Allergy to vitamins: symptoms, causes, treatment

Allergy to vitamins is rare, but it can make it difficult to treat certain conditions. You need to be able to identify such allergic reactions in adults and children in time in order to take appropriate measures.

Causes of vitamin allergy

Since these substances are not foreign to the body, allergy to vitamins supplied with food in normal quantities does not develop. In the body, they interact with proteins, forming a complex with a high molecular weight, which becomes an allergen, causing unpleasant symptoms. Thus, the main reasons that lead to the development of an allergy to vitamins can be named:

• intramuscular injection;
• intravenous admission;
• taking in pill form
• entry into the body of a baby with breast milk.

Due to the illiterate use of vitamin preparations, an overdose may occur in the body, which will greatly increase the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction. Most often, a negative reaction from the immune system is observed after taking multivitamin or vitamin-mineral complexes, such as "Alphabet", "Complivit", "Elevit", "Supradin". The intake of several vitamins and minerals into the body at once (in addition to those found in consumed foods) can become a serious provoking factor, especially in children.

In the composition of vitamin preparations, it is often possible to find not only vitamins and minerals, but also auxiliary substances. They are especially abundant in medicines that are produced for children in the form of chewable tablets, syrups, lozenges, lozenges, gummy candies.

• "Supradin Kids" contains fruit flavors, glaze and paprika emulsion;
• "Supradin FrutoMix" contains beeswax and potassium counterpart;
• "Supradin Dragee" contains paraffins, canthaxanthin;
• “Alphabet children. garden ”includes silicon dioxide and flavors;
• "Alphabet mom" for pregnant women contains dyes, additives E1201, E468;
• Elevit Pronatal contains titanium dioxide;
• Complivit contains flavors and sodium stearate.

Allergies and special conditions

Allergy to vitamin in infants is due to the presence in the mother's diet of a large amount of some a specific product (oranges, carrots) or an overdose of a complex of vitamins (Supradin, Alphabet, Elevit, "Complivit"). It is worth noting that allergic phenomena in children occur much more often.

Doctors consider pregnant women to be at risk. From the moment of conception, a woman's immunity begins to work a little differently. This ensures the safety of the fetus, which is half foreign to the mother. These changes can cause allergies even to vitamins developed specifically for pregnant women (Elevit Prenatal, Alphabet Mom's Health, Femibion, Complivit Mom).

Allergy symptoms

Symptoms of an allergic reaction can vary in severity. In most cases, allergy to vitamins "Complivit", "Elevit" and others is manifested by atopic dermatitis in children and adults:

• small blistering rashes;
• redness, itching and burning of the skin;
• mild swelling of the affected areas.

After intramuscular injection, swelling and pain at the injection site is often noted. With an excessive intake of vitamins through the gastrointestinal tract, the rash, as a rule, occurs symmetrically in the area of ​​the elbows, knees, legs, abdomen. In children, skin allergy symptoms can be as follows:

• slight redness, dryness and peeling of the cheeks;
• persistent diaper rash in large folds of the baby's skin;
• light ("milky") crust on the head.

In both an adult and a baby, an allergy to vitamins often manifests itself in sharp eyes, mild photophobia and lacrimation. Other common symptoms of an allergic reaction include nasal congestion, runny nose, and frequent sneezing.

In addition to dermatitis, conjunctivitis and rhinitis, vitamin allergy can be accompanied by headache, irritability and insomnia, and anxiety in infants. In more severe cases, symptoms from the digestive system are observed:

• nausea;
• abdominal pain;
• diarrhea (infants have multiple watery stools);
• constipation.

With a severe course of an allergic reaction, angioedema may develop. The symptoms of this condition are as follows:

• swelling of the face (especially paraorbital tissue, cheeks and lips);
• swelling of the limbs and impaired sensitivity in them;
• acute abdominal pain;
• feeling of suffocation.

On the part of the respiratory system, symptoms such as breathing with a characteristic whistling sound, shortness of breath and an obsessive barking cough occur. This condition requires urgent medical attention, as it can be life-threatening.

Treatment of an allergic reaction

Allergy treatment involves temporarily stopping any vitamin supplements. Some time after the symptoms have completely disappeared, you can start taking other similar medicines. Some people develop a negative reaction to vitamins of one brand, so the presence allergies, for example, to Complivit, does not mean that an allergic reaction will be caused by Elevit or "Supradin".

To cleanse the body of allergens, you can take enterosorbents: Smecta, white or activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb. In order to stop the allergic reaction, antihistamines are used: Telfast, Aleron, Desal. In case of severe itching of the skin, treatment with nasal drops or sprays ("Allergodil", "Rhinital", "Galazolin") is carried out. When an allergy to vitamins manifests itself with conjunctivitis, the doctor prescribes eye drops "Histimet", "Opatanol".

To eliminate dermatitis, ointments and creams "Losterin", "Fenistil-gel", "Advantan" are used. Local treatment is of the greatest value for pregnant women, because systemic therapy (taking pills) during pregnancy and lactation is undesirable. If the allergy to vitamins is severe, drugs with a hormonal component can be prescribed, but after them side effects are possible.

Prevention of vitamin allergy

To reduce the likelihood of developing an allergic reaction after taking vitamin preparations, a number of rules should be followed.

1. It is better to restore the deficiency of vitamins at the stage of planning pregnancy.
2. For prophylactic use, try to take monovitamins.
3. When buying vitamins for children, give preference to simple tablets or powders.
4. Choose multivitamin complexes that are formulated taking into account the negative effect of some vitamins on others. Vitamins "Alphabet" refer precisely to such drugs and therefore cause allergies less often.
5. If you are prescribed antibiotic treatment, do not rush to take vitamins. It is better to use them separately, after curing the underlying disease.

Before taking, consult your doctor and do not abuse vitamins, because their overdose is harmful in the same way as hypovitaminosis.