Vitamin Supplements

I was diagnosed with IC in 2005 and I am having a hard time getting information about vitamin supplements.  Do you know of any multivitamins, vitamin C, etc., that are safe to take for people with IC?  Terri

This is probably one of the most common questions asked by people with IC.  The reason that many multivitamin formulas bother a person with IC is that the vitamin C and vitamin Bs that the body doesn’t absorb are flushed out through the urine.  Theoretically, that is a signal we don’t need to consume that much at any one time.  In fact, most people don’t need the 100 percent-plus doses of vitamins that we often see in these multivitamin formulas since we still get vitamins and minerals from the food that we eat.  You may want to try a children’s formula that has much lower doses of the various vitamins.  If you are sensitive to additives, try a formula that has no artificial colors or flavors.  In regards to vitamin C, some people with IC find that they can take up to 500 mg of a non-acidic vitamin C without problems.  Ester-C is a type of non-acidic (acid reduced) vitamin C.