Sick with multivitamin

AliasSha
AliasSha Posts: 46 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello, recently I have started to take a multivitamin with my breakfast because I decided that I really should if I wanted to get healthier. Except, every time I take it I get shakey and feel sick.

I take centrum for women under 50, so any advice would be nice.

Thank you
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Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You might try a gummy vitamin. They make them for adults who have trouble with the solids. It sounds like you are already taking them with food, which I've also heard can help. If you have a light breakfast you could try taking it with a bigger meal.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Sounds like you may be allergic to one of the ingredients in it or you are supplementing something that you are already getting too much of. Regardless, if the multivite makes you shaky and sick, obviously stop taking it immediately.

    You can either try another brand to see if that works better for you, or look at the vitamins and minerals you are getting and see if you can adjust your actual food to get what you need rather than using supplements.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Unless you have a medically diagnosed deficiency, taking a multivitamin isn't necessary. You should be able to get enough nutrients from your food.
  • Culley34
    Culley34 Posts: 224
    If you're eating a well-balanced diet, then a multivitamin should not be necessary.
  • AliasSha
    AliasSha Posts: 46 Member
    Awesome, thank you a lot so far for all the advice :D
  • rllewell
    rllewell Posts: 234
    Unless you have a medically diagnosed deficiency, taking a multivitamin isn't necessary. You should be able to get enough nutrients from your food.
    If you're eating a well-balanced diet, then a multivitamin should not be necessary.

    They are both correct ONLY if your "food" or "well-balanced diet" consists primarily of raw fruits and vegetables. Once cooked, most foods lose 60% of the live enzymes or nutritional value.

    Over 4000 clinical studies show that eating the daily recommended amount of raw fruits and vegetables will lower the risk of chronic illness (cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc...) and deliver the vitamins and minerals your body needs daily. The problem is that most of us don’t eat nearly enough raw fruits and vegetables, especially not a wide variety every day. We find fruits and vegetables too inconvenient and too expensive and most fail to get the recommended 9 to 13 servings every day.

    If you still feel you need a vitamin or supplement then ask these questions: Does it deliver key antioxidants and other phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body? Does it reduce oxidative stress? Does it support a healthy immune system? Does it help protect DNA? Does it positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness? I’ve only found one product that has a check mark on all of the above, backed by 3rd party clinical research studies.
  • TrimAnew
    TrimAnew Posts: 127 Member
    You might try a gummy vitamin. They make them for adults who have trouble with the solids. It sounds like you are already taking them with food, which I've also heard can help. If you have a light breakfast you could try taking it with a bigger meal.

    ^^^This.

    Also you can try taking them with dinner instead of breakfast.
  • aimiemims
    aimiemims Posts: 15
    I had the same thing happening to me. Gummy vitamins did the trick.
  • sionnain
    sionnain Posts: 96
    I was taking regular centrum for women, and I would actually throw it up about 15 minutes later unless I took it on a really really full stomach.

    I switched to prenatal, and I do not feel sick anymore. It's just a recommendation. :)
  • TucksterC
    TucksterC Posts: 7
    Multivitamins make me feel a little queasy sometimes too. Make sure you eat first, then take the vitamin with at least 8 ounces of water. If you are mixing the vitamin with other vitamins or medications, they may be interacting poorly and would be better taken separately or at another meal (lunch). Talk to your doctor too, as someone else mentioned you may have an intolerance to one of the ingredients. Iron is one ingredient that often causes upset stomach. There are all kinds of vitamins on the market. Your physician or a person at a health store like GNC could help guide you to one that better suits you.
  • oohmercyme
    oohmercyme Posts: 279 Member
    Are you taking it on an empty stomach? If I haven't eaten or have eaten only fruit (or only a bit of food), I will always be sick when I take the vitamin. Try taking it after a full meal.
  • Cornerback
    Cornerback Posts: 1
    I agree with others below, if you are eating healthy with a good balance of fresh veggies, lean meats and fruits, vitamins are not necessary. I take a Vegetable based vitamin made from foods. Try Whole Foods or any Health Food store. It did the trick for me!

    Good luck.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    From my experience, it is usually the iron in the vitamins that people have a hard time stomaching.
    You could try cutting one in half and taking one in the AM and one in the PM.

    Just a thought.
  • LindseyDD
    LindseyDD Posts: 160 Member
    I get really nausious what I take any kind of vitamin - my dad is a pharmacist and he has me take them at night before I go to bed. Now that I am pregnant I take my prenatal every night too - it helps a TON
  • chicadejmu
    chicadejmu Posts: 171 Member
    Unless you have a medically diagnosed deficiency, taking a multivitamin isn't necessary. You should be able to get enough nutrients from your food.
    If you're eating a well-balanced diet, then a multivitamin should not be necessary.

    They are both correct ONLY if your "food" or "well-balanced diet" consists primarily of raw fruits and vegetables. Once cooked, most foods lose 60% of the live enzymes or nutritional value.

