Mixing any types of supplements can jeopardize your health. Your body does store fat-soluble vitamins and some minerals. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored and are eliminated from your body when you urinate, but they can also pose a potential risk. Getting a wide variety of vitamins from diet alone is not considered to be dangerous and is encouraged by health care professionals. Talk to your doctor about getting the right amount of vitamins.
Multiple Vitamin Overdose
It is possible to take too many vitamins, even if it is accidental. Multiple vitamin overdose occurs when you've taken more than the recommended or normal amount of a multivitamin. This can happen when taking various vitamins, vitamin supplements and multivitamins. Do not take a multivitamin and a vitamin supplement without your doctor's guidance, as doing so could result in serious side effects.
Interactions
Some vitamins and minerals can interact with other medications. Vitamin K can interact with blood thinners, while calcium can interact with heart medications as well as antacids used to treat indigestion and heartburn. HelpGuide.org reports that some vitamins can have undesired effects during pregnancy. Mixing vitamins, supplements and minerals also can cause changes in heart rate and blood pressure.
Liver Damage
Liver damage can be caused by over-the-counter vitamin supplements, according to the "Journal of American Dietetic Association." Vitamin toxicity can cause cirrhosis of the liver and result in serious liver damage. Vitamin toxicity also can potentially lead to death if not caught in time or if left untreated. The Department of Gastroenterology at Louisiana State University of Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, published a report about a patient who suffered from cirrhosis of the liver by taking a daily dose of over-the-counter vitamin A dietary supplements that contained 13,000 mcg of vitamin A.
Symptoms
Side effects of a vitamin overdose include eye irritation, fatigue, irritability, mood changes, flushing, burning and itching of the skin, cloudy urine, frequent urination and increased urine output. You might also suffer from constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. This is not a complete list of symptoms, but the most common symptoms. The symptoms might vary depending on the amount and type of vitamin being taken and the individual.
References
- MedlinePlus; "Multiple Vitamin Overdose"; October 2009
- HelpGuide.org; "Dietary Supplements -- The Smart and Safe Use of Vitamins and Supplements"; Gina Kemp et al; March 2011
- "Journal of American Dietetic Association"; "Potential Liver Damage Associated with Over-the-Counter Vitamin Supplements"; A. Sheth et al; September 2008
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