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Even though vitamins are viewed as a good “natural” option, this past week I experienced how dangerous they can be. As you can tell by the title of my post, this week I have been trying to recover from vitamin A toxicity due to taking too much vitamin A after my Naturopath prescribed it.
If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know that I mostly follow a gluten free diet and take probiotics. After, my naturopath recommended taking fermented cod liver oil. I starting taking fermented cod liver (which is high in vitamin A). Over the past 3 years, I have been seeing a naturopathic doctor and go to get my blood checked by him regularly to see if I am low in any nutrients/vitamins. He is a big fan of getting blood work done to check for any vitamin deficiencies. If I’m ever low in a vitamin, he tells me that if I take that supplement then it will fix my acne.
At the beginning of last month, I got my blood checked for a variety of vitamins and a few other things, such as thyroid functioning.
According to my naturopathic doctor, the results of my blood test showed that I was low in vitamin A. My level was at 42mcg (picture of my blood test below). This number is at the lower end of the normal reference range, yet still within the normal range. My naturopath said that, that reference range is too broad and that my vitamin A level was really too low. He said that my low level of vitamin A was causing my acne and that if I take a vitamin A supplement, I won’t have acne any more.
I was surprised my vitamin A was at the lower end of the reference range because it has always been higher on every previous blood test, as I take 2 teaspoons of fermented cod liver oil (FCLO) daily, which has a good amount of vitamin A.
Why I got vitamin A toxicity
Since my vitamin A was low, my naturopath gave me a 100,000IU vitamin A supplement to add into my regimen. He said to take it once a day, everyday. I started taking it in addition to the FCLO (about 33,000IU vitamin A) he told me to take. After a few days of taking the large dose, I started to not feel good but, I just brushed it off. It wasn’t until 6 days after taking it, I started to get horrible symptoms (see my symptoms below) and I stopped taking all vitamin A.
Why did this happen to me? I thought, maybe it’s because I’m sensitive to the vitamin A and that’s why the symptoms are so bad. But, after reading about vitamin A online, I learned that he had given me a toxic dose.
When I thought back, none of this made sense to me and it was odd that my vitamin A came out so low because I was taking FCLO. One thing that happened concerned me though, I remembered that previous times I had tested my vitamin A, the person drawing the blood immediately wrapped the vial in foil and told me that it shouldn’t be exposed to the light as it could cause the test to be inaccurate.
Well, this last time I went to the blood drawing at the hospital, the phlebotomist, did not cover the vial at all and left it exposed to the bright fluorescent lights in the room. I thought that may have been the reason the test was inaccurate. Studies show that when the blood vial is exposed to light, it decreases the accuracy of the measurement.
Then, after a few more weeks of researching vitamin A toxicity, I learned that all blood tests for vitamin A are NOT ACCURATE!!!! They’re not an accurate representation of the amount in your system. The levels of retinol in your blood fluctuate all the time. You can take the test one day and have high number, take it the next day and have a low number. I found studies from the ’90’s that showed that patients experiencing severe vitamin A toxicity even had vitamin A blood test results within the normal or low range.
I now believe that my vitamin A level was most likely normal already and my naturopath prescribing the high dose of vitamin A caused me to get vitamin A toxicity.
What amount causes vitamin A toxicity?
There’s a lot of contradictory information online about how much vitamin A is safe to take. Even though, 100,000IU is a very high dose, most say that it doesn’t cause vitamin A toxicity unless you take it long term. However, for me it did!
Toxicity occurs with the following doses:
For adults– 25,000 IU per kg of body weight (acute-taken at one time)
-4,000 IU per kg of body weight (chronic-taken over several months)
For children– More than 300,000 IU (acute- taken at one time)
-More than 100,000 IU (chronic-taken over several months)
Even though these are the typical doses that can cause vitamin A toxicity that does not mean that lower doses cannot cause it or the symptoms. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that excess of it gets stored in your liver and fatty cells for long periods of time so it can build up in the body and it does not leave the body quickly.
My symptoms- How I found out the vitamin was the cause
During the first few days of taking the Vitamin A supplement, I felt like I had a fast heart rate but, for absolutely no reason. I brushed it off for a few days. I even looked up a connection between heart rate and vitamin A, but found no information so I thought it couldn’t be connected. There isn’t much information online about vitamin A toxicity and all the symptoms.
Then, suddenly on the 6th day of taking the vitamin A, after dinner I started to feel really dizzy, I had difficulty breathing, felt pressure on my head, bright lights bothered me, and my vision seemed off. I immediately stopped taking all vitamin A.
What I did to Treat it
I went to two doctors to see if there was anything I could do to get the vitamin A out of my system faster and feel better. Their response was to just wait it out because it is a fat soluble vitamin. They said there isn’t much you can do. This was frustrating, I felt so terrible and to hear that I have to suffer with these symptoms and there was nothing I can do to get better faster made it even worse.
I researched vitamin A toxicity online to see what I could do and the only studies I found were mostly related to vitamin A toxicity in animals, but I figured the information and treatments may be worth a try. So here they are, this is what I did/am doing:
- Taking zinc (supposed to help counteract)
- Taking vitamin C and eating a lot of foods high in vitamin C (also supposed to help counteract)
- Taking Vitamin E -I just started this today, so I can’t say whether it’s helping or not yet but, this study found in rabbits that it counteracted the vitamin A toxicity effects.
- Drinking a lot of water- Not sure how much this helps but, I do feel better staying hydrated and I figure it must help to just flush everything out of my system.
- Eating good meals that have little to no vitamin A
- Trying to exercise/move around to increase my metabolism as much as possible, despite feeling bad.
- Doing a magnesium or Epsom salt foot bath 2 times a day
How I’m doing now:
Today is the 5th day since I stopped taking the vitamin A supplement. I am feeling better since the first (worst) night I realized I had vitamin A toxicity, but still not feeling back to normal. My vision is still off, I feel dizzy, and off balance. I’m hoping that with each day I will start gradually feeling back to normal as the vitamin A decreases.
I’ll keep you posted on my progress with recovering from vitamin A toxicity.
Hello Cole!
Thanks for the low down on what has and hasn’t worked for you. I too struggle from certain foods more than others. I know your still struggling with some symptoms still so I want to give my advice to not have the eggs. They are a form of preformed retinol and different from the beta carotene you will find in veggies. I too struggle with cayenne and chili powder. 😔 I struggle with butter and ghee and cheese. I don’t know if you have reactions from palm oil and I’m very interested to know if you do because I have a it doesn’t not contain vitamin a bit i found a study that proves it helps with vitamin a deficiency which leads me to believe it could exacerbate vitamin a toxicity. Brian? It sounds like your diet is really good.
Right now I eat no eggs or dairy. I do have gluten from time to time. Items I eat with beta carotene are organic apples, green beans, blueberries, snap peas, corn, cauliflower, cucumbers, and strawberries. Grains- oatmeal, organic hemp seed bars, sourdough bread, and pasta from time to time. I sometimes find processed foods with a label that list no vitamin a.
