Vitamins making me sick!!

[jewellz]

Why do I always feel sick/nauseous when I take my vitamins? I need them. For the last 4 years, I have been pregnant-9 months, nursing-10 months, nursing while pregnant-4 months, pregnant-5 months, nursing-7 months, nursing while pregnant-1 month, pregnant-8 months, and now nursing almost 7 months. My body hasn't had a break and I know my vitamin levels are too low at least vitamin D is practically nonexistent. But yesterday morning I decided to take a kids dose of their vitamins and then took last night- 1/3 dose of a high potency multivitamin that didn't contain iron, 1 dose of calcium, 1 dose of folic acid, 1 dose of cod liver oil and a 5000mg dose of vitamin d. I don't take Iron-except there is some in the kids vitamins and I can handle those fine. The CLO I take is in pills and they don't make me gag or vomit. The calcium pills and the multi adult vitamin I have to split in half or I choke on them. And any of these vitamin I have not been taking on a regular basis. Now I remember why. I haven't been able to handle vitamins for about 3 years now. Every time I try to take them, I get nauseous with a small headache and hot flashes. I have tried 3 different brands-can't remember the first brand but the second was the rainbow light one prenatal pill and then some high potency specialty ones for food sensitive people that doesn't have iron in it. I hardly ever take vitamins but get sick when I do. The last two week I taken a few kid doses of kid vitamins but I'm worried about low vitamin levels and I'm prob going to get pregnant in the next 6 months- could be already. So I don't know why I'm getting sick and what I should do. I think I eat okay, some really good, some not so good. But eating gluten free, dairy free, egg free and avoiding soy as much as possible. I do take them with food and I have taken them at night just before bed which helps but I don't always get to sleep fast enough or can't now with K's and J's erratic sleeping or with dinner or with a glass of OJ and some sort of snack. Last night was a few hours after dinner with a large glass of OJ and an apple larabar. Then I had a small bag of kettle chips after I started feeling icky. I want to know WHY I'm getting sick. Is it because of a certain vitamin or do I really eat healthy enough that I don't need them? Which is unlikely. I'm getting sick for a reason and I just want to know why? Maybe I'm overdosing on one type. I still feel a little off this morning and my pee hasn't been too bright of yellow so I know I needed some of the vitamins. I took the vitamins just after I ate a big dinner and I feel sick. I don't know what it is, I have been feeling off all day. My eyes even feel weird. You can't overdose on B-vits right? You just pee them out? I know there wasn't much A in it and not worried about C & D. E could be overdosed? Then all the major minerals I don't know what doses I took-but I think that it was less then 100%. So tonight I took 1/3 dose of multi, 1 dose of calcium, 1 dose of folic acid, and 5000 mg of Vit D. No CLO this time. Still sick. So no clue with what's going. What could it be? UGH! I hate feeling sick. Help needed.

[phathui5]

Have you tried spacing it out so that you're only taking one pill at a time? If nothing else, doing that might show you which one it is that's making you feel poorly.

[tatsu15]

I also got sick from vitamins... it became toxic and my blood pressure rose and I experienced weakness all over. Doctors couldn't figure it out cause my lab tests were normal only slightly high kidney levels. So I figured I was not taking enough water with my vitamins OR my body was not absorbing the synthetic vitamins properly/or too much of it in my system.

Once I stopped, my symptoms disappeared within a few weeks. So now I'm careful about what type of vitamins I take and try not to take too much (I make sure I don't take them daily), and I switched to whole foods type of vitamins which are not synthetic.

[ASusan]

I take the multis, Bs, and fish oils in the morning, with a full breakfast. If I'm doing iron, I do that in the morning, too, usually with OJ or other Vit C. I cannot take B-vitamins after noon, as they keep me awake at night.

Calcium/magnesium in the evening. I take a liquid. For me, tablets don't absorb well. I don't particularly like how the cal/mag sets in my belly, so I try to have it with some/lots of water, and stay sitting up for at least an hour after I take it. I used to just take it right before retiring for the night, but then it sits in my chest. I cannot do OJ in the evenings; that makes me slightly nauseated, too. (I think it's the acid.)

Your description of taking the OJ and then some (potato) chips in the evening? That right there would upset my stomach, vitamins or no.

I agree that whole foods based vitamins might help. Only my prenatal/multi is whole foods based.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Its most likely the B's. Try going without them and see if that helps. The B's are notorious for nausea and flushing.

[jewellz]

Ugh these replies were not coming to my email so I didn't see them till now.

But anyway the night of the 14th I missed taking them-I forget alot and was feeling fine. Then last night I only took the dose of calcium and the 1/3 dose of multi and I didn't get sick. Tonight I haven't taken any yet because I yet again forgot.

I can't take them in the morning because I already take a thyroid pill and it can't be taken within 4 hrs of iron, calcium and a few other vitamins. So then I forget and take them all at once around dinner.

These are what I take and I think they are pretty good quality. I have to be careful what I take because of food reactions through my breastmilk for my daughter.

This is the multi I take: http://www.freedavitamins.com/index.php?p=product&id=367&parent=18

This is the calcium I take: http://www.freedavitamins.com/index.php?p=product&id=394&parent=18

Vit D: http://www.bluebonnetnutrition.com/product/307/Vitamin_D3_5000_IU_Vcaps

Folic acid: http://www.vitacost.com/Country-Life-Folic-Acid-250-Tablets

Cod liver oil: http://www.vitacost.com/Carlson-Norwegian-Cod-Liver-Oil-Lightly-Lemon

What do you think?

[RubThyNeighbor]

Your body is having trouble digesting them. Take it as a sign! You do not need vitamins to be healthy!!!

[plantnerd]

I would try splitting them up throughout the day with meals, it also sounds like you are taking a lot.  The multi should have all of the folic acid you need, and I would look for a calcium + D combo, I did the chews for years and they were very easy to take.