Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
See more conditions. Request Appointment. Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating. Products and services. Is it OK to take prenatal vitamins if I'm not pregnant, and I don't plan to become pregnant? Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R. With Katherine Zeratsky, R. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.
Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Accessed March 20, Dietary supplement fact sheet: Folate. Office of Dietary Supplements. They can be hard to swallow, especially if you're dealing with nausea. If this is a problem for you, your practitioner may be able to recommend a smaller pill or one with a slick coating that makes it easier to get down.
Pills that don't contain calcium tend to be smaller, and you can get your calcium in other ways. Chewable prenatal vitamins are also available. There's even a powdered pregnancy supplement that you mix with water. So if you don't like one version, keep trying different options until you find a prenatal supplement you can take. If you're taking a supplement with more than the recommended 30 mg of iron, it may upset your gastrointestinal tract.
Supplements that contain 30 mg or less probably won't cause you any problems. To avoid queasiness, try taking your supplement at bedtime or with a meal to make it easier to tolerate.
Also, talk to your healthcare practitioner. She may be able to recommend a different prenatal supplement. Taking a lot of iron can lead to constipation , which is already a problem for many pregnant women. If you're not anemic, it may make sense for you to switch to a prenatal vitamin with less iron.
Otherwise, try to ease constipation by:. Learn about the basics of a healthy pregnancy diet. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.
We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Practice bulletin Neural tube defects. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Office of Dietary Supplements. Nutrition in Pregnancy. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: iStock. What are prenatal vitamins? Benefits of prenatal vitamins Prenatal vitamin ingredients - what to look for? What other nutrients should I look for in a prenatal supplement?
When should I start taking prenatal vitamins? Choosing a prenatal vitamin - what's right for me? What if I mistakenly take two prenatal vitamins on the same day? What if I have trouble swallowing the pills? Do prenatal vitamins have side effects? Benefits of prenatal vitamins Most women can benefit from taking a prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement preferably before trying to conceive.
This includes women who: Are vegetarians or vegans Are lactose intolerant or have other food intolerances Smoke or abuse other substances Have certain blood disorders Have an eating disorder Have certain chronic diseases Have had gastric bypass surgery Are having twins or higher multiples. Due Date Calculator. Taking similar vitamin products together at the same time can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of vitamins A, D, E, or K can cause serious or life-threatening side effects and can also harm your unborn baby. Certain minerals contained in a prenatal multivitamin may also cause serious overdose symptoms or harm to the baby if you take too much. There are many brands and forms of prenatal multivitamins available.
Not all brands are listed on this leaflet. Prenatal multivitamins are a combination of many different vitamins that are normally found in foods and other natural sources. Prenatal multivitamins are used to provide the additional vitamins needed during pregnancy.
Minerals may also be contained in prenatal multivitamins. Many vitamins can cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken in large doses. Do not take more of this medication than directed on the label or prescribed by your doctor. Before taking prenatal multivitamins, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and all medicines you use. Ask a doctor before using a vitamin or mineral supplement if you are on a low-salt diet. You may need to continue taking prenatal multivitamins if you breast-feed your baby.
Ask your doctor about taking this medication while breast-feeding. Many multivitamin products also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Minerals especially taken in large doses can cause side effects such as tooth staining, increased urination, stomach bleeding, uneven heart rate, confusion, and muscle weakness or limp feeling. Read the label of any multivitamin product you take to make sure you are aware of what it contains.
The chewable tablet must be chewed or allowed to dissolve in your mouth before swallowing. You may also allow the chewable tablet to dissolve in drinking water, fruit juice, or infant formula but not milk or other dairy products. Drink this mixture right away. Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep prenatal multivitamins in their original container. Storing vitamins in a glass container can ruin the medication.
Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time. Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at Overdose symptoms may include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, hair loss, peeling skin, tingly feeling in or around your mouth, changes in menstrual periods, weight loss, severe headache, muscle or joint pain, severe back pain, blood in your urine, pale skin, and easy bruising or bleeding.
0コメント