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vitamin toxicity levels

I came across this chart while researching how to safely increase vitamin D supplements and thought others might find this info helpful, too.

Potentially Toxic Dosages and Side Effects of Nutrients
Nutrition Infocenter
Nutrient Toxic Dosage Symptoms and Diseases

Biotin n/a
No side effects from oral administration at therapeutic doses have been reported

Boron >10 mg
No side effects reported

Calcium >2,000 mg
Drowsiness, extreme lethargy, impaired absorption of iron, zinc and manganese, calcium deposits in tissues throughout body, mimicking cancer on X-ray

Carotene >300 mg
Orange discoloration of skin, weakness, low blood pressure, weight loss, low white cell count

Chromium >50 mg
Dermatitis, intestinal ulcers, kidney and liver impairment

Copper 15 mg
Fatigue, poor memory, depression, insomnia, increased production of free radicals, may suppress immune function. Violent vomiting and diarrhea. Cooking acid foods in unlined copper pots can lead to toxic accumulation of copper.

Fluoride, acute 500 mg
Poisons several enzymes, (5,000 mg lethal)

Fluoride, chronic 5 mg
Fluorosis (white patches on teeth), bone abnormalities.

Folic acid 15 mg
Abdominal distention, loss of appetite, nausea, sleep disturbances, may interfere with zinc absorption, may prevent recognition of vitamin B12 deficiency

Iodine 2 mg
Thyroid impairment, iodine poisoning or sensitivity reaction.

Iron 25 mg
Intestinal upset, interferes with zinc and copper absorption, loss of appetite, not safe for those with iron storage disorders such as hemosiderosis, idiopathic hemochromatosis, or thalassemias. Toxic build-up in liver, pancreas, and heart.

Magnesium N/A
Diarrhea at large dosages of poorly absorbed forms (like Epsom salts). Disturbed nervous system function because the calcium-to-magnesium ratio is unbalanced; catharsis, hazard to persons with poor kidney function.

Manganese 75 mg
Toxicity only reported in those working in manganese mines or drinking from contaminated water supplies, which results in loss of appetite, neurological damage, loss of memory, hallucinations, hyperirritability, elevation of blood pressure, liver damage. Mask-like facial expression, blurred speech, involuntary laughing, spastic gait, hand tremors.

Niacin (B3), acute 100 mg
Transient flushing, headache, cramps, nausea, vomiting

Niacin (B3), chronic 3 gm
Anorexia, abnormal glucose tolerance, gastric ulceration, elevated liver enzymes. Excessive uric acid in blood, possibly leading to gout. See Thiamin.

Pantothenic acid (B5) High dose
Occasional diarrhea. Increased need for thiamin, possibly causing thiamin deficiency symptoms.

Phosphorous High dose
Distortion of calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, creating relative deficiency of calcium.

Potassium High dose
Mental impairment, weakness. Excessive potassium in blood, causing muscular paralysis and abnormal heart rhythms.

Pyridoxine (B6) 300 mg
Sensory and motor impairment. Dependency on high doses, leading to deficiency symptoms when one returns to normal amounts.

Riboflavin B2) N/A
No toxic effects have been noted. See Thiamin.

Selenium 750 micro gm
Diabetes, garlic-breath odor, immune impairment, loss of hair and nails, irritability, pallor, skin lesions, tooth decay, nausea, weakness, yellowish skin

Thiamin (B1) N/A
No toxic effects noted for humans after oral administration. However, since B Vitamins are interdependent, excess of one may produce deficiency of others.

Vitamin A, acute (infant) 75,000 IU
Anorexia, bulging fontanelles, hyperirritability, vomiting

Vitamin A, acute (adult) 2 million IU
Headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting

Vitamin A, chronic (infant) 10,000 IU
Premature epiphyseal bone closing, long bone growth retardation

Vitamin A, chronic (adult) 50,000 IU
Anorexia, headache, bluffed vision, loss of hair, bleeding lips, cracking and peeling skin, muscular stiffness and pain, severe liver enlargement and damage, anemia, fetal abnormalities (pregnant women must be very careful), menstrual irregularities, extreme fatigue, liver damage, injury to brain and nervous system.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) N/A
No side effects from oral administration have been reported. (See thiamin)

Vitamin C, acute 10 gm
Nausea, diarrhea, flatulence

Vitamin C, chronic 3 gm
Increased urinary oxalate and uric acid levels in rare cases, impaired carotene utilization, chelation (binding of vitamin C with minerals) and resultant loss of minerals may occur, sudden discontinuation can cause rebound scurvy. Kidney and bladder stones, urinary tract irritation, increased tendency for blood to clot, breakdown of red blood cells in persons with certain common genetic disorders (such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, common in persons of African origin), may induce B12 deficiency.

Vitamin D, acute 70,000 IU
Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, excessive urination, excessive thirst

Vitamin D, chronic 10,000 IU
Weight loss, pallor, constipation, fever, hypocalcaemia. In infants, calcium deposits in kidneys and excessive calcium in blood; in adults, calcium deposits throughout the body (may be mistaken for cancer) (pregnant women must be careful), deafness, nausea, kidney stones, fragile bones, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, increased lead absorption.

Vitamin E 1,000 IU
The safe dose is probably over 2,000, but some people experience weakness, fatigue, exacerbation of hypertension, increased activity of anticoagulants at 1,000 IU, while some research shows that as little as 300 IU can slow down the immune system. Can destroy some Vitamin K made in the gut. A small amount of immune suppression is probably a reasonable trade off for vitamin E's much needed antioxidant activity.

Vitamin K No known toxicity with natural (phylloquinone); synthetic (menadione), while relatively safe, when administered to infants may cause hemolytic and liver enlargement. Anemia in laboratory animals.

Zinc 75 mg
Gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, adverse changes in HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios, impaired immunity. Nausea, anemia, bleeding in stomach, premature birth and stillbirth, abdominal pain, fever. Can aggravate marginal copper deficiency. May produce atherosclerosis.

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