# Vitamin B complex causing nausea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913 "2007-05-29T14:28:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/1 "2007-05-29T14:28:42Z")
When I used to take the Vitamin B complex\* I would get an attack of severe nausea from an hour to four or five hours from a single dose. I’m talking “chugged ipecac” level of severe nausea for up to an hour. Sometimes I had to sit on the floor with my eyes closed until it passed. It did not depend on whether I took it on empty or full stomach, although taking it with food did delay the effect (it wasn’t particularly milder). Now, sound medical advice on the subject is “Stop taking it. Talk to a doctor”. Well, I stopped taking it and I’ll ask my doctor. However, I am very curious as to why it would cause something like this. I’ve tried different brands and formulations and they all cause this. Scouring the Internet leads me to believe that this is not a normal side effect – mild nausea from the taste might be, but I get that as well, separately, right after I take it. Now, after the nausea attack subsided (I tended to not throw up, although maybe I should have), I would be fine for the rest of the day. At least I think. I don’t really have enough data points and this is not a fun experiment ([This comic comes to mind](http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_difference.png)). Trying different brands was horrifying enough. The only reasonable theory I can concoct is that the vitamin B complex either makes my body metabolize something faster or slower, but the only commonality in intake I can remember is caffeine. Any plausible theories for the physiological mechanism? I don’t need a diagnosis, and wouldn’t ask for one on the Internet. It’s easy enough to _not take it_ since I had no reason to believe I needed to in the first place, I was just curious. However, the next time I see my doctor I probably won’t have an opportunity to idly discuss wild theories and I am expecting to hear “Umm, don’t take it.” - advice I’ve already followed. I turn to the dope for my source of wild speculation on the subject (or at least a set of words to research, most vitamin B complex information I found was about using it to reduce nausea) to satisfy my curious mind. Thank you, Groman - (B1 100mg, B2 100mg, Niacin 100mg, B6 100mg, Folic acid 400mcg, V12 100mcg, Biotin 100mcg, Pantothenic Acid 100mg) ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/2 "2007-05-29T14:57:01Z")
Were you taking it on an empty stomach. The same thing used to happen to me if I took a vitamin but skipped breakfast. The pills themselves seem to be an irritant. As long as I’ve eaten, though, I’m okay. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/3 "2007-05-29T14:59:55Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] Were you taking it on an empty stomach. The same thing used to happen to me if I took a vitamin but skipped breakfast. The pills themselves seem to be an irritant. As long as I’ve eaten, though, I’m okay. [/QUOTE] I’ve tried both empty and with food and food just delayed this reaction further. I don’t have GERD and while I can believe an irritant causing a wave of nausea in an hour, four or five hours would be a bit of a stretch, no? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/4 "2007-05-29T15:15:11Z")
I’ve taken B-complex by itself and never had nausea but not too long ago I switched to a multi-vitamin and it made me so nauseous I stopped taking it. I thought about trying it at bedtime so I could just lay down until the nausea passed or I fell asleep but I really didn’t want to spend an hour being nauseous before sleeping. I have no idea what it was about this multi-vitamin that made me feel sick, I’d taken many different vitamin/mineral supplements by themselves that never bothered me, I’d also taken other multi-vits before without a problem. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/5 "2007-05-29T15:25:22Z")
One time, my wife and I had some old vitamins that had been kept on the oven. I guess we must have just located them bacause we both took one on the same day. Within five minutes of taking them we were both vomiting. I have a weak stomach and vomit for almost anything, but my wife hadn’t thrown up in years. Also her “cycle” started at the same time not to mention the diahrea. So basically those pills made her leak out of every orifice. We tossed that bottle out and haven’t had any problems with the chewable vitamins we take every day. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/6 "2007-05-29T17:03:34Z")
B is stored in the body and you can overdose on it. It effectively can poison you. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/7 "2007-05-29T18:02:25Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] B is stored in the body and you can overdose on it. It effectively can poison you. [/QUOTE] Now I know you can overdose on certain B vitamins, but that’s a really high dose in a short time. With normally functioning liver and kidneys you shouldn’t just die from an overdose through chronic accumulation. Do you have a cite for the fact that excess vitamin B isn’t promptly eliminated? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/8 "2007-05-29T19:04:44Z")
Naw, it’s one of the early numbered B Vits, B1, or 2 I can’t remember. It, in some dudes, can cause those nasty “vitamin burps”, and nausea. Maybe Pantothenic acid , or B-5. The nasty taste is made far worse by the vitamin aging, like from heat. It is almost certainly not B6 or B12. So here is what to do- get a small cheap jar of each B-Vitamin (see link below). Take one, wait an hour. Repeat until you find that nasty one. Then, don’t take that one any more, find a couple foods rich on it and make sure you eat some. \*\*Harmonious Discord \*\*“B is stored in the body and you can overdose on it. It effectively can poison you.” False, that is Vit A and D. Mostly A. > **[Vitamin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamins)** > > Vitamins are organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. For example, Vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not considered a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. Most vitamins are not sin... (Of course, you can likely overdose on anything but the B-vits are NOT stored in the body. A constant long term overdose of B6 @ 100 times the RDA can cause temporary nerve damage.) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/9 "2007-05-29T19:21:04Z")
I was thinking B was a fat soluable. My mistake. You still need to watch the dose though because it can cause the nerve problems. In other words be sure you don’t suppliment with 10 times the daily dose. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/10 "2007-05-29T19:24:03Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] I was thinking B was a fat soluable. My mistake. You still need to watch the dose though because it can cause the nerve problems. In other words be sure you don’t suppliment with 10 times the daily dose. [/QUOTE] That’s actually within the norm : [Thousands and thousands of % of RDV](http://www.organic-pharmacy.com/RightFoods/BComplex_facts.gif) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/11 "2007-05-29T20:32:40Z")
Does your B-complex pill contain any added-on minerals? I’ve found minerals to be my personal “demon”; the nausea you describe fits me to a tee. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-b-complex-causing-nausea/405913/12 "2007-05-29T20:50:12Z")
I might WAG that the niacin is responsible, as it can cause reactions in some people. The usual reaction is flushing of the skin or itching, but nausea and dizziness are apparently reported also. The level in a B multivitamin pill is rather low to cause a reaction, but maybe you are unusually sensitive to it.