Vitamin C Overdose

Vitamin C is one of the most commonly supplemented vitamins in the world, and while not many people worry about a vitamin C Overdose, there is a risk.  This risk has been increased drastically in recent years with energy boost concoctions which often offer a boost in vitamin C or B12.

Despite the rise in risk it is however still very difficult to overdose from Vitamin C, it is a water soluble vitamin, which means that if your body does not absorb it, you will just pas the excess in your urine. This means that to overdose on Vitamin C you will probably need to ingest large amounts of the vitamin for an extended period of time.

If you do manage to have a Vitamin C overdoes you will generally start to see these complications arise

• Diarrhea
• Kidney Stones
• Severe Gastrointestinal Irritation
• Kidney Failure (rare)

All of these issues are uncommon, but you should remember that vitamin C is not a wonder drug if you are taking 'energy boosters' that contain 10,000% your recommended daily allowance each day.

There are ways to treat a Vitamin C overdose, the simplest form of treatment being water. Because vitamin C is soluble you can flush it out of your system by drinking a large amount of water.

Unfortunately if you are already suffering from the symptoms of a Vitamin C overdose treatment with water probably will not do the job. 

Diarrhea will need to be treated with anti-diarrheal medication and salts.More serious complications such as Kidney problems or Gastrointestinal irritation will often need the attention of a trained medical professional.

The best way to treat a Vitamin C overdoes is to avoid it.  Like most things, vitamins are good in moderation, but excessive amounts can lead to health issues.

This doesn't mean you should avoid a vitamin supplement completely, a Vitamin C deficiency can also cause severe health issues!

If you are concerned that you may have been taking too much Vitamin C the best thing you can do is drink a lot of water. If however you start to show symptoms of some Vitamin C side effects, you should consult a doctor.