Folic acid is an essential B vitamin. Because it is water soluble, you need to consume folic acid in small amounts every day. It is especially important for pregnant women and women who may become pregnant because it helps prevent brain and spinal defects in babies. Folic acid is essential for making DNA, RNA and normal red blood cells, for producing new cells and also for metabolizing the amino acid homocysteine. However, folic acid can be toxic in large amounts.
Recommended Intake
Adults should consume at least 400 mcg of folic acid per day, preferably from food rather than supplements. However, supplements are often used during pregnancy and lactation to meet the increased recommended intake of 600 mcg and 500 mcg per day, respectively. Do not consume more folic acid from supplements than the tolerable upper intake level, which is 1,000 mcg per day.
Contraindications
Folic acid supplements are not safe for everyone. Speak with your doctor before taking folic acid supplements to make sure you can safely take them, especially if you have kidney disease, anemia or an infection or if you suffer from alcoholism. You may need to get your folic acid through foods or take a different dosage if you have any of these conditions.
Side Effects and Safety
Side effects from folic acid include nausea, gas, bloating, loss of appetite, depression, irritability, sleep problems, allergic reactions and an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Folic acid can also interact with medications, including seizure medications, antibiotics, barbiturates, pyrimethamine, methotrexate, phenytoin and nitrofurantoin. If you take folic acid supplements, your doctor may need to adjust your medication dosages. Taking large doses of folic acid may hide a vitamin B-12 deficiency, so have your doctor measure your vitamin B-12 levels before taking folic acid supplements.
Toxicity
Getting your folic acid from food or in the doses included in multivitamins or prenatal vitamins limits your risk for folic acid toxicity, which is not very common. However, taking very high doses of folic acid supplements can cause toxicity symptoms, including mouth or tongue pain, tingling or numbness, confusion, weakness and difficulty concentrating. If you are taking an anticonvulsant medication, taking large doses of folic acid supplements can cause you to have seizures.
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