I would recommend trying to have 0% vitamin a for at least one month and see if your symptoms don’t let up a bit.
😃 Ashley W
Thank you Ashley, love reading about your routine! We should start a blog for a low Vitamin A lifestlye lol! My gut instinct is that there are many other people experiencing similar symptoms and some, maybe just on a micro level but they haven’t put it together yet. Hands down, they won’t be getting any guidance from their primary care providers.
I tell anyone who will listen about Retin- A. The skincare industry is blowing up with synthetic retinol-based products…it’s scary. Also, people take animal-based A like fish liver oil, krill oil etc without any warning either…some are even prescribed by their doctors, I could go on. There needs to be a warning label on every package. This is my goal, one day.
I forgot about cauliflower, cucumber, radish and green beans lol! They are staples in my diet too! The FDA has a 20 % margin of error on food labels…so be cautious. I had an obsession with Justin’s maple almond butter….it says no Vit A BUT every time I would have episodes of panic, decreased concentration/clarity, feeling off balance for days. That’s when I looked at the ingredient list: palm oil.
Palm oil contains 15 times more beta carotene than a carrot…so insane. If you google, it lists as 0 IUs- google error.
Valid resource sites are http://www.palmoilhealth.org and nih.gov (national institute of health) – multiple research studies on the use of palm oil as a Vitamin A replacement for deficiencies.
I used an oil-based soap that contained mostly palm oil, omg never again.
If I eat a carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin or orange squash…I am near-certifiable (lock down lol) for days :0
I feel like a super freak…but I’m literally a human barometer. I am so OCD about what I eat and put on my body now. I will definitely take your advice and eat even less eggs but seriously, they do not seem to activate any symptoms. I’ve been so desperate to put weight back on but I’m aware that animal sources of A are more toxic and can build in our already over-taxed systems unlike plants. Thanks for the reminder girl!
If anyone has favorite breakfast recipes or ideas with a focus on protein…lmk!!!
Hi, I also had vitamin A toxicity after using retin A
I used it for 8 months, and I’m still getting symptoms 5 years on. My symptoms are hairloss, blepharitis, skin sensitivity on face, bad bloating and IBS
Would a vitamin A free diet help? I also suffer really bad when I eat anything with vitamin A in it. Eggs, butter and chilli are the worst ever.
Hi Am,
Hang in there! You may find the previous posts helpful from June/July! Theoretically, if you consume animal products with vitamin A, use fish oil or other animal-based supplements, or synthetic vitamin A topically, then there is a possibility that you would not get better. These forms are stored in the body and will continue to accumulate in a hypervitaminosis A state.
I am assuming you have had follow up with a primary care provider to rule out other causes…Have you seen a GI specialist for your IBS and bloating? You may want to consider incorporating natural probiotics like fermented sauerkraut and coconut kefir in your diet- both are no A and safe. I recommend the book “the microbiome solution” by chutkan for further details.
Hi Cole. Thanks for replying, really appreciate it. I have been to every Dr there is. I’ve been to a gastroenterologist for my bloating. She said it’s just IBS. Did all the tests, everything is normal. I’ve tried saukeraut and symprove , but neither made a difference. I guess I just need to actually go vitamin A free to see a difference. I’m assuming if I’m getting symptoms then I still have vitamin A stored in my fat cells or liver?
Hello Cole!
I’ve been healing since November and I definitely have my ups and downs. My symptoms developed rather quickly. I only used the product for 12 days in total after having headaches and pressure along with extreme fatigue and brain fog. The worst of my symptoms that have been lingering after 9 months is the brain fog. I am working on this and it’s not easy but I’m determined. I also want to add that I used a product imported from Mexico and I do know regulations for pharmaceuticals vary from country to country. Either way this was poison. I’m sorry to hear your still suffering after one year. Try your best to limit your vitamin a. Try 0% vitamin A for a month or so. I did that and now I’m having things like green beans and blueberries. For a few months I consumed absolutely no vitamin a and it was helpful. Strawberries can be your fruit and cauliflower a staple veggie. No fish. Chicken, beef, and turkey seemed good.
I also suggest making sure all your other levels are normal. Thyroid and vitamin levels particularly.
As I’m sure you’ve read from everyone’s experiences that this is a long road. It’s rocky and healing takes a long time but I do believe it can and will happen. We reshape our brains. Reroute our wiring. It may not ever be the same but it will be okay and I am determined to live just as long.
Stay strong!!
Ashley W.
P.S. Hi Lori! I do not see all the messages when I scroll. Do you know why? I only receive them in my email inbox.
Ashley,
I love how you take time to reply to others and encourage them. Thank you. Its beneficial. to me too! I too am going on a yr and still have brain fog but my diet still has A in it. So hard to do no A. . I pray for you all and thankful for this blog.
I too went through a period where my thyroid was out of balance. So scary.
Keep up the good work encouraging others!❤
Julie
Thank you, Julie! I’m so glad to hear from you! Blessings to you and your family.
Ashley
Ashley,
Thanks so much for responding, you are such a sweetheart! I completely agree with you, RETIN-A IS POISON!!!
After almost a year, I figured out a low-A lifestyle that works for me. I only seem to get symptoms when I try new things or eat out at a restaurant 🙁 I just never thought I’d still be experiencing this 11 months out!! Thanks for sharing your story…it helps 🙂
What we put on our skin matters too.
I commented about personal care products above- beware!!! Vitamin A hides in many places.
As for food…in the beginning I lost 10lbs ..I’m already a twig, so I looked unhealthy and frequently received many comments about my weight lol! Omg people, sometimes. I was paranoid to eat too much of anything really, my symptoms were so severe in the beginning. Now, I’m back to my normal weight, so improving 🙂
If this helps anyone,
My whole food low vitamin A food plan:
I seem to tolerate skinless chicken breasts and wild salmon…so I’ve gotten creative with recipes lol. I can tolerate eggs but I don’t eat a lot…yolks do contain Vit A but in low amounts (at least from my google research). As for other proteins, beans are fine. Tofu and tempeh pass the test too. For breakfast, I make a tofu scramble or bean hash (Pinterest recipes). Hard boiled eggs here and there. Sometimes steel cut oatmeal with cashew milk. Avocados with beans and a squeeze of lemon.
Any vegetable or fruit less than 20% Vitamin A, I seem to tolerate without a problem. This includes zucchini, yellow summer squash, asparagus, white potatoes, purple potatoes (not sweet), onions, cabbage (both green and purple), green pepper ONLY and mushrooms. Still not tolerating brussels or broccoli yet but symptoms are less severe 11 months since discontinuing Retin-A.
I eat fruits sparingly….blueberries, raspberries, strawberries are low A. (I eat a low sugar diet to control my acne…it works!)
Most herbs are ok. Mint and Rosemary have higher amounts of Vitamin A than the others, so use with caution.
