Multiple vitamin overdose

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DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Seek immediate medical help.

Determine the following information:

• Patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• When it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:

• Fluids
• Medicines to treat symptoms
• Blood tests to check vitamin levels
• Activated charcoal
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) 
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted to the hospital.

Niacin flush (Vitamin B3) is uncomfortable, but lasts only 2 to 8 hours. Vitamins A and D may cause symptoms when large doses are taken each day, but a single dose of these vitamins are rarely toxic. B vitamins usually do not cause symptoms.

If medical treatment is quickly received, patients who have iron and calcium overdoses usually recover.

Review Date: 02/28/2006
Reviewed By: Stephen C Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.