Am I taking too many vitamins??

[Rae76]

Hi All,

I take quite a few vitamins every day and am wondering if perhaps I am taking too many.

I take:
1 multivitamin
2 Calcium tablets
1 Vitamin E tablet
1 B-100 Complex tablet
2 gingko biloba
St John's Wort
and Evening of Primrose oil when I have TOM

Thanks for your opinions.

Rae

[FLdoodette]

Hi Rae I'm no chemist, pharmacist or nutritionist, but I take a boatload of supplements myself, and what you're taking seems perfectly reasonable. Unless you're combining them with prescription meds (i.e. the St. John's Wort combined with, say, anti-depressants). At any rate, a good multi is a good idea for everyone, in my humble opinion.

[Scribbler]

Hi. Just make sure you do not go overboard with the RDA of each vitamin. Look at the multivitamin description and make sure the added Calcium (which might be Vitamin C plus calcium) and your Vitamin E doses do not exceed by far the recommended dosage.
Vitamins do have a stacking effect, not all of them, but vitamin E does, so be careful not to overload yourself. Having more vitamins in your body than needed has also side effects, of the same magnitude as not having enough vitamins.
Take care with vitamin E, cause one of the major side effects of increased dosage is bleeding.. So if you experience bleeding with it, just cut it out, especially during your period.

[biogeek]

Hiyas! If you read Dr. Atkins' book, the one we all refer to on this site, DANDR, he recommends quite a few supplements. He also has a wonderful book called VitaNutrients, which I highly recommend to anyone taking vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. He has a easy-going writing style and explains how much to take and why you should take it. It's probably at your local library.

Just so you know, RDA (recommended dietary allowance) was put forth in 1940s and has been revived over the years. Make sure you'll looking at a current list as opposed to an old nutrition book from the 70s or 80s. What you really want to watch out for is the "UL" or upper limit to a vitamin. It's a higher number than the RDA, sometimes by a little, other times by a lot. You never want to go over the UL for any particular vitamin/mineral. If you're taking medications, you should consult your doctor or nurse about taking them with your supplements. Some will affect how your meds and/or the supplements work on your body.