The side effects of vitamin E must be well known in order to avoid negative effects from the use of this substance. It is known that vitamins have a positive effect on the human body only when the dose of their consumption is not exceeded. Otherwise, this can lead to unpleasant consequences. In this article, we will also talk about the composition and form of release of this vitamin, instructions for its use, recommended daily dose.
Form and composition
All this information is necessary to have in order to control the possible side effects of vitamin E. Strive for this substance to bring only benefits to our body.
Vitamin E dosage form, as a rule, is of three types. 100, 200 or 400 mg. These are red oval-shaped capsules that are filled insidelight yellow transparent oil. The main active component of this vitamin is tocopherol acetate.
Gelatin, sunflower oil, glycerol, methylparaben, crimson dye, purified water are used as excipients.
When to take?
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It is involved in protein biosynthesis, as well as in the process of cell reproduction, tissue respiration, and other processes of tissue metabolism that are important for our life. Including vitamin E helps prevent the breakdown of red blood cells, reduces capillary fragility and their increased permeability.
This vitamin is necessary for skeletal, smooth muscles and connective tissues to function normally. At the same time, it helps to strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Vitamin E is directly involved in the metabolism of nucleic acids, prostaglandins, in the respiratory cell cycle, as well as in the creation of arachidonic acid.
This is an effective natural antioxidant that is able to inhibit the peroxidation of fats by free radicals. Moreover, it activates phagocytosis, is used to maintain the normal osmotic stability of red blood cells.
In high doses, this substance is able to prevent platelet aggregation, have a positive effect on reproductive function, and also slow down the development and formation of atherosclerosis in the vessels.
It is worth remembering that when taken orally, our body under normal conditions is able to absorb only 20 to 40 percent of the drug. Forthis requires the normal functioning of the exocrine pancreas and the presence of a sufficient amount of bile. If the dose is increased, then the degree of absorption may begin to decrease. The optimal blood concentration is considered to be between 10 and 15 mg per liter.
The substance is excreted from the body mainly with feces. No more than one percent is excreted as metabolites in the urine.
Destination
Vitamin E is recommended to take with a lack of it in the body and as a preventive measure.
It is also part of a complex hormonal treatment, vitamin E capsules for women are used to combat menstrual irregularities, as well as degenerative and proliferative changes in the joints, the ligamentous apparatus of the spine, it is recommended for muscular dystrophy, for example, in case of malnutrition of the muscular fabrics. He is prescribed for Lou Gehrig's disease, that is, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
This substance helps to cope with increased physical activity, with unbalanced and malnutrition, after various kinds of infectious diseases.
Mechanism of action
The pharmacodynamics of this drug is that active tocopherols begin to effectively protect the intermediate compounds of cellular respiration from the oxidation of functional groups. At the same time, they are able to oxidize in semiquinones, which are again restored in the human body to tocopherols.
If the latter are present in sufficientquantity, they are able to protect unstable metabolites and mediators of cellular respiration, preventing their oxidation. During redox processes at the level of cellular metabolism, they play a buffer role in pathological conditions.
Tocopherols, that is, vitamin E, are considered very useful for humans. In the body, they act as a scavenger of oxygen free radicals and as an antioxidant. In particular, in this case, the vitamin is involved in biosynthesis, the functioning of connective tissue, and inhibits lipid peroxidation.
Contraindications
Before taking this substance, you need to know all about the contraindications and side effects of vitamin E. It is forbidden to take it in case of hypersensitivity to the individual components of the drug itself.
Also, it is not prescribed to patients in childhood and with acute myocardial infarction. With increased caution, it should be taken with the development of thromboembolism, after myocardial infarction, especially after paralysis, stroke, in old age.
Factors that can have a negative impact are major surgery, obesity, cancer, trauma, lower extremity varicose veins, serious lung disease, congestive heart failure, indwelling central venous catheter, inflammatory bowel disease, nephrotic syndrome, taking hormonal contraceptives, pregnancy, acute infectious disease. In all these cases, a mandatory consultation is required.specialist before you start taking vitamin E on a regular basis.
