Skin irritation from supplement overload? - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

jbjb · 09-17-2002, 05:48 PM

What vitamin or mineral might be responsible for a situation where my skin will itch intensely in a small localized area, then I will see a red ring in that area, which appears to be under the surface of the skin?

I have increased my intake of some supplements recently, as well as started some new ones, in an effort to battle a small skin cancer, as I wait for the doctor to remove it. The list of things I've increased or added, which I feel must be the culprit, includes:
Vitamin E - up from 120 to 920 IU / day
Fish Oil - 2 grams / day
Co Q-10 - up from 150 to 300 MG / day
Coral Calcium - 2 grams / day
Fresh Aloe Vera (from the plant) applied directly to the skin cancer - causing great improvement.

What element of that list would cause the condition I mentioned?? I first thought of the E and Fish Oil, being fat soluble, and cut that a couple of days ago. While some spots seem to be improving, I still have had another one come up.

[This message has been edited by jbjb (edited 09-18-2002).]

ARIZONA73 · 09-17-2002, 06:40 PM

It's hard to say for sure exactly what is causing it. If it is from one of these supplements, it still may not be from the vitamin or mineral itself. Supplements, however, often contain other ingredients known as fillers, which should be listed on the label. I know that there are people who are allergic to certain fillers used in a particular vitamin brand and mistakenly believe that they are allergic to the vitamin itself. Sometimes the problem is solved by switching to a different brand which doesn't contain the same fillers. Through the process of elimination, by discontinuing one supplement at a time for a short period of time, you may be able to pin down the culprit. If not, then it's probably from something unrelated to the supplements you are taking.

jbjb · 09-17-2002, 07:19 PM

Thanks, Arizona, for your response. You may be right, but I don't think so, in this case. Here's why: If this were caused by an allergy to a filler, it seems to me that I would have had this reaction immediately upon starting the supplement with the offending filler. No? I don't think this is from an allergy to anything, rather from getting too MUCH of something built up in my system. I've been on this course of supplements for about two months, and the skin irritation has only recently shown up.

Chezz · 09-19-2002, 08:12 AM

I seem to have the same problem as my skin breaks out when I took a multi vitamin. I stopped with the multi and took specific vitamins for my skin and it still happened. Eventually, I came to the conculsion it was the B-Complex as when I stopped that, my skin didn't break out. I also seem to break out from taking protein or amino acid supplements for working out.

ARIZONA73 · 09-19-2002, 10:57 AM

While I'm not so sure about the amino acid supplements, have you tried to switch to another B-complex vitamin supplement that doesn't contain the same fillers or inactive ingedients that are used in the brand that gave you the problems? Allergic reactions are more often associated with these fillers and not the vitamins themselves.