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Can I Take Different Vitamin Capsules at the Same Time?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Taking different vitamin capsules at a time may or may not be safe, depending on a number of factors. The exact formulation of the capsule, how it is made, and your dietary intake all can affect how the body uses and reacts to the vitamins. Your current medical status also matters, as this sometimes means that other treatments you may be using will interact with the capsule ingredients.

RDAs and Vitamin Use

Various vitamin capsules and tablets.
Various vitamin capsules and tablets.

In conjunction with medical professionals, agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set daily recommended allowances (RDAs) for how much of each vitamin a person should get each day. Manufacturers explain how close their products come to these RDAs through percentages, such as 35% of the RDA. These numbers are supposed to help individuals figure out whether their vitamin and overall nutritional intake is sufficient.

The exact formulation of capsules, how they are made, and intake levels all impact how the body uses and responds to vitamins.
The exact formulation of capsules, how they are made, and intake levels all impact how the body uses and responds to vitamins.

When capsules are formulated with more than one ingredient — as multivitamins are — you might exceed some RDAs if you take more than one because of varying manufacturer formulations. For instance, one multivitamin might pair vitamin D and K, while another might combine vitamin D and calcium. If a person took both capsules, he would get vitamin D from both products and might exceed the recommended daily allowance. To control this “doubling,” many people safely take different vitamin capsules with only one ingredient, such as one capsule of vitamin E and one of C.

People with balanced diets generally need not get vitamins from supplements.
People with balanced diets generally need not get vitamins from supplements.

Even though individuals who take more than one multivitamin may exceed RDAs, this is not necessarily a problem, depending on the exact vitamins involved. The body cannot always break down a vitamin completely, and if the vitamin is water soluble, some of what you take typically ends up excreted in your urine. Manufacturers compensate for this by formulating the capsule with higher vitamin percentages when necessary, with some ingredients exceeding 100% of the RDA.

Rosehips provide a concentrated form of vitamin C and are sometimes added to vitamin supplements.
Rosehips provide a concentrated form of vitamin C and are sometimes added to vitamin supplements.

Another consideration that makes it hard to figure out if taking different vitamin capsules at a time is safe is that RDA values are not an exact science. They are based on the bare minimums a person needs to prevent certain diseases, such as scurvy, which is caused by a lack of vitamin C. For your best health and body function, you might need to get much more than this minimum amount.

The Influence of Diet

Retinoids are chemically similar to vitamin A and are a common prescription for psoriasis.
Retinoids are chemically similar to vitamin A and are a common prescription for psoriasis.

The foods you eat naturally provide some vitamins. If you eat an orange every morning for breakfast, you'll get a daily dose of vitamin C, for instance. You might not need as much from a vitamin capsule to meet the RDA as a result. Consider not only how the capsules repeat ingredients, but also how much the ingredients appear again in your everyday snacks, meals, and beverages.

Making the matter more complex is the fact that different vitamins are best taken with certain foods, and that some cause problems with the absorption of each other. For instance, vitamins D, A, and E are all fat soluble, so it’s best to take them with a meal that has some fat in it, which makes it easier for your body to use them. You won’t always reap the full benefit of all the capsules you take unless you knows how the foods you eat react with each ingredient. Most people do not study nutrition to the degree that they are able to put interaction principles into practice, although many individuals who take vitamin capsules do make an effort to keep their diet balanced.

Product Quality

Although you might be able to take different vitamins in conjunction with a healthy diet with no harmful effects, quality is a concern. Some studies have found that many products have compositions that are different from what manufacturers advertise. A vitamin capsule might say it has 75% of the RDA for vitamin K, for example, when in fact it contains 90%. An even greater worry may be contaminants, such as lead, that may be in products. The more vitamin capsules you take, the more at risk you are for ingesting more contaminants, or contaminants at higher levels.

Medications

Certain medications can interact with or devalue vitamins. Retinoids are chemically similar to vitamin A, for instance, and are a common prescription for psoriasis. Too much vitamin A can be toxic, so medical professionals often tell people on retinoids to watch the amount of this vitamin that they get from other sources. Individuals who normally could take more than one vitamin might not be able to do so if they develop a medical condition that requires a certain prescription, so it’s always advisable to tell your healthcare provider what vitamins and supplements you take.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon952754

Is it safe to take fenugreek, saw palmetto and red clover all at the same time two or three times a day?

anon926344

Is it okay to take synthroid and flax and sunflower seed if taken at different times?

anon350738

Can I take myra e 400iu while taking a maca capsule 500mg?

anon340812

Can I take perfectil for skin hair and nails and pregnacare conception bits at same time?

anon338234

I am taking alpha garlic capsules and want to know whether I can take Wellwoman multivitamin capsules, too.

emae488

Ive been taking Vitamin C, Calcium, and flax seed oil pills together. Is it OK?

anon334116

Can you tale calcium, maca chia and dandelion root together

anon331212

Is it okay to take Vitamin D3, E, B50, Zinc, Garlic pills, Omega-3, C, multivitamin, together? What would the symptoms be, if any?

anon313515

Can I take Centrum Performance along with acai berries?

anon312079

Is it okay to take Viviscal and Roaccutane at the same time? I have heard some people saying they tried viviscal while they were on Roaccutane and they broke out badly.

anon275852

Is it OK to take One-A-Day vitamins and a collagen vitamin? I asked my hair stylist and she said it should be fine but to make sure and I prefer to stay away from doctors' offices.

anon245384

I am currently taking three 500mg capsules a day of glucosamine/chondrine and was wondering if it would be okay to add Acetyl-L-Carnitine 588mg once per day to that? I was planning on taking the Acetyl-L-Carnitine in the morning with breakfast and take my Glucosamine in the afternoon with lunch and/or dinner.

anon233534

can i take biotin and zinc at the same time?