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews seem to be ok and dark chocolate of course 😉 Watch out for any nut butters…a lot of store brands contain PALM oil which is extremely high in Vitamin A. I buy single ingredient almond butter. Brown rice and quinoa are also good.
Coconut and avocado oils are well tolerated for cooking.
Foods I cannot tolerate (exacerbate symptoms to near intolerable): ghee or butter. Pumpkin seeds. Also spices, cayenne, chili powder, paprika are not my friends…that one took me awhile to figure out lol. Not tolerating any greens either unfortunately, I am waiting for the day!!! I have tried a steak and pork chop here and there … seem to be ok and not acutely ill but idk. Treading slowly.
Trial and error…still learning but this is working for me so far. Hope this is helpful! I would love to hear what everyone else is eating, what has been working and not working. Always here for any questions or comments. -cole
Hi all!
Some of the cheeses I’ve come across do not list vitamin A on the list of vitamins and minerals. It will list the vitamin D, calcium ect but no vitamin A mention whatsoever. I am avoiding the vitamin A entirely so would this be 100% reliable?
Is it reliable in every instance?
I know that the answer is somewhere out in the www but just thought I’d check with you all first.
Thanks,
Ashley W
Hi guys,
It’s been 15 days straight I left using retinal a, I have no more headache and I’m getting back to normal.
But my acne is nt getting better after I stopped using retin a cream , I’m confused what to do? Please some one help me with this
Anyone else have any of these symptoms related to vitamin A overdose: Anger issues? Short temper? Negative personality? Overly judgemental? Repetitive negative thoughts?
If so, did those thoughts go away after you avoided vitamin A for 6+ months?
Hi Mike,
It is well documented that vitamin a overdose can induce irritability. As far as your particular symptoms go, I can only assume that the irritability could bring about more intense emotions of anger.
My advice would be to make sure you remind yourself as the emotions arise that this is not part of you and to avoid acting during these moments.
I cannot personally say I have experienced the intense emotions but I do have moments of irritability.
I hope this helps and I hope you can figure out how to work through these intense emotions. I can imagine this would be a scary thing to be experiencing.
Ashley W
Rahul,
Hello!
Definitely take Brian’s advice with heavy metals. He is extremely knowledgeable and has been through this with tretinoin.
I know this is a lot and there has been damage but you will heal and as your healing you will get used to this new strange “feeling” in your brain. In the beginning it was rough for me. I knew the way I was seeing was so off and I was panicking every day. Please be strong. I promise that it will get better.
There are many moments these days that I do not think about the poisoning and that is promising.
I’m sorry your going through this and anytime you need to get questions answered I will be happy to answer them. There are pretty amazing peeps on this comment board as well.
Stay strong Rahul.
If you live in the US please report this to the FDA.
~Ashley
Hi Ashley,
It’s been 15 days straight I have stopped using retin a now I’m feeling better and I’m getting back to normal.
But my acne is nt getting better after I stopped using retin a cream, I’m confused what to do??
Could you please give me some suggestions on how to deal with this.
Hello, Rahul,
I’m sorry to hear the acne isn’t clearing up. I also know that retin-A poison does help with acne. I’m glad your feeling better too and I want to remind you now that you cannot use the retin a moving forward to help with the acne. It is not safe and your reactions will just come back. I used retin a for 12 days and here I am, 6 months later, still dealing with mild symptoms.
The good news is that retina is not the only thing in the world that works for acne. I will add a link at the bottom of a woman who gives her own story with tretinoin and offers alternatives.
Ashley
https://www.truthinaging.com/review/a-month-of-tretinoin-vitamin-a
Hi Ashley
Thanks for taking your time and helping me out , I used retin a for 2 and half months , for the first two months I used to take it once in two days, later I start to use it daily for 2 weeks then problem started to occur , my skin started getting itchy and my brain wasn’t like before. The moment i realised retin a is the culprit. I quit using it and found this article and following the steps seriously. It’s been a week i quit using retin and my skin isn’t itchy anymore but my brain is nt getting better. Does my brain ever get better or should I need to deal with this for the rest of my life?
Rahul,
Did you ingest retinol or did you use retin-a?
Ashley
Rahul,
I’m so very sorry to hear you have been poisoned by this terrible product. They should have taken this sh** of the market years ago. It makes me mad to know this is happening to you.
I want to you to know the symptoms will lighten up. Your brain is most likely inflamed and needs time to calm the inflammation.
During the beginning stages I was feeling intense pressure and confusion. You need to be drinking a lot of water right now. You also need to consume absolutely NO beta carotene or vitamin a. This will mean no eggs, butter, milk or veggies other than cauliflower and strawberries. Just for a bit anyway. I am 6 months post toxicity and doing better but I am far from back to normal. I have to be totally real with you about that. I am still struggling but I am still finishing up my school year and able to participate in my sons activities.
This will get better! Please believe this and know that I have come along way since this happened. You will too. Please keep me posted on your progress. I know there will be some.
Ashley
Could anyone pls tell me how long will the brain pressure be there, it’s been a week I discontinued retinol after getting side effects. Pressure in the brain still exist , though it decrease at times when I drink lot of water but the moment I start drinking less water I feel like brain dead, someone pls help me give a remedy for this pain
Hello Ad,
I definitely feel like I was having symptoms of intracranial hypertension and brought this hypothesis to my doctor who completely dismissed it after an eye exam and an MRI.
I know she is just ignorant to the toxicity of retin-a and accutane along with vitamin a.
My question is does the venous sinus stenosis show up on mri with out contrast? My mri was normal but I did have a punctate lesion in my subcortical left region. My doctor was not worried about this. However I did find a study linking these punctate lesions to reduced brain blood flow during a period of time.
I do not experience the headaches like I did in November. Now I experience on and off days. On off days I am tired and visually feel like I’m in a dream with mild head aches and mild eye pain upon moving. On good days I feel these symptoms to a much lesser degree. I am not overweight. I am 5’6” 130lbs. I’m usually pretty active also and have found this challenging during this experience. I’ve been “imprisoned” by my body. Due to my own poisoning of course.
I do not want to have an mri with contrast so hopefully there is a way to check for this with out that.
Many thanks,
Ashley
Hi Ashley
I have used retinol for two months and later discontinued it. I’m facing the same symptoms as you , I haven’t consulted a doctor yet it’s been a week I’m facing such problems in my brain feels like my brain is in pressure, confused state. Could you pls tell me how long this symptoms will be there? Is there any remedy for this?
Rahul,
More than likely, the brain will heal. But, you have to do a couple of things. First, avoid all foods with preformed vitamin A and perhaps minimize foods with beta-carotene for an extended period of time. Eventually, beta-carotene won’t be a problem but it could be a while before that happens.
