Can I take to many supplements?

  • I currently take 5 different herbal supplements a day. Is there such thing as too much? I take a muti vitamin from Herbalife, and cell activator supplement , I take Bromalite for the digestive system, Pure Acai Berry and fish oil. I am worried its to much. Or that one may cause the other not to work or whatever lol. Its just something I think about sometimes. My energy is very low I mean VERY low and I cant stand it anymore. I know if I could get my energy up I could be so much more motivated.

    Is there a forum all about vitamins, and what people take, how they like them and what they are for?
    Thanks!!!
  • It depends on what's in them, but taking one multivitamin and a good quality fish oil should be fine and all you need.

    To be honest, the other products you are taking have a bad reputation and you might want to look into them further and maybe discuss them with your doctor. Bromalite and the acai product advertised with it are being widely exposed as scam products. If you are interested in acai, your best bet is to use the juices and frozen products at the health food store. I think the Bromalite could be causing your low energy levels. It's 100% unnecessary (their claims have been proven false) and could potentially make you weak.

    Your best source of energy will be the food you consume and the type of exercise you do.

    Good luck
  • ok ty so much!! i would be just fine with cutting them both out they want to charge 84.00 a month for the aqui and the bromalite each, i go to cancel it and they day they cant find my info, sure could to bill me haha, so i canceled my credit card and got a new one. I really appreciate your input, I am so happy I found this forum!!!!
  • It is definitely possible to take too many supplements but I'd look at the reasons you are taking supplements and make sure they is a good reason to take supplements.

    I actually saw something on tv where a lady got so obsessed with taking supplements to be healthy, it killed her. Of course she was taking dozens of them but a healthy balanced diet should take care of most peoples needs for supplement if there truly is any need.
  • If you're feeling very tired, it'd be a good idea to go to your doctor and get blood work done. You could have a deficiency. That said, I was feeling very drained, and could never get enough sleep. Once I started taking B12 and Iron, I felt a lot better. But, you can overdose on these two things. I am anemic and rarely eat things that contain the recommended daily amount of those two vitamins, so I felt comfortable taking them.

    If you haven't already, I'd also sign up for a food tracker like www.fitday.com. If you enter in your food, it'll tell you how many vitamins and nutrients your daily diet provides. It's a good guide to have.
  • TY so much i just went to fitday.com and bought the off line use program. I loveeeeeeeee it, its perfect for me. I would highly recommend it. its much easier for me to use a program rather than goign to the website all day lol. I have also set an appt with the nutritionist at my dr.s office. I love this place lol.
  • I second going to see your doctor.
    You could have a thyroid problem or blood sugar problem also.

    Are you eating enough?? Drinking enough water??

    Take care
  • yeah i have set an appt just incase. i eat and i only drink water well and crystal light, but i admit i havent been eating the best the past few months but I have been constantly tired for a few yrs now, so i think going to visit my dr is a good idea also. I think i need to learn the good carbs, fat and so on from the bad, this forum has helped me alot so far") I dont eat alot of sugary stuff i never really have, so that wont be a big problem, just learning what foods are best for my body now lol.
  • I often lack energy to a marked degree, even though I exercise regularly and eat well.

    One reason for my lack of energy is stress and emotional problems, which can be dealt with using a variety of approaches that don't include ingesting anything.

    I definitely think taking a number of supplements not prescribed by a medical professional is a bad idea as you really don't know what you are putting into your body or what effect the substances will have, but I agree that things like fish oil and a vitamin are good.

    I like products containing acai juice that I buy in the supermarket and I drink them for the interesting taste and I actually do think they give me energy but it's possibly a placebo effect. I don't really think acai or any substance is a miracle supplement.

    I do use sublinqual B complex supplements from time to time. I carry a little bottle with me now and then and use them that way and again they seem to help me but it could be a placebo effect. However, there's little (but not zero) risk of side effects with most of the B vitamins, in my opinion and I could be wrong.

    I take iron pills prescribed by a physician on a very cautious basis as I have low iron levels, but to know if you have low iron levels (or copper or whatever), you need to have a blood test as too much of some of these items accumulating in your blood can do considerable damage.

    One "supplement" of sorts I think is helpful is actually good yogurt or kefir or any probiotic. These are not really for energy but they tend to help digestive health and, I think (my uninformed opinion) they help reduce inflammation in the body, which has an effect on general health and possibly energy.
  • Make sure you talk to your doctor or pharmacist about supplements and any medications you're taking.

    It's only one example, but you don't know how many people do things such as take their thyroid medication at the same time as their multivitamin or iron supplement. This affects how much hormone their body can actually use.
  • Just look at your fitday vitamin breakdown for a while and see which vitamins you are lacking in. That may help guide you. Good luck!
  • Raerae, just commenting on your post above, I've used Fitday PC (the offline software program) daily for more than five years and just updated with the newer version (which isn't much different except for the colors of the reports and the synch feature for use with an online premium Fitday account, which I don't have or want). I totally love it and it has really helped me get a grip on nutrition and exercise, was interested in seeing that someone else likes it also. It was the best money I ever spent.
  • yeah i agree, im telling u fitday has helped me alot to keep on track. i fear seeing my numbers go above their recommendation for my height and weight and such lol. i just tell myself many times a day, i am not hungry , i am motivated, i will loss the weight and i will hit my goal. i listened to the paul mckenna weightloss cd and that helped me, but i have been listening to The Secret audiobook and that is helping me GREATLY. i recommend that to anyone not just people trying to loose weight but anyone that wants to improve their life in anyway. I know i say this in almost every post haha but i am very grateful for this forum and all the helpful, supportive members on it.
    Hugs RaeRae
  • You WILL reach your goal, RaeRae!