What are the adverse reactions of vitamin overdose?

Vitamins are a type of trace element that is very important to the human body. Common vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, etc. They play an irreplaceable role in human growth, metabolism, and development. However, the intake of vitamins should not be too much, otherwise it will have a great impact on the human body. So, what are the adverse reactions of vitamin overdose? Let’s take a look below.

Too much vitamin C is harmful to health

Vitamin C is the most familiar vitamin and is considered the least toxic. Some people take vitamin C when they have a cold to enhance their resistance, but if the amount exceeds 1 gram per time, large doses of vitamin C will not only enhance the body's immune mechanism, but also provide nutrients for the growth of viruses, which is not worth the cost. Taking 4 to 12 grams of vitamin C orally every day can cause urate to precipitate in the urethra and form stones.

Taking more than 1 gram of vitamin C orally every day can cause redness of the skin, increase intestinal motility and cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Daily dosage exceeding 0.6 grams will cause frequent urination. If children take large doses of vitamin C for a long time, it may affect their bone development. In addition, taking large doses of vitamin C can reduce the fertility of some women, affect the development of the fetus, and even cause congenital scurvy.

Once people who have taken large doses of vitamin C for a long time stop taking it, the body will still maintain a high decomposition and excretion rate of vitamin C, so that symptoms of vitamin C deficiency will appear even if the vitamin C content in food is sufficient.

Severe poisoning from vitamin A overdose

Vitamin A plays an important role in bone growth and maintenance of gonadal function, but excessive intake can also lead to poisoning. Acute poisoning is manifested by symptoms such as dizziness, drowsiness, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea. Chronic poisoning manifests itself as bone and joint pain, swelling, skin itching, fatigue, limb weakness, irritability, abdominal pain, and oligomenorrhea in women.

Regular vitamin E supplementation can cause blurred vision

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is believed to have the effects of preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and anti-aging, and is widely used. However, if taken for a long time (daily doses of 400 mg to 800 mg), it can cause blurred vision, breast enlargement, flu-like syndrome, headache, dizziness, nausea, and stomach cramps. Long-term use of more than 800 mg per day will change endocrine metabolism, immune response, reduce sexual function, and may lead to thrombophlebitis or embolism.

Excess vitamin D growth stunting

Vitamin D is indispensable for calcium metabolism in the body and is very effective in preventing and treating rickets in children. However, excessive or large amounts taken in a short period of time can also lead to serious poisoning reactions. There are significant individual differences in toxic doses. Some children experience growth stagnation after taking 1800 units of vitamin D for a long time.

Vitamin B6 overdose drug dependence

Vitamin B is a very important water-soluble vitamin. It has been reported that taking 200 mg of vitamin B6 per day can cause drug dependence, and taking 2 to 6 grams per day for several months can cause unsteady gait and numbness and inflexibility of the hands and feet.

It should be pointed out that the above-mentioned vitamin poisoning usually only occurs under conditions of long-term overdose. For most people, the amount of a drug that causes toxicity is significantly greater than the usual therapeutic dose. If your condition requires additional vitamin supplements, you can take them safely under the guidance of a doctor without being too nervous.

If medication is taken simply for health care, or if vitamins are taken for a long time without a doctor's guidance, children, pregnant women, the elderly, patients with chronic diseases, patients with impaired renal function, and people with special physical conditions may experience toxic reactions even if the dosage of vitamin drugs is not too large.