Vitamin Dosing: Is "Too Much" A Thing?

Remember taking Flintstone gummy vitamins as a child? We were told they'd help us grow big and strong and they were fun to eat so refusing to obey was probably rare.  While the effectiveness of that vitamin is debatable, vitamins supplements are indeed beneficial for us. They supply our bodies with the support it needs for energy, especially when we aren’t feeling well.   But did you know that there is a such thing as taking too much of a vitamin?  Similar to the dosing limits placed on pharmaceutical drugs, some vitamins also have maximum daily intake amounts.  Generally, overdosing on vitamins isn’t a concern since most of us tend to follow the instructions on the labels. But for those willing to push their limits, ignoring those recommendations can actually cause severe harm and in rare cases, can even be fatal.

Though there is not a significant number of documented vitamin-related deaths, they unfortunately do exist.  One of the most infamous cases is the Newborn Vitamin E tragedy that occurred in the 1980s.  At the time, doctors were scrambling to find a form of Vitamin E to give underdeveloped premature newborns for growth. Doctors used an intravenous (vein injection) form of the nutrient called E Ferol Aqueous Solution but at the time did not realize this solution often lead to toxicity in those newborns. Sadly, more than 40 infant deaths occurred as a result.

Outside of this incident, vitamin toxicity-related deaths have been far and few.  In 2004, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reported approximately 62,000 vitamin overdoses, which resulted in just three deaths.  Over a decade later, the AAPCC reported just one death out of 46,000 exposures to vitamin-induced adverse events.

Thus, vitamins are generally considered harmless, especially compared to the mortality statistics of prescription and illegal drugs.  At the time of the E Ferol Solution incident, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported 6,000 deaths from legal and illegal drug overdoses; 150 times more than those deaths caused by the Vitamin E overdoses.  So you can find relief in continuing to trust your healthcare professional’s advice for taking vitamins, but be sure to follow the recommended dosages to prevent the possibility of negative effects.

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References:

Antonov, Dimitar. “Vitamins in Excess.” International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology, iacdworld.org/?things_happen=vitamins-in-excess. Accessed 4 June 2023. 

Boffey, Phillip. “The Tragic Case History of Intravenous Vitamin E.” The New York Times, 27 May 1984, www.nytimes.com/1984/05/27/weekinreview/the-tragic-case-history-of-intravenous-vitamin-e.html. 

“Death Rate Maps & Graphs.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 June 2022, www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html. 

Rosenbloom, Mark. “Vitamin Toxicity.” Practice Essentials, Pathophysiology and Etiology, Epidemiology, 20 Oct. 2021, emedicine.medscape.com/article/819426-overview#showall. 

Warner, Margaret, et al. “Drug Poisoning Deaths in the United States, 1980–2008.” NCHS Data Brief No. 81, Dec. 2011, www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db81.pdf.