did i take too much vitamin c?

Question

i took 1,700 so far today..im sick and im trying to beat the cold naturally..is this too much to take? i also had a v8 and orange juice

Answer 1

Sorry, I thought you said 17,000.

1,700? No. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin C is 3,000 mg:

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/vitcrda.htm

Answer 2

there is no such thing as overdosing on vitamin C; as was mentioned by an earlier respondent, the body can only use so much vitamin C at any given time; as it is water-soluble, any excess beyond what the body currently needs will be expelled (BTW, all water-soluble vitamins will be expelled when there is more than the body needs); the 3,000 mg is the known maximum within a specific time period but the body can process quantities far beyond 30,000 mg (that's right, not 3,000 but 30,000) - it just have to be spaced properly (say 3,000 mg thrice a day) otherwise you will just be throwing away money;
some people complain that large amounts of vitamin C makes their stomach acidic or cause a diarrheal-like symptom; in this case, I recommend taking an ascorbate (this is a form of non-acidic vitamin C) - there are many variants of ascorbates but the most popular is sodium ascorbate; if you have to watch your sodium intake, try to look for other variants, like potassium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate, etc but these are a bit more difficult to get;
finally, sleep/rest with fruits high in vitamin C are still the best bets (BTW, citrus is only among the highest sources of vitamin C but not the highest; guava and pepper are some sources that have more vitamin C than citrus);

Answer 3

The North American Dietary Reference Intake recommends 90 milligrams per day and no more than 2 grams per day (2000 milligrams per day). Other related species sharing the same inability to produce vitamin C and requiring exogenous vitamin C consume 20 to 80 times this reference intake. There is continuing debate within the scientific community over the best dose schedule (the amount and frequency of intake) of vitamin C for maintaining optimal health in humans. It is generally agreed that a balanced diet without supplementation contains enough vitamin C to prevent acute scurvy in an average healthy adult, while those who are pregnant, smoke tobacco, or are under stress require slightly more.

Vitamin C is recognized to be one of the least toxic substances known to medicine, with the LD50 being 11,900 milligrams per kilogram. High doses (thousands of milligrams) may result in diarrhoea, which is harmless if the dose is reduced immediately. Some researchers claim the onset of diarrhoea to be an indication of where the body’s true vitamin C requirement lies. Both Cathcart and Cameron have demonstrated that very sick patients with cancer or influenza do not display any evidence of diarrhoea at all until ascorbate intake reaches levels as high as 200 grams (half a pound).

Answer 4

Vitamin C - Take 1,000 mg three to four times daily. Reduce the dosage if diarrhea occurs. Vitamin C supports immune system function through increased white cell blood activity.

And one note on the consumption of orange juice:

Be wary of fruit juices. Although they are a traditional treatments for colds, fruit juices- especially orange juice - usually contain far more sugar than they do vitamin C. Avoid citrus fruit juices, until the colds finishes. Try a few drops of fresh lemon in a glass of room temperature water.

Sugar decrease the number of white cells that your body produces and depress your immune system, so eliminate refined sugar from your diet for the duration of your cold.

Answer 5

When you get diahhrea you'll know when you've taken too much Vit C.

From my experience, loads of Vit C when you feel it coming on will help, but once you've got the cold the sick days won't be lessened. (I've taken the chewable 500mg by the handful, 3x's a day w/o adverse reactions.)

However, I have read about taking zinc supplements when sick. An average cold lasts 7 - 10 days. With zinc supplements the average cold will last 5 days. I tried it and it worked. Don't remember the dosage - sorry.

Answer 6

I have a friend who took 1000 mg of vitamin C a day and he wound up with kidney stones. I think the excessive intake of vitamin C played a part.

Answer 7

Vitamin C is water soluable, so any excess is harmlessly excreted.

You'll get over your cold in a week if you do nothing, and if you take a lot of vitamin C it will be gone in just 7 days.

Answer 8

yes, you took too much. according to Linus Pauling (2-time Nobel prize winning chemist - who was a Vitamin C guru) it should start crystallizing in your urine any time now. start drinking a LOT of water!

try this for your cold - pleurisy root, coltsfoot, (best to get them in bulk and make tea. about a teaspoon of each in 8 oz of water and boil for 20 min - 3 x a day. it tastes awful but it really works!) about 3000 mg/day of vitamin C with bioflavonoids, and some ashwagandah. garlic is good, too. avoid meat, fats, dairy, and sugar. drink a lot of water.

here's a hint: if one works, two won't work twice as well. next time you start popping pills, do some research FIRST!

Answer 9

The Daily allowance is 3,000 mg. You can take 1,300 mg more of Vitamin C.

Answer 10

You will know when you take too much. Quite bluntly it will give you the runs or loose stools. From what I have read the way to know how much your body needs is to take enough to give you the hershey squirts and then take just under that amount. It won't hurt you.