Am i overdosing on vitamins? - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

little hamster · 09-05-2004, 06:07 AM

Hi to all!
I am concerned if i am overdosing on vitamins.. Today because i felt fatigue and in the past i have been feeling like that. But today i started to took this ..

vitamin B1- 15mg
B2- 10mg
B6- 20mg
C - 1250mg
B12- 3mcg

Please evaluate if they are appropriate amounts. I thank you in advance. I have fatigue, pms, difficulty in concentration and depression in the past, but not now. Please help me decide if they are enough or too much for me. I realised today after taking these vitamins i started to feel more thirst and needed to pass urine more often. But my urine output is less than usual amount but i feel that i just need to go. Do u think they can cause any kidney problems?
I am still lack on energy. I heard it takes months to carry on like this for me to see effects. Because i am asian, so perhaps my needs for the vitamins will be somewhat be lesser? I have heard people taking 5 grams for vitamin C, but i only took 1.25g.. I am scared of overdosing myself.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

May God bless you!

Gopherhead · 09-05-2004, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by little hamster

vitamin B1- 15mg
B2- 10mg
B6- 20mg
C - 1250mg
B12- 3mcg

I doubt you're overdosing on these amounts. You're barely getting the Daily Recommended Amounts of B2 (1.7mg) and B12 (6mg) and B6 can be taken in amounts of 100mg will little ill effects. Vitamin C is typically taken in doses of 500-1000mg a day but it should be taken throughout the day or as a time released dose as the body can only use approximately 200mg at a time (the rest will be wasted).

If you're suffering from PMS you might want to add some calcium and magnesium to your regime - magnesium in particular helps alleviate symptoms of PMS and the two work well together (which is why you often see them sold in tadem). The RDA for calcium is 1000-1500 mg a day and it's 400-600 mg for magnesium (based on age and sex). Look for a supplement with a ratio of 2:1 (2x as much cal as magnesium) and look for one that is made from a souce other than calcium carbonate (usually from oyster shells) - this is hard to digest and can cause tummy troubles. As with many other vitamins your body can only use so much of these minerals at once so try to split the dose up over the course of the day.

I used to suffer from awful PMS; avoiding refined sugary foods and taking a cal/mag supplement really helped to make this go away.

Cheers,
Nat

little hamster · 09-05-2004, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopherhead

I doubt you're overdosing on these amounts. You're barely getting the Daily Recommended Amounts of B2 (1.7mg) and B12 (6mg) and B6 can be taken in amounts of 100mg will little ill effects.

Hi Nat..
Well then i have met the RDA requirements didn't i? As u see i took 10mg of B2 and the RDA was u mentioned 1.7mg. So i am doing okay right?

Gopherhead · 09-05-2004, 11:27 AM

That depends, but the answer is probably 'no' for the most part and "yes" for B2

The key point is that the RDA is not considered a dose that would help you if you were feeling bad or if you had deficiencies. For example, the RDA for vitamin C is so low that about the only thing it does is keep you from getting scurvey, it doesn't really benefit you.

Being female and having symptoms of PMS you would probably feel better with a little more of the B's, some magnesium (w/ calcium) and some healthy fats (Omega complex from either food or supplements). Good sources of EFAs are Fatty fish, linseed oil (flax oil and seeds), hemp oil, evening oil of primrose, and walnuts. You can often find a supplement aimed directly at PMS symptoms which will contain many of these (Evening Oil of Primrose, Black Cohosh, Omega 3&G and Hemp are all sold as supplements); or you can start putting a few new things into your diet (or increasing them if you already do eat them)

Vit B12 in particular can help with mood and cognitive function - I'm sure you've heard of B12 injections? These typically contain levels as high as 3000mcg. I'm not suggesting this much, by any means, but 3mcg really isn't going to alleviate anything.

Your levels of B2 and B6 seem fine (we do tend to get these from our diets and deficiencies aren't usually an issue), are you taking them individually? It might be more effective (both in terms of time and money) to get a B complex which contains all the Bs along with some Folic Acid (folate).

Nat

little hamster · 09-06-2004, 03:55 AM

Thank you for your sweet and prompt response. Yes i am taking B2 and B6 individually. Because the B-complex only has B2-1mg and B6-1mg. That is why i think it is not so enough. Thank you for the suggestion. I am considering to get B12 alone vitamins so i can get more than just a merely 3mcg in a single tablet. So i perhaps will be getting more of B12 instead.