So THAT'S Why You Feel Sick After Taking Vitamins

A daily multivitamin or supplement may give your well-being an extra boost, but if you’ve ever swallowed one and felt sick right after, you know it’s hardly a pleasant experience. It can even make you want to ditch the regimen altogether.

Taking certain types of vitamins may cause a range of gastrointestinal issues, according to Dr. David Poppers, a gastroenterologist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. It isn’t unheard-of to experience abdominal pain or discomfort, queasiness or diarrhea.

There are a number of factors that could contribute to these stomach issues when it comes to your vitamins or supplements. Below are a few reasons they may be making you feel ill:

You’re taking vitamins on an empty stomach.

Vitamins that are more acidic in nature ― like vitamin C or folate ― may cause nausea if they’re consumed on an empty stomach, Poppers told HuffPost.

“There are some buffering effects when vitamins are taken with a snack or a small amount of food,” he said, adding that some nutrients are even better absorbed when they’re taken with some grub. However, some supplements may be better off consumed on their own.

“Fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamins A, D, E and K, unlike some others, may be better absorbed when not taken with food,” Poppers said.

There’s a lot of iron in your pill.

Multivitamins that contain a lot of iron (like a prenatal vitamin) or iron supplements themselves can cause nausea, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. This is especially true if you’re taking them outside of a meal.

“Iron is interesting in that it’s best absorbed on an empty stomach, but it’s hardest to take on an empty stomach because of the nausea,” Hensrud said. “I tell