The Unexpected Side Effects of Multivitamins for Highly Sensitive People

As a highly sensitive person, I am so careful with what I put in my body. I like to choose healthy foods and now only the vitamins my body needs to ensure optimal health and wellness. However, things changed when I started taking a B multivitamin. Instead of improving my health, I experienced an unexpected side effect that left me wondering why I had high blood pressure. I will admit I was a little concerned. I developed high blood pressure along with other symptoms, which took me 2 months to figure out. In this blog post, I’ll share my story so that you can explore this avenue as a highly sensitive person when taking a new vitamin or multi-vitamin.

What is a Highly Sensitive Person?

A highly sensitive person (HSP) is someone who has heightened senses and experiences the world with more intensity than non-HSPs. This means that HSPs can be more prone to stress, anxiety, and physical reactions to stimuli, including their surroundings, caffeine, sugar, medications and supplements. When I started taking a multi B vitamin, I thought I was doing something good for my body, but instead I experienced symptoms that concerned me.

Symptoms I Experienced

While the B vitamins are essential for our overall health, the multi B vitamin caused me to have high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, tingling, numbness and increased anxiety in the middle of the night. I knew I had to make some quick changes because thee symptoms were not only keeping me up at night but causing me to be stressed out.

Research

Apart from specific ingredients, it’s important to know the overall potency and quality of the multivitamin. I knew the quality of the multi B vitamin was great. In addition, having someone who was very knowledgeable about vitamins greatly helped me in my quest to figure out what was going on. Not to mention, I found it helpful to do my own research on what I could eat instead of taking a vitamin. The biggest question I found to be helpful is, why are you taking this vitamin? My answer was, “because I thought it was good for stress”. Do you have a deficiency? I didn’t. You would know if you had a deficiency through a blood test and I did not. The next step would be to choose a brand that’s highly regarded for it’s standard, purity, and safety. The 11 Day Jumpstart helped me understand what healthy living is all about in a very simple way. I do love and take high quality supplements that are part of my daily routine.

How did I figure it out?

I really didn’t know it was the multivitamin. What I did know is that my blood pressure wasn’t coming down after taking blood pressure medication for 3 weeks. I thought that was really strange. I then figured I needed to change something. So, I decided one day to stop taking the multivitamin to see if my symptoms would improve. I knew I had to give it a few days and in addition, I needed to start monitoring my symptoms and blood pressure. I used this monitor for blood pressure and it worked great. Gradually, my blood pressure, anxiety and other symptoms started to decrease, and I started to feel so much better. I was then able to slowly wean myself off the blood pressure medication. If you have never done this, make sure you talk to your doctor.

One Last Thing…

As a highly sensitive person, I learned the hard way that multivitamins are not always a one-size-fits-all solution for (what I like to call) peak optimal health. While they can be beneficial for some people, they can also cause unexpected side effects. Therefore, it’s essential to listen to your body, understand the foods you are eating, and pay attention to the ingredients, quality, and why you are taking the multivitamin or any other supplements. If you experience any adverse reactions or symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek medical advice and/or adjust your vitamins. With the right knowledge, research and being in tune with your body, you can enjoy the health benefits of being CEO of your health. Get in touch if you want to learn more about the 11 Day Jumpstart😊