Multivitamins are supplements that contain multiple vitamins and/or nutrients. They can also contain herbs and other ingredients.
Multivitamins are most often used for improving health and well-being. They are also used for conditions such as heart disease and cancer. However, there is not much evidence supporting these uses.
Multivitamins are used to supplement the diet. They provide vitamins and nutrients that food might not provide.
When taken by mouth: Multivitamins are LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth in amounts that don't exceed recommended vitamin and nutrient intakes. Caution should be used when taking a multivitamin along with other nutrient sources. This can cause some people to get too much nutrients. See specific ingredients for more detailed safety information.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Multivitamins are LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth at recommended nutrient doses for pregnant and breast-feeding women. But caution should be used when taking a multivitamin in addition to other nutrient sources. This can cause some people to get too much nutrients. See our monograph on prenatal multivitamins for additional information about these specific multivitamins used by pregnant women.Elderly: Elderly people who are taking multivitamins should use products that come in small tablet form. This may reduce the risk of choking. Many multivitamin tablets are quite large. Elderly people tend to have trouble swallowing large tablets.
See specific ingredients for interactions with medicines.
There are no known interactions with herbs and supplements.
There are no known interactions with foods.
Multis, Multiples, Multivitamin, Multivitamin-multimineral supplements, MVIs, MVMs, MVMM, Suppléments Multivitaminiques et Multiminéraux, Vitamines Multiples.
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