Multiple vitamin overdose

Definition

Multiple vitamin overdose is poisoning from swallowing more than the recommended amount of multiple vitamins.

Poisonous Ingredient

Any ingredient in a multiple vitamin supplement can be toxic in large amounts, but the most serious risk comes from iron or calcium.

Where Found

Numerous vitamin supplementation combinations

Symptoms

• Muscles and joints
  • Muscle pain
  • Muscle weakness
  • Joint pain
  • Bone pain
• Bladder and kidneys
  • Cloudy urine
  • Increase amount of urine output
  • Increase need to urinate
• Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and throat
  • Dry, cracking lips (from chronic overdose)
  • Increased sensitivity of the eyes to light
  • Irritation of the eyes
• Skin and hair
  • Flushing from niacin (vitamin B3)
  • Dry cracking skin
  • Itching
  • Yellow-orange areas of skin
  • Sun-sensitivity (more likely to sunburn)
  • Hair loss (from long-term overdose)
• Gastrointestinal
  • Loss of appetite
  • Constipation (from iron or calcium)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Stomach pain
  • Weight loss (from long-term overdose)
  • Diarrhea
• Nervous system
  • Convulsions (seizures)
  • Headache
  • Mental changes
  • Mood changes
  • Irritability  
• Heart and blood
  • Electrical disturbances (arrhythmias) in the heart

Home Treatment

DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Seek immediate medical help.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

• Patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• When it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

What to expect at the emergency room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:

• Fluids
• Medicines to treat symptoms
• Blood tests to check vitamin levels
• Activated charcoal
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) 
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted to the hospital.

Expectations (prognosis)

Niacin flush (Vitamin B3) is uncomfortable, but lasts only 2 to 8 hours. Vitamins A and D may cause symptoms when large doses are taken each day, but a single dose of these vitamins are rarely toxic. B vitamins usually do not cause symptoms.

If medical treatment is quickly received, patients who have iron and calcium overdoses usually recover.