How to use
Instructions for the use of vitamin E clearly defines how much it is permissible to use. Please note that the dosage is directly related to the age of the patient and his diagnosis.
The daily dose in mg of vitamin E in adults is between 200 and 400 mg. If you have 100 mg capsules, it is recommended to take two to four capsules per day, if 200 mg - one to two capsules per day, if 400 mg - one capsule per day.
It should be noted that exceptions are possible in certain situations. For example, how much vitamin E can be taken per day for menstrual irregularities? Gynecologists prescribe 300-400 mg of vitamin E every other day, starting from the 17th day from the beginning of the cycle, as an adjunct to appropriate hormone therapy.
When taking the drug, you should always take into account that it enhances the effect of anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs, as well as cardiac glycosides, in patients with epilepsy it can increase the effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs with an increased content of lipid peroxidation products in the blood.
The instructions for use of vitamin E specifically state that while taking iron, it should be borne in mind that it increases the daily requirement for this vitamin.
It is not recommended to take other vitamin complexes in parallel, which contain this substance, in order to avoid overdoses. When taking vitamin E in a dosemore than 400 mg per day, together with anticoagulants, significantly increases the likelihood of hypothrombinemia, as well as the development of bleeding. It is also worth remembering that colestipol, mineral oils reduce the absorption of this vitamin.
If a patient has epidermolysis bullosa congenita, then white hair is likely to grow in areas prone to baldness.
Overdose
High doses of vitamin E can lead to vitamin A deficiency. Too high doses over a long period of time cause bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency. High doses are defined as more than 800 mg per day.
It can also lead to thromboembolism in overly sensitive patients, increases the risk of thrombophlebitis, leads to thyroid hormone metabolism disorders.
Signs and treatment
Symptoms of an overdose of vitamin E are as follows:
- dizziness;
- visual impairment;
- headache;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- fainting;
- severe fatigue.
In the treatment of an overdose, start with the complete withdrawal of the drug. If a patient is diagnosed with acute poisoning, then gastric lavage, administration of glucocorticosteroids, and targeted symptomatic therapy may be indicated.
Side effects
Be aware of the side effects of vitamin E while taking it. The most common - all kinds of disorders in the work of the gastrointestin altract. These may include diarrhea, supraventricular pain, nausea.
In some patients with a certain predisposition, creatine kinase activity may increase, creatinuria may occur, and cholesterol levels in the blood may rise significantly. Thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, pulmonary thromboembolism may develop.
As a side effect of vitamin E, there is a low chance of itching and redness of the skin. This will be an allergic reaction. In general, allergies are manifested precisely by the effect of vitamin E on the skin. In addition to these symptoms, hives, skin irritation, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis may appear.
Some patients also have severe manifestations of allergic reactions. These include a sharp drop in blood pressure, which leads to anaphylactic shock. Probably the appearance of vomiting, severe itching of the skin, disorders of the vital organs, swelling of the larynx, the appearance of labored and noisy breathing, cyanosis and pallor of the skin, a sharp narrowing of the bronchi, larynx. Ultimately, all this leads to serious breathing problems, loss of consciousness.
There is a risk of angioedema, which is characterized by rapid swelling of the face, eyes, lips, larynx, tongue. All this is accompanied by violations in the patency of the respiratory tract.
Storage conditions
It is recommended to store preparations containing vitamin E only in the factory and original packaging. At the same time, strictly observe the requirements of the temperature regime -15 to 25 degrees.
The drug will last longer if kept in low humidity conditions, not exposed to direct sunlight.
Timing
The maximum shelf life of the medicinal product must be indicated on the package. As a rule, it is no more than three years. If there are small children in the home, it is important to ensure their safety by limiting access to the medicine as much as possible.
