An Overdose in Vitamins

Some people mistakenly think they can significantly boost their health or possibly even cure a health problem that they are experiencing by increasing the amount of vitamins they take. Although vitamins can fill in the gap where your dietary nutrition falls short, taking too many vitamins at once can be a hazardous strategy --- and potentially fatal. Always talk to your doctor about your vitamin needs and pay close attention to the label directions to know how much vitamin you're getting with each dose.

Symptoms

Almost any vitamin, if taken in high enough doses, can be toxic. Especially problematic are overdoses of iron and calcium. In general, vitamin overdoses affect your bladder and kidneys; eyes, ears, nose and throat; heart and blood; muscle and joints; nervous system; skin and hair; as well as your gut. Signs of overdose can include cloudy and more frequent urination, dry lips and eye sensitivity, irregular heartbeat, muscle and joint pain or weakness, confusion, mental and mood changes, fainting, flushed skin, hair loss, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and weight changes.

Iron and Calcium Overdose

People have died from overdosing on iron. The overdose can cause a buildup of fluid in your lungs, damage your liver and cause black and bloody stools. In addition, it may lower your blood pressure and put you in a state of shock. You may suffer chills and dizziness or go into a coma shortly after the overdose, notes eMedTV.com. Calcium overdoses also lead to serious health consequences, including kidney stones, excessive drowsiness, changes in your heart rate, confusion, gastrointestinal symptoms and coma.

Treatment

To treat a vitamin overdose, a health care provider may take blood samples, place you on breathing support, give you medicine to reverse the effects of the overdose and place a tube down your mouth to wash out the contents of your stomach. You may also be treated with activated charcoal, which acts as an emergency decontaminant and can reduce absorption of the overdosed vitamins, according to MedlinePlus.

Get Immediate Help

If you or someone you know has overdosed on vitamins, call 911 immediately. You can also contact the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. A poison expert is available 24 hours each day, seven days a week to help you in poison emergencies. You may also call if you have a question about poison or poison prevention in nonemergency situations. Be sure you can answer questions about the affected person's age, weight, type of vitamins taken, when and in what amount.