Can you overdose on vitamin B-12? Not really, but you can experience side effects from having far too much of it. You will probably not die from side effects of too much vitamin B-12, but it can give some seriously annoying symptoms. But in a controversial report published in the New York Times back in 1984, incredibly high doses of any vitamin or combination of vitamins and prescription medications can potentially turn lethal.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B-12 in anyone over 14 years old is 2.4 micrograms – not grams, micrograms. A pregnant or nursing woman would need 2.8 micrograms. Depending on their age, children would need from 0.4 micrograms as a newborn to 1.8 micrograms at 13 years of age.
Vitamin B12 Toxicity
Anyone wanting to get bad side effects from vitamin B-12 will really have to work at it and take absolutely gargantuan amounts. Vitamin B-12 is considered a water-soluble vitamin, which basically means that the body tends to urinate out any excess. But there does get to be a saturation point for just about any vitamin where they body just can’t flush it out any longer. Even too much vitamin C can give people bad diarrhea – the same reason why people need to eat vitamin C in the first place.
According to eMedTV, side effects of too much Vitamin B-12 include skin rashes, skin itching, hives, diarrhea, sudden swellings all over the body, swelling lips or mouth; breathing problems because of body swelling; and development of blood clots in the legs.
However, it is not entirely known if vitamin B-12 was the culprit in every case, or if there was an allergy to other ingredients in pills or multi-vitamin injection doses or even if there may have been a bad interaction with a prescription or over the counter medicine.
The Upper Limit
The Office of Dietary Supplements, part of America’s National Institutes of Health, is the department that helps determine the RDA of vitamins and minerals. They also come up with an upper limit figure, or the amount that a healthy adult body can take before it gets sick. They never have determined an upper limit, which is one reason why some people think that when it comes to vitamin B-12, the sky is the limit.
In Conclusion
Usually, people suffer from a deficiency of vitamin B-12 and not side effects from too much of it. But recently vitamin B-12 injections, nasal gels and mega-doses have been touted as a weight loss device and beauty enhancer, so there has been more demand for injections, nasal gels and mega doses. The Mayo Clinic points out that there is no solid clinical evidence that mega-doses of vitamin B-12, even by injections, effects one’s weight in any way.
In the ranking of things to worry about, a vitamin B-12 overdose ranks pretty low. But still, it is never a good idea to take mega doses of any supplement, even if it is a vitamin.
References:
The Office of Dietary Supplements: “Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B-12.” http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp
eMedTV.com: “Vitamin B-12 Toxicity.” http://women.emedtv.com/vitamin-b12/vitamin-b12-toxicity.html
Dummies.com: “The Dangers of Vitamin Megadoses.” Carole Ann Rizler. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-dangers-of-vitamin-megadoses.html
Mayo Clinic.com: “Vitamin B-12 Injections for Weight Loss: Do They Work?” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-b12-injections/AN01400
