Multivitamins can cause side effects such as nausea, constipation, and diarrhea, as well as allergic reactions and more serious issues like gallstones and organ failure. Temporary side effects may go away as the body adjusts, but serious side effects should be reported to a doctor immediately. Accidental overdose can occur, especially with minerals like calcium and potassium. Allergic reactions may not be obvious until symptoms like shortness of breath or swelling occur.
While multivitamins are generally considered a positive addition to one’s daily routine, there are some side effects that can occur. The most common side effects of multivitamins generally include nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. Some people may also experience an allergic reaction, usually characterized by difficulty breathing, hives, itching, and swelling of the face, lips, or tongue. Some minerals contained in multivitamins can even have more serious side effects such as gallstones, heart block, kidney stones, and organ failure to name a few.
Some common side effects of multivitamins are temporary and should go away in time, once the body adjusts to the vitamin. For example, some people experience nausea, constipation, or diarrhea when they first take multivitamins. Some vitamins contain minerals that tend to cause side effects that are annoying, but not necessarily harmful. One example is that multivitamins that contain iron tend to cause discolored stools. These side effects of multivitamins generally do not require users to discontinue their use unless they do not go away some time after adding them to the daily routine.
There are more serious side effects of multivitamins that are not considered normal and should be reported to a doctor immediately, after stopping the use of the vitamins. Most of them are related to an accidental overdose of the vitamin, which can be a common occurrence as many people don’t know the correct dosage or assume there aren’t too many vitamins. For example, excessive use of calcium can cause gallstones, kidney stones, and heart problems, along with the typical multivitamin side effects of constipation and nausea. Too much potassium can cause heart blockage, and these are just some of the minerals that often lead to medical problems when too much is taken at once.
Some people may discover that they are allergic to certain minerals contained in their multivitamin. This may not be obvious until particular symptoms appear, such as shortness of breath or tightness in the chest. While these worrisome side effects of multivitamins are quite serious, some less obvious reactions can also occur. Hives, itching, and a rash are signs of a multivitamin allergy, as is swelling in the mouth, tongue, and lips. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell which mineral is causing the allergy when taking a multivitamin since most supplements include quite a few.
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