 2000 mg.
- Iron: Children from 0 months to 13 years should not take more than 40 mg of iron and adults should not take more than 45 mg.
- Vitamin A: Babies and toddlers should not take more than 600 mcg. While Children from 4-8 years should not take more than 900 mcg. Adults should not take more than 3000 mcg
- Vitamin D: Adults should not take more 100 mcg. Infants should not take more than 25 mcg and toddlers should not take more than 75 mcg.
- Vitamin E: Adults should not take more than 1000 mg. Children 1 to 3 years should not take more than 200 mg, 4-8 year olds should not take more 300 mg , 9-13 year olds should not take 600 mg and 14-18 year olds should not take more than 800 mg.
What are the symptoms of multivitamin overdose?
Symptoms of multivitamin overdose include:
- Bone, joint, or muscle pain
- Cloudy urine
- Diarrhea
- Dry, cracked lips or skin
- Headache
- Irregular or rapid heartbeat
- Mood changes (e.g., irritability)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Seizures
- Stomach pain
Some minerals and vitamins might cause specific symptoms. If you get iron overdose, it might cause bloody, dark diarrhea and weakness, while a vitamin A overdose can lead to blurry vision and dizziness. Excess calcium in your blood, which may result from taking too much calcium or vitamin D, may cause a lack of appetite, kidney stones, and muscle weakness.
To avoid these complications, always consult your doctors before taking any supplement. Make sure you ask what dosage is best for you and when it’s best to take the supplement. Dosage and timing recommendations might vary between people.