Michelle Delvey

Can I take fish oil capsules and skin vitamins at the same time every day?

anon178860

I'm taking Nature made multi daily that contains 100 percent daily value of 12 vitamins and minerals plus 450mg in one tablet and Vita fusion calcium which is 500mg in one day. Can that be harmful?

anon170551

I'm in the process of taking Biotin. I also want to take a collagen vitamin as well. Would this be safe?

anon166009

can i take vitamin d3 and folic acid the same time in the morning? then vitamin e and calcium in the evening?

anon163726

Can I take a multivitamin and also a vitamin d 1000 iu?

anon162260

I'm taking Revicon forte. is it okay if i also take centrum silver at the same time. I need your help, please!

anon147566

Is it OK to take calcium, fish oil, vitamin D, joint a day, multi-vitamin and lysine capsules at the same time?

anon146661

i took vitamins d, e and c today and afterward felt sick so i read the ingredients from e and d they had the exact same things in them so I'm wondering if maybe it's the same vitamin and I took two of the same and that's what made me sick. I don't know. please help me. They're made by Nature's Measure.

qbee

Is it safe to take iron, fish and biotin pills at the same time?

anon145079

I'm taking contraceptive pill and myra-e (alpha tocopherol). is that all right?

anon143455

can i take a flaxseed oil capsule with a calcium capsule at the same time?

anon141318

I am taking folic acid and Vitamin C together, one in the morning and another after dinner. Can anybody please tell me is it fine to take these both?

anon140516

i am taking vitamin e now. can i take vitamin b12 with it?

relly

i have been taking vitamin e for almost a year now. and as of the moment i am planning to take vitamin c now. my question is, is it recommended to take vitamin e and c at the same time, like every day?

anon122527

can you take the nitrocut pill while using the p90 x supplement at the same time, or will it affect my body?

anon121363

Is it OK to take Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, Vitamin C and fishoil together?

anon121293

Can I take Women's daily one, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Calcium, B-12, and Arbonne skin support?

anon115106

Can i take Bee pollen and vitamin-E and vitamin-B all together.

anon105475

to adecker: I had the same problem. Try the chewy multi vitamins. I can eat them first thing in the AM without any issues. It's not the calcium. Try it out and see.

anon100314

I take every day a one a day women's vitamin, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, fish oil, and biotin. I don't take them at the same time. I spread taking them through out the day.

anon96347

Is it okay to take the following pills together?

MSM 1000mg; Flax seed oil; One a Day metabolism; Cranberry pills; Hair Skin and Nails.

anon85942

i am using accutane and i have been taking eight supplements a day. i want to know if its safe for me to be taking:

fish oil 1200mg; b-6 200mg; vitamin D 400IU; vitamin C 500mg; calcium mg +D and minerals; zinc 50mg; magnesium 250mg; and vitamin E 400IU.

i take the vitamin E, fish oil and zinc for my acne.

anon52618

I take thyroid medication, and I also take a vitamin e and calcium together. Is that O.K.?

anon42214

Please can someone help. I have just been prescribed Levothyroxine for an underative thyroid. Just before the prescription was given I had done some research on the condition my hair has been in for many years,which is falling out, thinning, brittle etc., probably because of my thyroid. I have bought all the vitamins below which are to treat my hair thinning, dryness and falling out etc.

My question is, can I take all the following

vitamins while being on my thyroid medication?

1. 1,000 mg borage oil one time daily.

2. Flaxseed oil, 1 tablet of flaxseed oil daily.

3. B-50 complex with 50 mcg biotin and vitamin B12; 400 mcg of folic acid; and 50 mg all other B vitamins one pill twice a day.

4. Biotin, 1,000 mcg daily.

5. PABA, 100 mg daily.

6. Copper / Zinc, 2 mg copper and 30 mg zinc daily.

7. Selenium, 200 mcg two times daily.

I have to take Levothyroxine in the morning, so would it be OK to take the above vitamins many hours later in the day? Would they disrupt or have any side affects with Levothyroxine? Thank you-- Elly

callmered53

To adecker post (I do not know how long ago this was posted)

Multivitamins have made me nauseous all my life. I always take mine with my largest meal of the day (dinnertime for me). It makes a big difference! I also take a multivitamin I get from the health food store and it is in a few grocery stores in their "natural" section; it does not bother me no matter when I take it.

adecker

For the past few months I have been taking a multivitamin and calcium pills. On Friday, when I took them, I immediately vomited. Today, I took them again, and again immediately vomited. Why is this happening? I have been taking them for a while and all of a sudden my body is rejecting it.

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    • Various vitamin capsules and tablets.
      Various vitamin capsules and tablets.
    • The exact formulation of capsules, how they are made, and intake levels all impact how the body uses and responds to vitamins.
      By: apichai
      The exact formulation of capsules, how they are made, and intake levels all impact how the body uses and responds to vitamins.
    • People with balanced diets generally need not get vitamins from supplements.
      By: naihei
      People with balanced diets generally need not get vitamins from supplements.
    • Rosehips provide a concentrated form of vitamin C and are sometimes added to vitamin supplements.
      By: WuTtY
      Rosehips provide a concentrated form of vitamin C and are sometimes added to vitamin supplements.
    • Retinoids are chemically similar to vitamin A and are a common prescription for psoriasis.
      By: hriana
      Retinoids are chemically similar to vitamin A and are a common prescription for psoriasis.