Second, you need to avoid all inorganic metals. This is tricky and most people here are probably not aware that this is an issue. It is been hypothesized by some scientists that vitamin A toxicity alters intestinal absorption characteristics along with increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In addition to this, vitamin A is electron-rich and will donate an electron to oxidized metals like iron, aluminum, copper, and manganese. After these metals receive the electron, they are extremely likely to donate the electron to oxygen in the blood. This produces superoxide which goes on to form hydrogen peroxide, inducing a cascade of events that lead to the production of peroxynitrite and a few other reactive nitrogen species. This causes a number of changes that lead to inappropriate cell death.
Metals that are naturally present in foods are not likely to be a problem because they are packaged and processed by the body differently from metals added to the food. Avoid ALL supplements with iron, copper, or manganese added. Avoid ALL foods fortified with iron, copper, or manganese. Read the ingredients list of everything you consume. If it said something like “reduced iron…” or “copper” do NOT eat it. Also, avoid all foods packaged in aluminum and do not cook with aluminum cookware. Aluminum can leach into the food and cause problems when excess vitamin A is present.
I made the mistake of taking an iron supplement about a week after stopping the vitamin A last year. The experience was frightening and I thought I was going to die. It made the brain damage being done by the vitamin A markedly worse within hours of taking it.
Everyone here should heed this advice. Inorganic metals added to food will potentiate the toxicity of excess vitamin A.
The good news in your case is that retin A is only retinoic acid, not retinol. Normally in the body, retinol is reversibly oxidized to retinal. This means that the body can convert retinal back into retinol as needed. However, retinal is irreversibly oxidized to retinoic acid, so it cannot take retinoic acid and convert it back into retinol for storage. Your symptoms will likely disappear much more quickly as the retinoic acid is degraded and mostly not stored.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the insights , I’m feeling relieved after reading this. I have an query regarding your earlier comment were you mentioned excess vitamin e intake will negates excess vitamin a toxicity.
I thought of trying almonds , but the composition of almonds includes iron,manganese , so I’m in a dilemma should I need to go for almonds or not?
Hi Brian
Iam on vitamin d toxic and not vitamin a, i dont have high calcium only lot of side effects. It is almosy same problem you have with vitamin a toxic and I get same problem when i take a iron pill, feel i die, my heart run very fast and lot of anxiety, i get also this problem with magnesium.
Do you think it is same problem you have? Sorry for my english Iam from norway.
Hi Brian, what do you think about Dr Carolyn Dean’s ReMag?
Hi Rahul,
You are not alone…I used topical retina-A for 1.5 years and developed awful symptoms as described previously. It has been almost a year since I last used, I still experience symptoms- definitely improving though but very very slowly.
A couple things I have learned along the way…aside from a low Vit A diet, it is important to read the labels of skin care/personal care products as this may exacerbate symptoms. Think soaps, shampoos/conditioners, lotions, deodorants and even natural toothpastes- basically anything that you use on your body. Our skin is like a giant sponge!
The obvious ingredient to stay away from is retinol palmitate (this is mostly found in cosmetics and eye creams) but Vit A also hides in palm oil derivatives like ethylhexyl palmitate and carnauba wax. Also, a lot of natural essential oils like rose and apricot contain high amounts of Vit A. I bought a natural detergent (not thinking) with geranium oil and had panic episodes and brain fog for a few days…crazy! I’ve read that beeswax, jojoba oil and shea butter can contain high amounts of vitamin A,, so I have stayed clear. I’m still learning everyday…I finally have a skincare routine down now that doesn’t exacerbate symptoms, so if I try something new, I know if it doesn’t agree with me pretty quick.
As for acne, for me, when I changed my diet, I noticed a huge difference. Aside from a low A diet, I eliminated sugars and dairy. I eat a maximum of 6-8 tsp of sugar a day (this includes natural sugars from fruits, honey etc). It took about 2 months to notice a difference but wow! Honestly, my skin has never looked better. Wayyyyy better than with that toxic Retin-A!!! Youtube Sarah Wilson Iquitsugar…she did a lecture for google that is really good. I also try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and meditate for 20 min…Headspace is a great app for this and I think they have a free trial 🙂
For clear skin, it is important to exfoliate 2-3x per week. My favorites are glycolic and lactic acid peels…I buy from ASDM Beverly Hills and taught myself how to use at home. I use their products because they are 1-2 ingredients without any Vit A and made from natural sources. I make my own neutralizer with sodium bicarb and water (google DIY recipes). This is basically what retin-a does.
Find a gentle soap you like…currently I am using Vanicream gentle soap and an organic 2 ingredient olive oil soap from Penns Hill. I have been using a toner/serum and nutrition moisturizer cream from the brand Pyunkang yul (it’s Korean with a minimal ingredient list) and have been tolerating without any Vit A symptoms. I sometimes use Vanicream’s lite lotion too. I am not a fan of vaseline because it is petroleum-based but it does act as a great emollient at bedtime to help lock in moisture until we can tolerate more natural alternatives IE: egyptian magic, alba botanica un-petroleum jelly. Sometimes I use face oils to help moisturize …I have found that coconut oil breaks me out and sweet almond oil does not and I seem to tolerate it too.
If I can help in any way, please let me know! In a way, I’m thankful that this happened, It has set me on a new journey and I feel like I have a deeper understanding of compassion for others. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else, ever! I’m so sorry you are not feeling well, just know that there are others experiencing this with you.
Take care,
Cole
P.S. Lori!!!! Thank you for being so brave, open and honest about your experience. If it weren’t for this site, I would truly be crumbling mentally…this here, has kept me strong. So grateful I have found others who understand! This condition in not taken seriously in the medical field and is beyond debilitating at times- the provider knowledge-deficit is unacceptable, really. I have hope and truly appreciate everyone’s vulnerable contributions. We will ALL get through this! Spread the word….Vitamin A awareness
Thank you so much Cole! So happy to hear it is helpful. I know when I had vitamin A toxicity I couldn’t find much information on it at all.
Thank you for the info! I too found an almond milk which has not been fortified with vitamin-a. My first choice is Mooala and my second choice is calafia but the calafia is fortified with calcium.
Can you believe they fortify almond milk with vitamin-a? It’s already in everything. (Well almost)
Ashley
For those interested, I finally discovered a vitamin A-free milk.
It is frustrating that food companies are compelled to fortify foods with vitamin A. All low-fat or fat-free milk in supermarkets has vitamin A added to it.
However, I found a dry milk on Amazon from Bob’s Red Mill that has zero vitamin A.
It’s actually pretty good. I double up on the amount of powder to put into the water which gives it a texture very similar to whole milk.
Brian,
That’s hard to hear. 😔
Did you ever get better or feel better after you were poisoned (so to speak) with accutane?
I just want to understand what could be happening to me. Did I use retin-a and cause permanent damage? Or did I Store this toxin up and now my body is slowly getting rid of it.
Or maybe I’m recovering from the damage that was done.
I’d like to think one day this will all be a vague memory. However I do fear this has done damage and that is very discouraging.
