Vitamin C

What is it?
Vitamin C is a vitamin used to treat skin conditions and wounds, scurvy (a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C), high blood pressure, and male infertility. It may help common cold symptoms. It is also used as an antioxidant to help protect against cancer and heart disease.

Other names for Vitamin C include: Ascorbic Acid and Calcium Ascorbate.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you.

Before Using:
Tell your doctor if you

• are taking medicine or are allergic to any medicine (prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) or dietary supplement)
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine
• are breast feeding
• have a history of kidney stones
• have any other health problems, such as high blood pressure or heart or blood vessel disease

Dosage:
Talk with your caregiver about how much Vitamin C you should take. The amount depends on the strength of the medicine and the reason you are taking Vitamin C. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the medicine bottle. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to.

To store this medicine:
Keep all medicine locked up and away from children. Store medicine away from heat and direct light. Do not store your medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down and not work the way it should work. Throw away medicine that is out of date or that you do not need. Never share your medicine with others.

Drug and Food Interactions:
Do not take Vitamin C without talking to your doctor first if you are taking:

• Antacids (examples: Tums(R), Rolaids(R), Milk of Magnesia(R))
• Indinavir (Crixivan(R))
• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)

Warnings:

• Before taking Vitamin C, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding
• Be careful when using Vitamin C if you have had kidney stones (3)
• Do not use large doses of Vitamin C (1)
• Talk to your doctor before taking Vitamin C if you have blood diseases, like glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency, thalassemia, or anemia (5)
• Take Vitamin C two or more hours after a meal for best results

Side Effects:
Stop taking your medicine right away and talk to your doctor if you have any of the following side effects. Your medicine may be causing these symptoms which may mean you are allergic to it.

• Breathing problems or tightness in your throat or chest
• Chest pain
• Skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin

Other Side Effects:
You may have the following side effects, but this medicine may also cause other side effects. Tell your doctor if you have side effects that you think are caused by this medicine.

• Taking large amounts may cause diarrhea (loose stools) (3)

References:
1. National Research Council: Vitamin C. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. National Academy Press, Washington, DC; 1998.
2. Schectman G: Estimating ascorbic acid requirements for cigarette smokers. Ann NY Acad Sci 1993; 686:335-346.
3. Anon: Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts and Comparisons Inc, St Louis, MO; 1998.
4. Oeffinger KC: Scurvy: more than historical relevance. Am Fam Physician 1993; 48(4): 609-613.
5. Rees DC, Kelsey H & Richards JDM: Acute haemolysis induced by high dose ascorbic acid in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. BMJ 1993; 306(6881): 841-842.
6. Domingo JL, Gomez M, Llobet JM et al: Effect of ascorbic acid on gastrointestinal aluminum absorption (letter). Lancer 1991; 338(8780): 1467.
7. Conte D, Brunelli L, Ferrario L et al: Effect of ascorbic acid on desferrioxamine-induced urinary iron excretion in idiopathic hemochromatosis. Acta Haematol 1984; 72(2): 117-120.
8. Girodon F, Blanche D, Monget AL et al: Effect of a two-year supplementation with low doses of antioxidant vitamins and/or minerals in elderly subjects on levels of nutrients and antioxidant defense parameters. Am J Coll Nutr 1997; 16(4): 357-365.
9. Kodama H, Yamaguchi R, Fukuda J et al: Increased oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage in the spermatoza of infertile male patients. Fertil Steril 1997; 68(3): 519-524.
10. Mazzotta MY: Nutrition and wound healing. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 1994; 84(9): 456-462.
11. Herbert V & Jacob E: Destruction of vitamin B12 by ascorbic acid. JAMA 1974; 230:241-242.
12. Slain D, Amsden JR, Khakoo RA et al: Effect of high-dose vitamin C (Vit C) on the steady-state pharmacokinetics (PK) of the protease inhibitor (PI) indinavir (IDV) in healthy volunteers (abstract A-1610). Presented at the 43rd Interscience Conference On Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; September 14-17, 2003; Chicago, IL, USA.