What you eat can greatly affect your digestive tract and urinary system, which filters out waste byproducts and releases them through your urine. Certain foods may irritate the bladder and cause discomfort and other symptoms, and some vitamins can also serve as a trigger. But outside of these isolated instances, vitamins aren't likely to impact the regular functioning of your bladder.
Vitamins' Effects on the Bladder
In most cases, vitamins don't affect the functioning of the bladder, although they can have effects elsewhere in your urinary system. However, Southwestern Medical Center does identify B vitamins as potential irritants of the bladder. This irritation is not the product of overdose or allergies; it's just that these vitamins simply produce bladder irritation in some individuals. Many foods and beverages, including spicy foods, tomatoes and carbonated drinks, may also cause bladder irritation, and some foods may affect certain individuals more than others. If you think certain foods are irritating your bladder, avoid those foods. Determining whether B vitamins are irritating your bladder must be done by a doctor.
Visiting a Doctor
A urinalysis is an examination of urine that can be used to detect problems like kidney disease, urinary tract infections and other urinary system problems. Adults should undergo urinalysis periodically to check for various medical conditions, but if you are suffering from urine pain or frequent urination you should alert your doctor. The doctor is likely to use urinalysis to determine the cause of your bladder irregularities. Other causes, such as a urinary tract infection, would have to be eliminated for the effects of vitamins to remain a possibility. Your doctor may place you on a temporary diet if the urinalysis suggests that dietary irritants may be affecting your bladder. Your doctor can use the process of elimination to determine whether B vitamins are irritating your bladder. Be advised that it could take up to 10 days before the symptoms of bladder irritation subside.
Misconceptions
You may be inclined to think that increased urination is a sign of a vitamin's effect on your bladder. While it is true that high doses of certain vitamins can cause frequent urination, and that excess amounts of vitamins get released from the body through your urine, this is actually the result of the kidneys filtering waste materials out of your body and into your urine. The bladder is merely a depository for your urine until you go to the bathroom. However, frequent urination can be triggered by other causes, including urinary tract infections. Urination that is both frequent and urgent is a common symptom of a UTI, according to MedlinePlus. Do not assume that you know the cause of your frequent urination; only a doctor's evaluation can accurately identify the cause. Some conditions causing frequent urination will also require medical treatment.
Considerations
If you develop pains or other unpleasant symptoms you believe are located in or near the bladder, do not assume you know the cause of the symptoms. Although your bladder could be the locale, other parts of your urinary system and lower abdomen could be the source of your pain. Many different factors can trigger pain, discomfort or other abnormalities that develop near the bladder. A doctor's evaluation is needed to identify the exact cause and treat the problem.
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