Ashley
I can’t say for sure. Maybe a little of both. But, humans have an amazing ability to heal from some pretty gruesome injuries, including brain damage.
Although I still see intermittent toxicity signs, I seem to have hit some sort of milestone at exactly one year of virtually no vitamin A intake (I get probably 100 IU per day or so just incidentally from food). This is the longest in my entire life that I have eaten a low vitamin A diet and in some respects am starting to feel mentally like a cloud is being lifted that has been there since childhood.
I have videos of me from an early age in which I was totally different. I was social, loud, full of energy and full of enthusiasm. Somewhere around age 8 or 9, that completely fell apart and I became reserved, quiet, anxious, and introverted. I wonder if this has anything to do with vitamin A. I think the lowest daily amount of vitamin A I consumed in my entire life up until the overdose was probably 2000-2500 IU per day because of fortified cereals, milk, cheese and the like. Since I now consider even this small amount to be an overdose, it makes me wonder if I wasn’t just suffering from chronic hypervitaminosis A my whole life. No way to know for sure.
Stay vitamin A-free for long enough, and you will likely recover. You might even feel better than you did before the overdose if you keep your intake low enough for long enough. I plan to only get very tiny amounts (less than 800 IU per day, probably more like 300 IU max per day) for the rest of my life.
Ashley,
There are a number of studies online about vitamin A toxicity (Retin A, specifically, too) and Pseudotumor Cerebri that say people recover after stopping the excess vitamin A consumption. However, I’ve read on message boards that people still suffer even several years after stopping Accutane, Retin A, or supplements. My best guess is that people who still have symptoms after 2 years is because they *still* have too much vitamin A stored in their system or, more likely, they have lasting damage to blood vessels in the brain. With intracranial hypertension, many people develop venous sinus stenosis, which is basically a narrowing of the venous channels in the brain that causes the flow of cerebral spinal fluid out of the brain to slow to the point that there’s increased pressure/ too much CSF around the brain.
Of course, you may not have PTC, but your exposure to Retin A and symptoms make it a possibility. Since you weren’t on it for very long, I’m sure it’ll clear up within the next year or two. If you’re overweight, losing the excess fat could make all the difference in the world – some people don’t even need meds! That’s the approach my doctor and I are taking at the moment.
Brian,
Do you suspect or know if retinoic acid (accutane or retin-a) can or does Store in the body the same way that vitamin-a (retinol/retinal) does?
Ashley
Ashley W,
Although I am sure the body can store some modest amount of it (the body stores lots of water-soluble things like vitamin C and the B vitamins), due to the fact that it is so much more water-soluble, it is much easier for the body to clear out retinoic acid. Vitamin A metabolism probably evolved this way because it is so much more toxic than say retinol or retinal.
Accutane is a structural isomer of retinoic acid and should not be retained like retinyl esters are. Although, I do believe that Accutane causes permanent damage. I was never the same after taking my course of it back in 2000. I believe the body may build an immune response to both it and real vitamin A because of the damage that Accutane causes. Real vitamin A gets caught up in the confusion because it is structurally so similar to Accutane and so the body becomes intolerant to anything resembling vitamin A. This is pure speculation but is something I am interested in studying once I have my Ph.D.
I believe humans evolved consuming mostly beta-carotene and probably got only tiny amounts of retinol from fish and animal flesh except for the rare occasion when someone would eat a bunch of liver and die from it.
Something I noticed over the last year is that my heels always looked like they were peeling from a sunburn. Severely cracked, dry, and peeling all over the heel. This started right around the time I realized I had overdosed on vitamin A and continued for this entire year.
I just noticed last night that my heels have finally returned back to being totally smooth. Only a tiny bit of remaining peeling.
I think this might be a good marker for excess vitamin A levels. This is a well-known symptom of vitamin A toxicity. I took so much vitamin A that it took an entire year for this to subside. That’s pretty scary.
Now that you mention it, I had the exact same symptoms with the severely cracked and dry heel and tried over and over to keep them exfoliated and moisturized, but nothing ever helped, my heels were always awful. I checked them just now for the first time in a long time, and they’re smooth!! Haven’t done anything special to them since at least last August. Wow!
Hello AD,
I’m confused on one of your posts. Did you get intracranial hypertension and papilliadema from the retin-a prescription or the retinoic acid you ordered from India or both? I used retin-a for 12 days and had seriously toxic effects from it. I’ve been suffering for 6 months and still not back to normal.
I definitely feel like I’ve have swollen optic nerves which I feel as pain behind my eyes but had an optic exam with dilation a month after this all happened and they said my eyes looked totally normal.
I still have eye pain. Do you have a feeling when you look around that your looking at a dream land? I feel like my eyes do not see “right”. Not sure that makes much sense.
Ashley
Ashley,
I’m really not sure how I got PTC or papilledema, could have been either the retinoic acid or prescribed Retin A. I actually didn’t tell my doctor about the retinoic acid, only about the prescribed Retin A, and he told me to stop using it immediately because he thinks it’s the culprit. He’s going to check my eyes again in 2 months and order a lumbar puncture and get me started on meds if my eyes are worse or haven’t improved. Not looking forward to it!
It’s great that your eye exam came out normal, and I’m not trying to scare you, but several people who have PTC don’t have papilledema or sometimes develop it later. If I were you, I’d go see an ophthalmologist (not the optometrist, though they can spot papilledema, too, just probably not as familiar with PTC) and tell him your symptoms – pain behind the eyes for 6 months at a time definitely doesn’t sound normal. They’ll do the standard eye test, dialate the pupils, and perform an angiogram where they’ll take photos of the vessels and nerves and probably order an MRI scan with contrast.
My symptoms started out as an excruciating, severe migraine that lasted 3 full months and once it stopped, I was left with pain behind my right eye that stretches all the way back to my brain. I actually developed this killler migraine when I started taking the retinoic acid from India, and the pain behind my right eye is noticeably less painful now that I’ve stopped using the prescribed Retin A (been off for about 2 weeks now) but my vision loss seems a little worse recently. I didn’t use them both at the same time, just decided to get a prescription once my retinoic acid tube was gone and I couldn’t find a seller on EBay.
What you’re describing does make sense to me and I have read similar symptoms on PTC forums. Mine are a little different. Sometimes when I’m very stressed or tired, vision in my right eye will sort of fade out to gray/white like it does when people stand up too fast and have low blood pressure. I’ve read elsewhere that other people with PTC don’t experience head aches at all and only sometimes have pain behind one or both the eyes that can hurt with eye movement or just randomly.
Do you ever get tinnitus that seems to pulsate in sync with your heartbeat? That’s another telltale sign that some people experience. For me this usually only happens when I’m in bed, and it feels like my whole head is pulsating with this high pitched sound and gets better if I straighten out my neck and correct my posture, which makes sense given that you can lower CSF pressure on your brain simply by doing this or by elevating your upper body to a 45 degree angle so that you’re not lying completely flat.
