Do vitamins really work this fast?

Factual Questions
1

For about the last month or so, I’ve been feeling pretty shabby. Constantly tired, no matter how much sleep I got; recurring bouts of feeling weak, dizzy spells, and shortness of breath after the slightest amount of exertion. I sort of chalked it up to stress and poor sleeping habits. It hit a peak last week, where I kept feeling pretty awful, and my mother kept commenting that I looked pale.

Her pale remarks kind of got my attention, so I started thinking about what the problem could be. I thought iron-deficiency anemia was a likely candidate; my mother has suffered from it, I don’t eat a very iron-rich diet, I have very heavy periods, and upon a little research, my symptoms are a good fit. No, I’m not in the habit of self-diagnosis, but I’m still waiting to get benefits at work, so I don’t have much choice but to wait until that happens before going to the doctor.

At any rate, I decided to pick up some iron supplements, along with a multivitamin, to see if that at least made some kind of difference. I didn’t really figure I would see any noticeable results until a few weeks after starting them, but I vowed to take them every day. So Saturday I took the first iron pill and multivitamin.

Sunday I felt better than I have in months. Of course I’ve heard the term “felt like a new person” but it’s never been so literally true for me. I wasn’t feeling like I could go out and run any marathons, or do anything unusual, but I also didn’t feel like walking down the steps was a major task. I didn’t have a single dizzy spell. And I had the best night’s sleep in months. Last night, I took another, and today, I felt the same as yesterday. I swear, I felt so much better that I almost felt like something was wrong - like the feeling of malaise that has been following me was starting to define me, and once it was gone, I felt a little disconnected.

The only thing I’ve changed is the vitamins. I have a really hard time believing they could have had such a significant effect so quickly.

So, is it possible? I’m so skeptical about it that I doubt it could be psychosomatic.

2

It’s certainly possible.

3

Wish mine worked that well.

I doubt that the iron could have had an effect quite that quickly. Its main use is in the production of red blood cells, a process that takes about a week. So if you were anemic, and that’s why you were slow and tired, the iron should show its effects in a week or so.

I’m not sure about the effects of the other stuff in a multivitamin or how quickly they may get to work, but maybe one of them is responsible for the boost.

4

Forgot to include a cite, and I may have been optimistic with my one week guess:

From here.

I’m sure one of our friendly neighborhood health experts will be by shortly, to correct all my mistakes…

5

TellMeI’mNotCrazy, I’ve been feeling the same way lately. I got some vitamins awhile back (Centrum Performance or something), and the first day I felt great! But after that, no effect. I went right back to being tired. Now I’ve stopped taking them on a regular basis, which is stupid (it’s not like they’re hurting me, they’re just so big and hard-to-swallow). But I’m curious too, if I started taking them on a regular basis, would I gradually start feeling better? Is there something to eating healthy? Can’t you just eat macaroni & cheese all the time and be fine, as long as you take your vitamins? :smiley:

6

In reading the OP, I kept thinking of that Jefferson Airplaine song – one pill makes you large, … and the pill your mother gives does nothing at all. Go ask Alice when she’s ten feet tall.

I’m not sure they were talking about vitamins however.

7

Day 3 of feeling really good. I guess I should stop wondering why and just enjoy it, hey?

8

First, IANAD, and I hope you go and get yourself checked out as soon as you can.

I’ve been anemic for most of my life and have had symptoms like you’ve been desribing, but mine generally take a few days to a week to go away once I begin taking iron supplements. I’ve also have vitamin B deficiencies that felt similiar, and those tend to improve VERY quickly after taking a supplement. They can also give you a nice energy boost. I know that when my mom gets her B12 shot she feels much better almost immediately. Some more info can be found here. It could also be a vitamin/mineral that you’re not thinking of, and the only way to know for sure is to get it checked out.

Either way, I’m glad you’re feeling better, and definitely don’t stop taking your vitamins.

9

Sorry, forgot to post this, which may or may not be relevant.

10

Placebo effect perhaps? You expected to feel better after starting the supplements so you do?

11

Well like I said, I didn’t expect to feel better, definitely not so soon. I didn’t wake up and say “Let’s see how I feel today after taking them.” In fact, it was actually well into the day before I realized that something was different, and tried to figure out what it was, before finally working out that it was the fact that I felt well.

12

Placebo effect is usually mostly subconscious, isn’t it?? I wouldn’t think it was too surprising that your subconscious would come up with a much stronger effect than ‘you’ yourself expected. :slight_smile:

Not to say that it wasn’t really vitamin power at its finest, of course. :smiley:

13

B-12 can have a nigh instant effect. For those of us who normally get a lot of it, not so much, but if you’re anenic or low on B-12, it can give you an energy lift quite quickly.

For this reason, try a large dose B-12 pill when you need an energy boost. Worse thing- B-12 enriched urine. :stuck_out_tongue:

14

When I began taking iron for anemia I felt better within 24-48 hours too.

15

Well, the effect still holds, so I’m starting to believe that it is a real effect, and that it might very well have been related to B12. Either way, you won’t catch me skipping out on vitamins anytime soon! Color me converted!