What is your bowel tolerance of Vitamin C?

[Sasha]

During my first bout of ME, during which I was extremely ill and bedbound for some years, I titrated my dose of Vitamin C to bowel tolerance (the point at which you start to get diarrhoea) to determine what dose I should be on (the recommendation was 90% of bowel tolerance dose).

My bowel tolerance dose was 50g and I thought it was HUGE. I was getting through a big tub of Vit C tablets a day.

I've become interested again in Vit C lately (even though IV Vit C and taking 45g/day orally for ages did nothing for me all those years ago) because it's now available in liposomal form, which gets a high concentration into your tissues.

I read today that Dr Cathcart, in 1981, published bowel tolerance doses for patients suffering a variety of maladies:

http://vitamincfoundation.org/www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm

As you can see in Table 1, what I thought was a pretty epic daily dose of 50g falls into his 'mild cold' category.

What a shock! My dose didn't even fall into his 'severe cold' daily dose of 60-100g, even though I was bedbound.

Rheumatoid arthritis, interestingly (because of the Rituximab connection) has, in Table 1, a bowel tolerance dose of 15-100g.

Just wondering: what is your bowel tolerance dose?

 

[tdog333]

generally around 11-14 grams. My mother's bowel tolerance is 1-3 grams(healthy). Definitely interesting.

 

[Valentijn]

Half a gram for me. More than that and I get diarrhea now.

 

[maryb]

I've never reached bowel tolerance!! but I suffer from severe constipation which may be a factor.

I've taken 3 sachets of the 1grm liposomal which is supposed to be the equivalent of 10grms a sachet.
Other than that the most I've taken is about 30grms. nada
ha ha just noticed its the same amount - doh!!

 

[Insomniac]

High dose Vitamin C is one of the few remedies that helps me. My alternative dietician told me to take 1500mg every half-1hour till I get a bowel movement.
I have constipation dominant IBS and high dose Vitamin C helps me survive that.
Dr Goldstein had vitamin C infusions in his protocol.
I always take non acidic Ester C

Today I took 8.5 g - 15 tablets of 500mg till constipation went.
I still didn't reach bowel tolerance.
Other days just 1g will give me diaroah. It fluctuates everyday. On lousier days I need more.

I'm afraid I don't trust that table....not unless I was to hear of much more people taking 50g a day.
...I think vit C tablets must taken according to bowel feeling, not to a table, everyone is extremely different.

 

[Ema]

My bowel tolerance to C also fluctuates a lot. If I'm getting a cold, I can take 5-10 gms/day. But otherwise, half of that will have me running for the facilities.

 

[Sasha]

High dose Vitamin C is one of the few remedies that helps me. My alternative dietician told me to take 1500mg every half-1hour till I get a bowel movement.
I have constipation dominant IBS and high dose Vitamin C helps me survive that.
Dr Goldstein had vitamin C infusions in his protocol.
I always take non acidic Ester C

Today I took 8.5 g - 15 tablets of 500mg till constipation went.
I still didn't reach bowel tolerance.
Other days just 1g will give me diaroah. It fluctuates everyday. On lousier days I need more.

I'm afraid I don't trust that table....not unless I was to hear of much more people taking 50g a day.
...I think vit C tablets must taken according to bowel feeling, not to a table, everyone is extremely different.

I think the table is based on observation, rather than being a recommendation - the range is considerable, even within each condition.

 

[taniaaust1]

As my bowel can really fluctulate a lot ... to loose right at the start of periods to vertually having no perstalisis and to the point where I need to take large doses of Epsom salts (as nothing else helps) along with enemas. So it would be quite hard for me to work out a regular thing with that.

I have taken 8g at a time with no bowel affects at all.

Id reallly be worried about taking those mega doses mentioned as ones body adapts to taking vitamin C eg the more you take, the less ones body absorbs from food (this can cause rebound scurvey if someone doesnt slowly ween off large doses). It can also give kidney stones.

I myself find that 6g daily (split up in two doses) does help me some.

 

[taniaaust1]

I just remembered back in my early ME days (when internet wasnt really public yet except in some schools and mostly available at just libraries). There used to be an experimental ME/CFS group and one of their treatments were what was called at the time "salt and C" .. it involved large amounts of salt and mega doses of C (it was one of the in things at that time). I do remember some were helped by this but I also remember many did develop serious issues with this. So I ended up deeming it too dangerous to try.

edit (sorry about all the word errors, I hope it still made sense).

 

[ukxmrv]

I found that unless I took the Ester C variety it gave me very quick nausea, pain and vomiting. With Ester C I can easily take 4grams a day.

 

[adreno]

Around 8 grams.

 

[maryb]

I've taken 5grms of Biocare mag ascorbate this morning and been to the loo. I suffer severe constipation normally and taking these dose of vit c has certainly helped that. I'm reluctant to state that of course as everything will now seize up again - me superstitious? nah.........

 

[adreno]

I've taken 5grms of Biocare mag ascorbate this morning and been to the loo. I suffer severe constipation normally and taking these dose of vit c has certainly helped that. I'm reluctant to state that of course as everything will now seize up again - me superstitious? nah.........

You're supposed to spread out the dose... Perhaps 0.5-1 gram every hour or so... 5 grams at once will send most people to the loo.

 

[maryb]

@adreno
that's the idea!!

 

[adreno]

@adreno
that's the idea!!

Well, if that's what you want, I can guarantee it won't stop working. Still, you will absorb more C if you spread out the dose.

Magnesium is another sure-fire way to treat constipation.

 

[maryb]

@adreno
I've tried oral and injectable magnesium - had no impact on my constipation (must be a unique brand)
I've heard many people say it works for them though.

My other problem is if I take vit c later on in the day I can't sleep - now what causes that I don't know but I've done it more than a few times and always the same result. I lie there thinking why can't I sleep and then it hits me - the vit c...........

 

[adreno]

Vitamin C increases the amount of dopamine being converted to norepinephrine, so that is probably why it keeps you awake.

 

[Sasha]

@adreno, what benefits have you noticed from the lipo version?

I'm wondering whether to start experimenting at high doses.

 

[adreno]

@adreno, what benefits have you noticed from the lipo version?

I'm wondering whether to start experimenting at high doses.

I haven't taken high doses regularly, only when having an acute infection. It helps with the fever and malaise.

I find that it does give more energy and a clearer mind at aroun 2 grams a day. But it too expensive for the benefits it provides, so I don't take it every day.

 

[Gingergrrl]

I had trouble tolerating Vit C (b/c of nausea & diarrhea) until I switched to Liposomal Vit C and can now take 1000 mg per day with no problems. I have also worked really hard with multiples regimes to fix my gut issues which is probably a factor, too.

I have a still random question... does 1000 mg equal 1 gram? I am trying to translate the amounts that you guys mentioned to get a reference point. Thanks!