    Over 4000 clinical studies show that eating the daily recommended amount of raw fruits and vegetables will lower the risk of chronic illness (cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc...) and deliver the vitamins and minerals your body needs daily. The problem is that most of us don’t eat nearly enough raw fruits and vegetables, especially not a wide variety every day. We find fruits and vegetables too inconvenient and too expensive and most fail to get the recommended 9 to 13 servings every day.

    If you still feel you need a vitamin or supplement then ask these questions: Does it deliver key antioxidants and other phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body? Does it reduce oxidative stress? Does it support a healthy immune system? Does it help protect DNA? Does it positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness? I’ve only found one product that has a check mark on all of the above, backed by 3rd party clinical research studies.

    Which vitamin is that?
  • literatelier
    literatelier Posts: 209 Member
    Full strength multivitamins for adults make me quite ill (they come right back up) so if I take a vitamin I take children's strength gummy vitamins, and those I can keep down.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I have that problem too if I take it in the morning. I take it right before I go to bed now and never have a problem.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    Ditch the multivitamin. The stuff is not FDA regulated so the list of vitamins and minerals are off (only 80% of the time in a blind study of the 10 major brands).

    If you really want to take multivitamins, make sure you see the following initials: USP or NSF
    Those are 2 non-profit groups that check if the brand has what it says on the label.

    Video on 5 reasons vitamins (supplements) do more harm than good:
    http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/how-vitamins-can-sometimes-do-more-harm-than-good.html

    Reason 1: Excess in certain vitamins & minerals causes the body to stop absorbing nutrients.

    Reason 5: whole foods (fruits and vegetables) contain compounds that help protect against disease. Supplements don't have that.
  • Wonderwoman2677
    Wonderwoman2677 Posts: 428 Member
    Take it an hour after you eat. I take the Rainbow brand as they are very gentle on my stomach...Centrum always makes me sick, even after I eat.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Unless you have a medically diagnosed deficiency, taking a multivitamin isn't necessary. You should be able to get enough nutrients from your food.

    Not true. Multivitamins are necessary because you can't get all nutrients from your food.
  • chocolateandpb
    chocolateandpb Posts: 438 Member
    I was taking regular centrum for women, and I would actually throw it up about 15 minutes later unless I took it on a really really full stomach.

    I switched to prenatal, and I do not feel sick anymore. It's just a recommendation. :)

    Same thing with me, except I was taking One a Day for women. I would always end up throwing up the vitamin within 15-30 minutes, whole and undigested, even though I was taking it with a meal. I have no problems taking prenatal multivitamins though. The kind I take are "Rainbow Light, Just Once Prenatal Multivitamin". I really like them--they're super easy to digest, they help me stay healthy, make my hair and nails strong, and turn my pee into a fun shade like Mountain Dew. :laugh:
  • lamilli09
    lamilli09 Posts: 354 Member
    I'm sure you've already gotten this advice... but when I started taking a multivitamin, I took it in the mornings, usually with breakfast but occasionally before eating. I got through about three days of being sick as a dog in the morning before I realized it was the multivitamin. But even taking it after breakfast, it seemed to be too much for my system -- often, just like you, I would feel weak and sick to my stomach. Then I took it at night for a while, but I would still occasionally get the woozy feeling.

    I have since switched to a gummy vitamin and it's made a world of difference. I can take them any time - with or without food, on an empty stomach, with other pills, etc. Hope this helps :)
  • lisaldouglas1011
    lisaldouglas1011 Posts: 2 Member
    I used to get sick when I took my vitamin too. I now take mine at night and do not have a problem anymore. Good luck!
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    I get sick with pill mulivitamins... I take gummies, I haven't got sick since...
  • ltosoni
    ltosoni Posts: 74 Member
    I have the same thing happen to me, I use to be really good and take them all the time but switched brands and then started feeling sick and now I just don't bother but know I should be taking one daily.
  • HealthyWarrior
    HealthyWarrior Posts: 394 Member
    Centrum and Theragram have always made me sick to my stomach when I would take them. Tried them without food, tried them with food and tried them right before bed. Nothing worked. The only two multivitamins I could stomach were Herbalife or Alive.
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    I have never had a problem with the multivitamin I take, but my boyfriend takes a similar kind and it makes him sick if he takes it on an empty stomach. If you don't eat much for breakfast, this could be why.
    But if it does start making you sick, stop taking it!! And find a new multivitamin :)
  • cmcorn26
    cmcorn26 Posts: 253 Member
    i always get sick with vitamins, prenatal, multivit...it doesn't feel good. i continue to take them tho because i haven't tweaked my food choices enough yet to be comfortable that i am getting all the nutrients.
  • AliasSha
    AliasSha Posts: 46 Member
    Everyone has brought up a lot of good points. So many different methods that I am going to try before trading off for gummy kinds (I love me some gummys) or just seeing if I don't need them.

    Thank you all so much!
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    It could be the brand.

    Before I switched I was taking the womens one a day and no matter if I took it with food or no food I got sick to my stomach with them. There are also a lot of fillers in those too.

    I'd go to a health food store and pick up a small jar of multi vitamins and see how they react to you.

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