Can taking extra vitamins hurt you?

Answer 1

Vitamins and minerals aren't dangerous unless you get too much of them. It would be hard to "overdose" on vitamins or minerals that you get from the foods you eat. But if you take supplements, you can easily take too much. This is even more of a risk if you take fat-soluble vitamins.

Taking too much can also cause problems with some medical tests or get in the way of how some drugs work. It's very important to talk with your doctor before you take any vitamin and mineral pills, especially if you take prescription medicines, have any health problems or are elderly.

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Answer 2

Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E) cannot be excreted by the kidneys when they are present at excessive levels, unlike water soluble vitamins (B, C).

As with any chemical substance (remember water is a chemical too) if you get too much of it, you can be poisoned. Some effects of getting too much of different fat-soluble vitamins include:

Vitamin A

• Angular cheilitis
• Birth defects
• Coarse bone growths
• Excessive skin dryness/peeling (desquamation)
• Hair loss
• Intracranial hypertension (see Idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
• Liver problems
• Premature epiphyseal closure
• Reduced bone mineral density that may result in osteoporosis
• Skin discoloration

Vitamin D

• Dehydration
• Vomiting
• Decreased appetite
• Irritability
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness

Vitamin E

• Increased congestive heart failure seen in one large randomized study.

Vitamin K

• Increases coagulation in patients taking warfarin.