Vitamin C tablets are used to treat a variety of conditions including vitamin C deficiency, the common cold and other infections like gum disease, bronchitis and ulcers. It's also used to prevent serious disease like cancer and heart disease. But most of these uses are unproven and vitamin C does carry some risks, particularly if taken in large doses, according to MedlinePlus. Talk to your doctor before taking vitamin C tablets.
Typical Side Effects
Vitamin C is safe for most people when taken at the recommended dose or when used topically to treat skin conditions or prevent wrinkles, according to MedlinePlus. But you may experience some side effects including nausea, gas, vomiting, indigestion, cramps and headache. If you chew your vitamin C tablets, you may erode your teeth, according to MayoClinic.com. Most commercial vitamin C is made from corn so if you are allergic to corn, you may have a reaction, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. The more vitamin C you take, the more likely you are to experience side effects.
High Dose Risks
Doses higher than 2,000 mg per day may be unsafe and increase the risk of side effects, according to MedlinePlus. You may develop kidney stones or severe diarrhea. You may also develop nausea, flushing, dizziness, and extreme tiredness. If you have had a kidney stone in the past, do not take more than a 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day because it may dramatically increase your risk of developing another stone.
Precautions
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, do not take more than 120 mg of supplementary vitamin C per day as it may cause problems for the baby including rebound scurvy, which is a severe vitamin C deficiency that can cause serious complications, according to MayoClinic.com. It may also raise the risk of early labor. Vitamin C may raise blood sugar so if you have diabetes, do not take vitamin C tablets without talking to your doctor first. If you are undergoing angioplasty, a procedure to open up blocked blood vessels, you should avoid taking vitamin C before or after the procedure as it may slow healing, reports MedlinePlus. Vitamin C may worsen certain blood disorders that can lead to several types of anemia. Vitamin C can also aggravate hemochromatosis, which causes too much iron to build up in your body, as well as conditions irritated by acid buildup like gout, a painful form of arthritis, the liver disease cirrhosis and the kidney condition known as renal tubular acidosis, which causes acid buildup in the blood. Do not take vitamin C tablets if you have any of these conditions without consulting your doctor first.
Interactions
Vitamin C tablets can interact with a number of medications in ways that either inhibit the ability of the drug to work properly or increases the risk of side effects, according to MedlinePlus. Do not take vitamin C tablets without talking to your doctor or pharmacist if you are on these medications: antacids, estrogen-containing drugs like birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, fluphenazine, cancer chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, barbiturates, niacin, blood thinners, acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tetracycline, choline magnesium trisalicylate, nicardipine, nifedipine and salsalate.
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