Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a common vitamin that is necessary for normal development. It is used in children to prevent and treat scurvy, acidify urine and supplement the child's diet. It is available in powder, pill and injectable forms. According to MedlinePlus, the normal daily intake of vitamin C in children should be 15 to 50 mg, depending on age. Toxicity is rare because it is difficult to accumulate large amounts of vitamin C since the body does not store the compound. Doses considered toxic are greater than 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day, making vitamin C a relatively safe drug.
Flushing
Flushing refers to redness of the skin that occurs commonly on the face but also on other areas of the body. Flushing may be the first sign that a child has received toxic levels of vitamin C.
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are relatively common side effects of vitamin C treatment in both children and adults. They are even more common when vitamin C is at dangerous levels.
Diarrhea
Because vitamin C is water-soluble, large amounts of ingested vitamin C will not be absorbed in the gut. This can cause watery diarrhea, which leads to dehydration in children. Notify a health care professional if a child has prolonged diarrhea.
Mouth Ulcers
In his book titled "Integrative Medicine," David Rakel, M.D., notes that vitamin C can cause oral ulcers with toxic doses larger than 1,000 to 2,000 mg. These toxic effects go away when treatment is stopped or the dosage is reduced.
Kidney Stones
Large doses of vitamin C may increase the risk of developing oxalate kidney stones. These are more likely in adults than children, since the risk increases in patients with kidney disease who are on dialysis. In an October 2009 review in "UptoDate," Sassan Pazirandeh, M.D., summarized major studies of vitamin C and concluded that the relationship between the vitamin and development of kidney stones is unclear.
Anemia
According to "UpToDate," anemia has been reported in patients with certain inherited diseases, such as glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. In rare cases, sickle-cell crises were noted in people with sickle-cell anemia after taking large doses of vitamin C.
Heart Arrhythmias
According to Dr. Pazirandeh, fatal heart arrhythmias have been reported in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis, an inherited condition that causes iron to accumulate in the body. The incidence of these arrhythmias was rare.
References
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin C
- "Integrative Medicine, 2nd Edition"; David Rakel M.D.; 2007
- "UpToDate"; Overview of Water-Soluble Vitamins; Sassan Pazirandeh M.D.; October 2009
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