Too much folic acid?

kristisanchez11

My prenatal vitamin is packed with 800mcg folic acid, dha, and a bunch of other vitamins. Since I have had to cut back on coffee (and I love warm beverages) I have been drinking some tea and an Emergen-C almost every day. The Emergen-C is basically another vitamin packed supplement; when I looked, I noticed it includes another 200 mcg folic acid as well as a bunch of the same vitamins already in my prenatal.

Is it possible for me to be getting too much folic acid? Are there other vitamins that could be dangerous if I'm getting too much???

EmmaDetermined

Some women that fall into higher risk categories (e.g. obesity and diabetes) have to take 5mg of folic acid every day. I was in this category so I took 12-13 400 mcg tablets every day during the first trimester. The main risk of taking too much is that it will disguise a B12 deficiency, however, I am sure your prenatal vits contain B12 anyway so you are unlikely to have that unless you have a malabsorption condition. To be on the safe side, you should keep folic acid intake to less than 1mg /day, but don't worry about what you have already taken.

The main vitamins you can overdose on are the ones that are fat soluble as you body cannot get rid of them. A, D, E and K are the fat soluble ones. Especially vitamin A is a problem is pregnancy, which is one of the reasons why you should not eat liver products. By contrast, vitamin C for is water soluble so any excess you just end up peeing out (this is why a lot of nutritional supplements are a waste of money).

On a separate note, many women are overly cautious with coffee during pregnancy - have you worked out how much caffeine you drink every day? I have really gotten into hot water with lemon and a bit of honey, and also love herbal teas like peppermint and fennel. Maybe try finding something else you like?

kristisanchez11

Thanks for the reply, Emma! Makes me feel a lot better... The only vitamin that I might be getting close to upper limits on is probably Vit A. I will watch that.

I usually drink A LOT of coffee (3-4 big cups in morning, another 1-2 cups after dinner, sometimes extra cup in afternoon). Since I've found out I was pregnant, cut back to one (still big... 20ish ounces) in the morning. To satisfy my hot beverage desire, I do drink a lot of just hot water (sometimes with lemon), maybe a cup of lemon ginger herbal tea, and then an emergen-c.

I sometimes like peppermint tea before bed, but seem to remember that mint teas are not okay for pregnant women? (I had my first baby 3 years ago... It's hard trying to remember all the preggo "rules"!)

EmmaDetermined

Wow, that is a lot of coffee! I have one 7-8 ounce cup in the morning, and since being pregnant I make it a lot weaker so that it goes further. Then I have a couple of cups of tea throughout the day.

I think peppermint is ok whilst pregnant, I have never heard otherwise and a quick google came up with this handy list of teas that are ok (including peppermint). http://www.bellybelly.com.au/pregnancy/tea-during-pregnancy-teas-to-drink-teas-to-avoid/

I guess everything in moderation: perhaps 7 x 20ounce mugs of anything could be too much, but if you vary it and get a bit of everything in there then you should be able to satisfy your hot drink cravings.

steph2strong

Hi I took 5 mg of folic acid everyday while trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy. It was recommended by obstetrician and fertility specialist. I was not high risk and every woman trying to get pregnant can take that much. taking 1 mg daily decreases your babies risk of NTD by around 38%, where as taking 5 mg decreases the risk by over 50%. Also, I completely cut out caffeine as high amounts has been associated with miscarriage in the first trimester (although up to 200 mg/day has been deemed ok, but i figured why chance anything). I drank mint tea every day during my pregnancy, no issues, helped with heartburn.

EmmaDetermined

I would still advice caution if there is no specific requirement for higher doses. Medical advice changes all the time, even this month there has been new evidence published about possible side effects of too much folic acid. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150210083651.htm

kristisanchez11

UPDATE: So... the whole coffee thing worked itself out, Emma. Right after we were chatting in this discussion topic, I developed a MAJOR aversion to coffee! I guess my body really knows what's best. Here's to kicking the coffee habit - and to a caffeine-free pregnancy!

VeryKatie

The pharmacist told me that even 1000 mcg a day is fine. It's what some prenatal vitamins contain.