It's very rare that you could get too much of any particular vitamin or mineral from diet alone, but it is possible to overdose on vitamins and minerals while taking supplements. Supplements are meant to be used to help fill in any gaps of vitamins or minerals that you may have missed in your diet. Ask your health-care provider what's right for you.
Hypervitaminosis A
Hypervitaminosis A can be acute or chronic. Hypervitaminosis A occurs when you get too much of a particular vitamin, such as vitamin A, over a short or long period. Symptoms of hypervitaminosis A include abdominal pain, headache, nausea, stomach cramping, dizziness, blurred vision and irritability. You can also suffer from liver damage, depending upon the type of vitamin, since your liver filters and stores vitamins. Your health-care provider can test you for hypervitaminosis A by performing a blood test, bone x-rays or a liver function test. To treat hypervitaminosis A, your health-care provider will recommend consuming less of a vitamin or to stop taking those particular vitamin supplements.
Vitamin D Toxicity
Vitamin D toxicity occurs when you get too much vitamin D, which is very rare. You can get vitamin D from eating foods that are fortified with vitamin D, such as cereals, from supplements, and your body can make vitamin D after you've been out in the sun. Even those who live in sunny climates can be vitamin D deficient if they do not receive enough sunlight exposure. People who have health problems such as kidney or liver complications or who take diuretics may be at an increased risk of developing vitamin D toxicity, according to MayoClinic.com. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include constipation, weakness, poor appetite, nausea, abnormal sinus rhythm, kidney stones and vomiting. Treating vitamin D toxicity usually involves stopping vitamin D supplements and possibly reducing the amount of calcium that you consume.
Too Much Vitamin C
Since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, it is very hard to get too much since your body eliminates it on a regular basis through urination, but it is still possible to get too much. When your body gets too much vitamin C, your body just flushes it out of your system. You can get too much vitamin C when you take megadoses of vitamin C supplements, according to MayoClinic.com. Too much vitamin C can cause side effects such as kidney stones, insomnia, abdominal cramps, heartburn, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. You can receive enough vitamin C by consuming a glass of orange juice and having a serving of strawberries or broccoli.
Vitamin E Side Effects
Taking vitamin E supplements can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, gas and diarrhea. It's very important to talk to your physician prior to taking vitamin E supplements, especially if you're on blood thinners. Vitamin E can negatively interact with blood thinners such as warfarin.
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