A multivitamin is any preparation containing more than a single vitamin. Tablets and injectable forms (for example Vitaped and Hospira) are available. In common usage, "multivitamin" refers to tablets that contain various vitamins usually along with dietary minerals and, occasionally, herbal extracts.

Uses

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By supplementing the diet with additional vitamins and minerals, multivitamins can be a valuable tool for those with dietary imbalances or different nutritional needs ^*. People with dietary imbalances may include those on restrictive diets and those who can't or won't eat a nutritious diet. Pregnant women and elderly adults have different nutritional needs, and a multivitamin may be indicated by their physician.

Orthomolecular medicine proponents generally recommend higher, individually optimized vitamin intakes. They recommend more absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals, in inexpensive but higher potency formulas, spread across the day. Often iron-free formulas, sometimes copper-free formulas are preferred.

Precautions

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While multivitamins can be a valuable tool to correct dietary imbalances, it is worth exercising basic caution before taking multivitamins, especially if any medical conditions exist. Pregnant women should generally consult their doctor before taking any multivitamins. Severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies require medical treatment and cannot be treated with common over-the-counter multivitamins. Special vitamer or mineral forms with much higher potentcy are typically available as individual components, specialized formulations, or available by prescription.

Multivitamins may rarely be toxic if large doses of various vitamins or minerals are taken. In particular, these include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B6, iron, and potassium. Total iron content of the whole bottle is the primary concern for child safety. There also are strict limits on the retinol content for vitamin A during pregnancy that are specifically addressed by prenatal formulas. This list is not exhaustive. Additionally, various medical conditions and medications may adversely interact with multivitamins. For normal adults taking a multivitamin for general health purposes, conventional medicine and government authorities recommend that a multivitamin should contain 100% DRI or less for each ingredient. However, many common brand supplements in the US use 100% - 200% of the DRI for certain vitamins or minerals. Higher potency versions of multivitamins, sometimes labelled as megavitamins, are available in the US.

Regulations by governmental agencies

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The United States of America

Because of their categorization as a dietary supplement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most multivitamins sold in the U.S. are not required to undergo the same rigorous testing procedures typical of pharmaceutical drugs.

However, some multivitamins contain very high doses of one or several vitamins or minerals and therefore require a prescription in the U.S. Since such drugs contain no new substances, they do not require the same testing as would be required by a New Drug Application, but were allowed on the market as drugs due to the FDA's Drug Efficacy Study Implementation program. See 36 Fed. Reg. 6843 (Apr. 9, 1971).

Dietary supplements | Vitamins