# Why Do Vitamins Make Me Vomit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533 "2006-02-14T21:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/1 "2006-02-14T21:26:12Z")
I take a lot of different medicatations, and I’ve never had a problem with any of them, but if I take a vitamin tablet, within an hour, I will vomit. It’s been that way my entire life. It doesn’t matter which brand, or what it contains, though I seem to have a quicker reaction to multi-vitamins. I can take children’s chewables with no problem, but I’ve never been able to keep an adult vitamin down. I’ve tried them on a full stomach/empty stomach, and at different times of day. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. I start feeling intense nausea within fifteen or twenty minutes which builds and builds until I expell it. As I said, I don’t have a problem with children’s chewables, nor with liquid products like Ensure, so it can’t be the actual vitamins themselves-- just the formulartion in the tablets. What gives? Am I allergic to something? Does anyone else have a problem with this? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/2 "2006-02-14T21:30:52Z")
For me, it was the iron in the tablets. When I took just irontablets: heavy vomiting, an hour affter taking them. But, come to think of it, I haven’t had that problem in years. Perhaps I had stomach problems then (it was in my college-years) and just outgrew them. So, I had the same thing, but still don’t know what caused it. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/3 "2006-02-14T21:41:20Z")
Hmmm. Maybe it wasn’t food sickness that day I threw up back in college after taking One-A-Day… I do know it made my capillaries burst easily, causing me to get painless bruise-like lines and such very easily. The combination of that effect and the vomiting burst the caps around my eyes and made me look like a raccoon. ---
**Author:** ![cheezmonger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@cheezmonger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheezmonger)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/4 "2006-02-15T01:19:48Z")
I’ve always had the same problem. I mentioned it to a med-student friend a few months ago and her response was, “you were probably taking it on an empty stomach like the stupid a$$hole you are.” I was (and I am). I don’t take vitamins regularly (the lapsed Catholic in me has spread to my pill-popping habits) but have noticed since then that if I take vitamins with a little grub in my belly, no yarfing ensues. Incidentally, I’ve noticed the same phenomenon with drinking tea first thing in the morning or a lot of cranberry juice. I’m thinking some of us with sensitive bellies would be well-advised to have a snack before we start our pill popping, tea and juice chugging fecklessness. I’m suspecting you may be like me - a morning vitamin-eater who doesn’t have an appetite in the morning? ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/5 "2006-02-15T03:38:24Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > I’ve tried them on a full stomach/empty stomach, and at different times of day. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. I start feeling intense nausea within fifteen or twenty minutes which builds and builds until I expell it. Me, too. So I stick to childrens chewables. **Maastricht** might be on to something, though, since the BCPs with added iron (years ago) also made me barf. Tenuous connection, but it’s a possibilty. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/6 "2006-02-15T03:42:54Z")
Why don’t you take an ADULT chewable multivitamin? They have them in most drugstores that I have looked in. There aren’t many choices like with regular vitamins but they are basically just a giant Flinstones vitamin without the cool shape. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/7 "2006-02-15T09:25:55Z")
Iron is widely known to cause nausea, vomiting and “GI upset”. It’s the main reason why injectable iron is used, as sometimes patients just can’t tolerate it. Try an Iron-free multivitamin (you can get them, they’re made for people with an iron intolerance or for people who should not increase their intake of iron) and boosting your intake of iron-rich food. Alternatively try a different brand of iron containing multivit- personally I get sick with everything except [MultiBionta](http://www.multibionta.co.uk/), I think the pro-biotic helps. If you do take iron tablets, try not to eat dairy food for two hours before or after, instead try washing them down with a glass of orange juice. Dairy foods may prevent the absorption of iron, while vitamin C increases it. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/8 "2006-02-15T13:36:41Z")
Are you chasing it with a glass of liquified baby birds? Cause when I take a vitamin and chase it with a glass of liquified baby birds, I vomit **EVERY TIME** … ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/9 "2006-02-15T16:42:22Z")
I can’t take regular vitamin pills, either, but I’ve had success with the Centrum Adult Chewables. I would also get sick from zinc and other isolated vitamin pills, so it might be the binders. Eating/drinking helped, but sometimes it was pure pain or felt like I ate a ball of raw dought the size of a bowling ball. Check out the vitamin selection for adult chewables. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/10 "2006-02-15T18:06:35Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Why don’t you take an ADULT chewable multivitamin? They have them in most drugstores that I have looked in. There aren’t many choices like with regular vitamins but they are basically just a giant Flinstones vitamin without the cool shape. But the cool shape is half the fun! ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/11 "2006-02-15T19:30:53Z")
I once took a huge vitamin pill before I went to bed and I woke up with some damned horrible nausea. I didn’t throw up, but I never took one of those things again. Chewables are fine, though. I love me some Flinstone’s vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/12 "2006-02-15T19:36:00Z")
I can only take certain brands and they tend to be the expensive name brands. Something in the cheapies really bothers my stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-vitamins-make-me-vomit/344533/13 "2006-02-15T19:38:33Z")
If you like chewables, try the gummies! Yum!