Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, plays important roles in many biological processes in your body, including digestion, brain function and collagen building. Supplements containing vitamin C are used to treat a variety of health conditions, ranging from the common cold to heart disease. Overdosing on vitamin C is extremely rare, because excess vitamin C is flushed from the body in urine. However, taking large doses of vitamin C, such as more than 2,000 mg per day, increases the risk of side effects. As with any health supplement, you should consult your doctor before taking vitamin C.
Gastrointestinal Effects
The most common side effects of vitamin C involve the gastrointestinal system. Mild side effects include upset stomach, nausea and heartburn. More serious side effects, including diarrhea and abdominal cramps, are also possible. Doses of more than 2,000 mg per day greatly increase the risk of severe diarrhea, according to MedlinePlus. These gastrointestinal complications are due to the osmotic effect of large amounts of vitamin C in the digestive tract, which causes the intestines to absorb more water from the body and disrupts the function of the intestinal tract.
Kidney Stones
High doses of vitamin C may increase the risk of kidney stones. One by-product of vitamin C metabolism in the body is a compound called oxalate, which is often one of the materials in kidney stones. Consuming large amounts of vitamin C can increase the concentration of oxalate that is filtered through the kidneys, thereby increasing the risk of kidney stones. However, the clinical data concerning the effect of vitamin C on kidney stones shows mixed results, reports the Office of Dietary Supplements. Additional research is needed to clarify the relationship between vitamin C and kidney stones. If you have kidney stones, you may want to consult your doctor before taking large doses of vitamin C.
Oxidative Damage
Many of the health benefits of vitamin C relate to its potent antioxidant properties. Although vitamin C is clearly an antioxidant, in some laboratory experiments, high concentrations of vitamin C led to the formation of free radical molecules, the culprits responsible for oxidative damage to cells. However, the conditions under which these laboratory experiments were conducted were very different than the conditions inside living organisms, and vitamin C has never been shown to cause oxidative damage in any living organisms, explains the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Disease Interactions
Vitamin C may cause additional side effects in individuals with certain diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, sickle-cell anemia, blood-iron disorders or a metabolic condition called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. If you have any of these conditions, you should consult your doctor before taking large doses of vitamin C.
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