If anyone is interested:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/27117846/
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/62/1/62_12/_article
Good study from Tokyo by a group specializing in DHEA and VA research.
DHEA has shown to decrease hepatic VA a lot.
Supplementation with DHEA decreased hepatic VA by 60% in only 2 weeks in this study.
I would use DHEA or 7 Keto DHEA to replicate the study.
7 keto DHEA would probably be better as it’s not converted rapidly and retains the same form for a long time, while DHEA is rapidly converted to Estrogen, testosterone and others.
Mechanisms are: inducing VA catabolizing enzymes by activating RAR RXR and CAR, preventing absorption and retention by inhibiting LRAT (esterification enzyme for VA)
It could help possibly if you’re experiencing significant symptoms and slow recovery.
Did it makes any difference for you?
Hi, did dhea helped with vitamin a toxicity?
Thanks!
Hey all,
Just wanted to add that many of you are showing symptoms of Pseudotumor Cerebri and papiliedema caused by vitamin A toxicity. Go to an ophthalmologist and get your optic nerves checked out – especially those of you experiencing visual disturbances. Weight loss is a major part of treatment as well as medication to reduce CSF/pressure around the brain. Good luck, and I wish everyone a speedy recovery!
Very interesting conversation. My toxicity occurred from retinoic acid. Even applied to my skin it has caused my body to mimic that of vitamin a toxicity. I think I’m going to read both e-books.
Hi Ashley,
I have had terrible hypervitaminosis from topical retinoic acid.
I’m trying to sue the company and would appreciate speaking to anyone who has had a similar experience.
My email address is: [email protected] if you’d like to get in touch – would be great to hear from you and how you’re doing now.
Cheers,
Sarah
Oh please sue them , they are manufacturing decencies for monetary profits , as evil as it can get
Also, he admits in his own book that vitamin A bound to retinol-binding protein is harmless. This directly contradicts his assertion that it is harmful in any amount.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062617
https://www.aligngi.com/en-us/about-align/align-probiotic-supplement
Could this help?
This probiotic induces RALDH, the enzymes that convert Retinol to Retinoic acid.
The result is higher VA expenditure and elimination.
(Read the study. Not just the product sales page.)
Have you not read the linked ebooks? Retinoic acid is quite toxic (early chemo drug). I think it is what is actually causing the major issues (but it might be both forms). The author pretty much eats roast beef and rice. It sounds like you should probably hunker down and do the same for several months. Begin Qigong in your spare time, also.
https://ggenereux.blog/
I have read through those ebooks to a degree and must respectfully disagree with them.
There is a large amount of evidence that vitamin A is indeed a vitamin as evidenced by the fact that there are enzymes specifically evolved to process vitamin A and there are cell and nuclear receptors specific to vitamin A, especially in the eyes.
Although I do think people are overdosing on vitamin A chronically because the recommendations for consumption are too high, those ebooks come across as conspiracy theory material. They intimate that we are being poisoned with vitamin A on purpose to create profits. This is an assumption that really isn’t supported by the evidence. I have come across people similar to this over the years, and every time they have proven themselves to be incorrect.
If the government wanted to poison us, it could find much easier and more effective methods than this.
The author is talking more about blatant scientific fraud, rationalization, or just botched science regarding vitamin A. Between the Accutane side effects, the established birth defects, the terrible third-world vitamin A supplement outcomes, and the skin cancer study he discusses that for some reason took 10 years (and was clearly tampered with to downplay the evidence condemning retinol), I certainly resonate with his view that something is amiss (but it could just be prevailing dogma filtering out dissenting data). Regardless, you have not addressed his evidence contradicting the currently held beliefs on vitamin A (it’s a hormone, actually, just like vitamin D). He has raised a couple gerbils totally free of vitamin A and they are doing fine, thus debunking the early rat studies where they died in 10 weeks (he goes into detail on this study and where they messed it up, unaware they were actually poisoning the rats with retinoic acid and confused deficiency with toxicity). Take the time to read through both books and you will see he has laid out an impressive case linking vitamin A to all these mysterious diseases that share symptoms with chronic vitamin A toxicity. There are retinol receptors, which isn’t surprising, as the substance is so common in nature, but the amount required (which he now thinks as not required at all) is way less than what most of us consume (it should not be added to milk, cereal, or multivitamins, and cod liver oil should not be mistaken as a health product). The implications are staggering if he is correct, and I believe this is a top priority for all us online folks to start bringing attention to so we can find out if he is right.
There wouldn’t be receptors for it in the body if we hadn’t been consuming it or converting beta-carotene into it since we evolved. Therefore, at the very least, it is innocuous when consumed in small amounts and is more than likely required for the bodily functions that numerous studies have shown it to be required for. He picks apart studies from the 1920’s which is really bizarre considering many modern experiments have shown the necessity of vitamin A, studies that are (obviously) far more rigorous than the ones being conducted 100 years ago.
I agree with him on some of his points. But, he takes it too far by claiming that it isn’t even required. He cites his 4 year period of consuming zero vitamin A as evidence of this. But, this is perilous because it can take an extraordinary amount of time for the vitamin A to completely leave the system and, considering that the requirements are probably quite low, a deficiency might not be noticed for many more years than his 4 year period depending on how much was stored in his liver/adipose tissue at the time he quit consuming it.
He asserts that there is fraud specifically regarding vitamin A but does not present direct evidence of this. It is pure speculation on his part. A more reasonable hypothesis is that the scientific community made a mistake with regard to how much is required and this mistake has not been corrected. No sinister intent is necessary and it is much more likely.
Hey Evan,
If this person is so advanced in his research on VA, then he should be able to answer this question very easily:
If we don’t need VA, what is the diet one can maintain without VA that still provides the nutrients we need such as VC and VK?
There is no natural option.
And the majority of people living in first world countries, everyone I know, look and feel perfectly fine following a normal diet which has substantial VA sources (eggs, dairy, spinach, etc). They even thrive on these foods.
And before you formulate a retort which won’t convince anyone:
Why not direct your attention to actually solving the problem instead?
Yes. The solution is:
1. To maintain a minimal VA diet.
But it can in fact be accelerated, recovery can occur in months rather than years, if you’re also capable of making elimination and depletion faster.
How?
Identify the enzymes responsible and induce them.
Or, inhibit absorption, or increase biliary losses.
That’s all I’m trying to do while minimizing intake. Because it’s the constructive thing to do.
And why induce RALDH and conversion to RA?
Because RA induces its own catabolism and elimination. Retinol itself does it.
Converting it to RA is a faster way of depleting it.
And right now, I know my toxicity is causes by retinol. Not RA. Even a minute amount of Retinol causes toxicity, and conversion can’t possibly be that rapid and 100% to RA to occur just after administration.
And our common problem is excessive amounts of retinyl ester stored in the body, because that’s what we administered. It’d the storage form. The problem is that our intake vastly exceeded our expenditure.
