Multi-Vitimans Side Affects?

[Mumtoanimals]

Hello, I am currently 7+3 weeks pregnant. Before I fell pregnant I was taking Iron and Folic acid supplements daily for about 10 months. Since i found out i was pregnant i swapped this for a multi-vitamin for pregnant women (boots own brand). I started this about two weeks ago. Since then, I have had trouble with food, nausea and constipation. Now, I know those are typical symptoms for first stage of pregnancy (horrible luck really). But after looking online for some form of relief advice, I stumbled across research, which suggest the multi-vitamin could also be making this worse. Does anyone have any experience in this or had the same problem? I have stopped taking it today, and gone back to the folic acid and iron alone to see if it helps.

Could just be coincidence as your pregnancy symptoms start to kick in ? Maybe try pregnacare?
Xxxx

Have you tired taking them with/just after your main meal? Sometimes if you take them on an empty stomach it can make you feel really nauseous?

They made me feel terrible. I believe it is the iron content that can cause the nausea. I stopped taking them and started taking separate tablets for folic acid, calcium and vitamin d and a vitamin b complex.

Try a different brand and take them before bed x

@Pinkflower23 im thinking that, but was hoping for a quick cure as this sickness is killer. Just looking for a quick answer. Lol.

@sep30 i havent thought about that. I might try with food, if i can ever stomach a meal soon.

@voxnihili im glad im not the only one thinking it. Im going to try seperate and see if it stops the all day nausea. I havent taken them today and feel alot better.

@HJWT thats a good idea. I just wish i hadnt brought them in bulk!

I stopped taking Pregnacare and switched to separate vit D / folic acid. Can not describe how much better I felt afterwards..

I had been feeling terrible for weeks - waking up in the morning with hangover symptoms x 100 and could hardly get out of bed particularly due to the headaches. Had a moan to my mum who said she had the same thing when she took iron supplements so I think it may have been that.

Midwife didn't seem worried and said you get everything you need from a balanced diet and folic acid (first 12 weeks) and vit D were the only ones she would say to try and take.

If you take things separately you could try cutting different ones out to see if one is causing it? I felt better within a day once I stopped taking Pregnacare.

Yeah I had this, if I took them on an empty stomach I felt really sick, even before pregnancy. Once my pregnancy symptoms kicked in that went to a whole new level & bringing them back up does no good.

I've been taking them just before I go to bed at night since I've been 6 weeks pregnant, I'm now 18 weeks and not had any side effects at all. I'd recommend to try that before anything.

Really no need for a multivitamin unless your diet is limited. NHS only recommend folic acid and vitamin D. The iron really can exacerbate constipation and digestive issues that come with early pregnancy.

I get sick with any pregnancy vitamin tablets (found out the hard way) so I buy the pregnacare liquid - gentler on my stomach. It’s more expensive than the tablets but it’s reassures me so is worth the extra pennies

Thanks for all your responses. Day 2 off the multivitamin and no sickness or nausea so far :) gone back to folic acid and iron. I eat alot of fruit and veg and trying to drink more milk so think i will be ok. I have been craving more sweets, which I hate, but what can you do!!!

I only ever had nausea on the mornings I took pregnacare. I then checked the pack and it said not to take on an empty stomach. Try taking them at night, after dinner and see if that helps. To be honest after the 1st trimester I stopped taking them, apparently they are for you not the baby. The baby gets everything it needs from your diet, leaving you depleted which is where the multivitamin is beneficial (for you, not baby) but I felt better on days I didn’t take them.

I took pregnacare for the first 9 weeks of my pregnancy and had atrocious bloating. When I read that this was sometimes a side effect of multivitamins I switched to folic acid and vitamin d and have been much better. Whether or not its related, I don't know!