So, rather than only maintaining a VA free diet (which is abnormal and quite miserable) for several years, try to find a faster way.
Study the physics and physiology of it, less verbal theories.
I am on your side here, guys. But both ebooks are worth reading regardless of agreement on whatever role normal VA intake plays. As the author points out, VA isn’t a problem until the liver and fatty tissues get saturated, and then big time problems after that (essentially his hypothesis). So, yes, a varied diet is great…unless you are are full of VA. The author is over 3 years into his zero VA diet and his conditions have only improved. I know there are concerns of other deficiencies, but roast beef and rice as his staple are serving him well for the time being (he may take VC and B’s, I am not sure). He will welcome your comments and input (comment on his site or even email him). He is selling nothing, just trying to get to the truth. For the knowledge he has amassed, he would be a good mind to bounce ideas off of (I mentioned Teprenone to him, and he plans to look into it). I agree we should find another way to get rid of this stuff, but he hasn’t found anything yet but avoidance.
RA induces its own elimination. Retinol does not.*
Just a correction.
(RA activates RAR which induces CYP26, responsible for selectively degrading RA. Retinol, is just a storage form which doesn’t degrade itself. Although it has toxic effects when it circulated without binding proteins and when in excess.
The only way to eliminate VA is via induction of: CYP (1A 2B 3A), UGTs, and by conversion to retinoic acid which is subsequently degraded.
An alternative pathway is interruption of bile acid reabsorption, and biliary losses, as it circulates in bile. But that also causes losses of everything else that circulates in bile.
LRAT ARAT inhibition has also shown promise as it shuts down absorption and retention of VA, as it can’t be esterified to enter circulation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9230184/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1352312/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730205/
The CYP26 enzymes have been shown to metabolize RA efficiently and they are also inducible by RA in selected systems.
http://pathwaymaps.com/maps/881
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11306068
https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article/101/1/51/1659120
(The last study is very interesting, on the role of Aldehyde dehydrogenases in VA detoxification, and the nuclear receptor regulation of these.)
Va depletion can be induced pharmacologically.
Hi,
Thanks for the support.
I know in the back of my mind that the only natural solution is to minimize intake. Just as with all forms of toxicity, the cure is simply removal of the cause.
But as I’m already doing this, while life’s pressures are increasing and ability slowly decreases, I have to explore other options while I’m physically able.
Cause of my condition:
VA intake of 2000-3000 IU retinol for 2.5 years, along with a final elevation in intake due to adding cod liver oil, multivitamin and some chicken liver every other day. I also believe teas/herbs such as green tea and yerba mate contributed to it.
As VA intake increased, symptoms went along. Only too late did I realize it was the cause.
Now I’m maintaining daily function by minimizing intake and adding what accelerates VA elimination.
My next tests will be “PB-like inducers” such as Artemisinin and Chrysin.
As PB has been proven in studies to cause VA depletion via CAR agonism.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/000629528990155X
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3819877/
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6c6b/229078462650e352747ae98a011d53ad968b.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwigjtrZ3vDaAhVBlpQKHcKMAugQFjAEegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2roDMrN_8JtAyhmUV6OSo7
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC109151/
https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/constitutive-androstane-receptor/#WhatIncreases_CAR
(Artemisinin is the only potent CAR agonist other than PB.
Chrysin may also be an agonist)
Judging from the research I’ve read, it’s perfectly reasonable that CAR could act as a receptor that causes VA catabolism when activated.
AhR, PXR and other nuclear receptors do not have this effect, that can be used consistently.
What CAR does is specifically induces Aldehyde and Retinal oxidases/dehydrogenases along with CYP that break down Retinol aswell.
Thanks for your support all.
If I come upon a cure, I will report it here. If I see any marked improvement, I will report it here.
And if I report nothing more this year, you know why.
Hi Sk!
I’m so sorry your suffering. There is nothing I can tell that you do not already know. I know you’ve exhausted all options.
The only bit of advice I can give you is what advice I give myself every….single……day. And that is too hold onto hope that one day you will have a normal life again. I still have vision issues, head aches, extreme brain fog, gastrointestinal issues, and more. I have let go of trying to understand any of this. I have completely surrendered and there is some peace here. I will pray for you today. Stay strong.
~Ashley
Hi,
Has anyone found a faster way to correct this problem yet?
Or any way to correct it whatsoever?
I can’t work anymore.
I’m only 28.
I want my normal life and body back…
Please.
No faster way brother , I am also 28 years old , had this problem since I was 26 . I can feel your pain, I feel like my past two years have been taken away mercilessly from me . There is no faster way to correct as you must be knowing more than me , many of us tested few other products/drugs to make recovery faster , but simply didn’t work . However , Since past 2 years of toxicity , I have seen improvements , still I am not 100% recovered ., but I have faith in letting the time pass , and one fine day I hope I will be without any remaining symptoms and I can lead a normal healthy life .
I hope this helps!
Sk,
Approximately how many IUs of retinol did you consume in total?
I have experienced two separate bouts of vitamin A toxicity. The first bout came after eating a diet that contained roughly 2500 IU per day for 6 years (keep in mind that this is 500 IU BELOW the current recommended daily allowance and is why I believe this recommendation is way too high.). However, I was stupid at the time and did not realize it was vitamin A causing the problem. I unknowingly corrected it when I switched my diet to a zero vitamin A diet.
Then, a year later I took 100,000 IU per day for about 5 weeks. I had the same symptoms but they were far more severe. This works out to about 3.5 million IUs of vitamin A in total. I calculated a rough half-life and determined that it could take me up to 4 YEARS (that’s right, 4 YEARS) to completely get rid of all of it. So, my symptoms are still lingering and are only slowly improving over time.
Keep the vitamin A intake at zero and you should heal slowly.
I did the same thing – calculated the entire amount I took and determined the half-life. I think mine came out to almost 2 years. I based it on a study that showed the half-life in the liver of pigs.
I fiund that getting my vitamin d levels checked. Getting out in sunlight. Ecercize, zinc, and magnesium glycenate helped me recover much faster. I do believe D and A work together and low vitamin D with too much vitamin can make you nutso. It would be interesting to see if people’s symptombs improve in the summer. May I ask why you are taking vitamin A in the first place? People usually take it for skin issues, which can add to depression
Crystal,
I must disagree here. Vitamin A actually makes me intolerant of vitamin D. If I take vitamin D or get sunshine while vitamin A is in my system, I develop a cardiac arrhythmia (lots of premature ventricular contractions) and begin trembling and convulsing. However, when I take vitamin D or get sunshine while I don’t have significant amounts of vitamin A in my system, I can take as much as I want without any ill effects. I have tried taking vitamin D a few times since stopping the vitamin A and every time I develop a cardiac arrhythmia and have to stop.
Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council has written a lot about this. Vitamin A weakly binds to the same receptors in the nucleus of cells that vitamin D binds. Vitamin D controls the expression of a large number of genes by binding to these receptors. When vitamin A binds to these receptors, it prevents vitamin D from activating these genes. I also have to disagree with Dr. Chris Masterjohn on this subject. Vitamin D may prevent some of the toxic effects of vitamin A involving calcium metabolism, but I do not think it prevents the toxic effects outside of calcium metabolism.
I was taking between 20,000 IU and 30,000 IU of vitamin D3 at the time of my vitamin A overdose. My blood levels of vitamin D at the time during which my symptoms were at their worst was 189 ng/ml which is nearing the toxic range. This large amount of vitamin D did absolutely nothing to stop the toxic effects of the vitamin A and actually made things worse because of the intolerance of vitamin D that vitamin A seems to cause in me.
Dr. Cannell also pointed out in his writings that it only takes a very small amount of vitamin A to negate the beneficial effects of large amounts of vitamin D. This is why cod liver oil is one of the worst things you can consume (in addition to the fact that it is mostly comprised of polyunsaturated fat).
I also have this overlapping intolerance to both VA and VD.
At the time when my VA toxicity first occurred, I was also using VD supplements.
Now I can consume neither.
I assume my storage capacity of both is saturated.
But in a few cases VD still seems to lower serum VA or counteract toxicity of VA.
This may be due to VD-mediated cyp3a4 induction or simply a negative correlation between them in serum.
For me it seems impossible to experience acute VA and VD toxicity at the same time. One always negates the other.
hey all. I just wanted to step in and give my 2 cents
for me (and just for me) I found that taurine supplementation worked like a charm for me. The bad news is that my form of VA toxicity was much milder than what you guys seem to have. after that I rubbed magnesium oil in my skin one day and noticed a huge improvement. I continued with 20 sprays of magnesium per day (you cannot overdose on magnesium oil through the skin. its impossible. and it absorbs very well). Because of the vast improvement of magnesium, I concluded that I had magnesium deficiency and that my soft tissues were calcified. throughout this magnesium application process my tissues and muscles became less stiff and softer
Lastly, I ate pate (the highest known sources of vitamin k2) daily for 1-2 months and no I feel that I have reached a point of resolve
in conclusion, I feel that taurine helped the toxicity. after taurine supplementation for 1 week, I continued it. but I felt that the main issue was calcification and magnesium deficiencies. my theory was true. I mistook the anxiety and diziness of calcification of soft tissues for VA toxicity
good luck to you all!
Hi SK. How long has it been since you stopped taking vitamin A. What symptoms are remaining?
Hi Lori,
I stopped as soon as acute Hypervitaminosis first appeared: 2014 March. Over 4 years ago.
Since then I’ve been trying to solve it. Considering the pain it causes me, it has been at top of my mind since then.
Symptoms are: Anemia (low Hb and others ) cyanosis (cold blue skin, comes after intake, esp in outer extermities, frequently flushes skin that resembled a strong alcohol flush, smaller weaker body in every way – used to be well built and strong, now quite the opposure and lost 12 kg since then, staying at that weight, infertility and low T, slower learning, hair loss anf dry skin, weaker bones and joints, also slight facial edema resembling cushing’s – I assume it’s because renal function is low and stress hormones significantly elevated.
Basically all aspects of performance are impacted negatively.
My current protocol is to 1. Minimize VA intake and 2. Identify and use whatever could increase VA elimination rate or inhibit its absorption.
At the moment I use Esomeprazol (PPI), Alpha cyclodextrin and will be trying 7 Keto DHEA to relieve symptoms.
The drugs have been used for a short time and occasionally only, have not been causative in preventing recovery.
Sorry to hear you still have so many symptoms 🙁 Have you checked your cortisol at all? Mine was very high, which I think was caused by the vitamin A toxicity. Once I got it down lower, I was able to start gaining some weight.
Hi SK,
This has happened to me too and was induced by topical tretinoin last September. September 28th. I will never forget that day.
When it first occurred I had severe migraines, photophobia, nausea etc.
At first the sites that I applied the vitamin A to “eroded” – i.e. I lost significant volume around my eyes and face overnight. This spread gradually to the back of my head (meaning I now can’t sleep without wearing a neck brace and 2 smaller softer cushions for support – lying directly onto the pillow is agony) and then this spread to the rest of my body.
No doctors will believe me but my face and body are significantly and indisputably tiny. My face particularly looks like I have some kind of eating disorder (although I’ve gained a lot of weight) and it gets worse all the time
.It’s like it has affected my bones although I recently had a metabolic bone scan and nothing.
I don’t understand. I feel suicidal.
Have any of the new herbs you have taken helped?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi SK,
Have you noticed any kind of stabilising of your symptoms since using the herbs?
I have many of the symptoms you mentioned, including, most worryingly a tiny bone now. However, I have gained a lot of weight so I’m unsure why my head and body seem to continue to shrink.
Please let us know if you feel your symptoms have lessened since using the esomeprazol (PPI).
Thanks,
Sarah
Have been taking Beta Carotene 25,000 for years with no problems. In the past year I’ve been getting dizzy and the Beta Carotene is the most likely culprit. I just read of a study showing that women over 60 who also take CoQ10 are likely to get dizzy from Beta Carotene. Still trying to sort it all out.
hi
I’m really scared. Just tonight I found out that vitamin A can cause hair loss. I’ve been wondering what is the reazon behind my soooo much hair loss.
for 3months I’ve been taking Vit A 25000 per day
and I’m freaking out right now.
I’m worried that I’m gonna be bald… I’m 28 and I don’t know what I need to do right now.
How can I get rid of this much Vit A?
How long does it take?
Am I in danger?
please help
In nearly all the research I read, hair loss is reversed when people stopped taking the high doses of vitamin A. How long ago did you stop taking it?
Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well. I am wondering if anyone was able to any amount of beta carotene, (green leafy lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli) and still feel okay.
I have been trying to add these things into my diet. Some days I will have more than others but I really feel like I am back to the same way I felt in November when this all first began.
Any thoughts, advice or personal experiences are so appreciated.
Happy Sunday,
Ashley W.
I was OK with very small amounts of beta-carotene. I tried to have as little as possible though for quite a while.
Thank you, Brian!!
AshleyW
Hello Brian.
It says NG-ML
Generally, anything under 30 ng/ml is considered deficient. But, 25 is only mildly deficient.
The other thing to keep in mind is that it takes extraordinarily high amounts to cause toxicity. From what I understand, it takes vitamin D levels well in excess of 100 ng/ml to cause hypercalcemia. My blood test said anything below 200 ng/ml is not actually toxic.
When I overdosed on vitamin A, I was also taking exorbitant amounts of vitamin D. I was taking about 20,000 IU per day for many months. My blood level rose to 189 ng/ml which was nearing the toxic range, but my calcium levels were still totally normal and no toxicity was seen by the doctors.
I would do exactly as your doctor instructed. Take exactly the amount he recommended. There should be no issues with that.
He or she, I mean. 🙂