- Joined
- Nov 14, 2014
- Messages
- 696
Hello all,
I understand that generally the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can similarly resemble those of vitamin A excess, with a few exceptions (hair changes, callouses, yellowing skin).
In early November I did something rather rash and took about 300,000iu retinyl palmitate over the course of about 5 days, having convinced myself that my symptoms were due to vitamin A deficiency. What followed was a string of odd symptoms which I have little doubt were caused by the supplement. I developed 3 welts on my forehead and a drastic yellowing of my palms. In retrospect I also had bone pain in the lower legs, as when pressing my thumb into the tibia to assess water retention it was incredibly painful. The skin on my palms and toes were in a perpetual state of desquamation, and my face and neck took on a strange superficial layer that I could easily scrape away with my fingernails. My hair became thinner, including my body, which is very frustrating. Appetite has been lousy ever since.
Based on subsequent readings and the figures I came across, it didn't seem at all likely that I could have induced symptoms of toxicity/excess with only 300,000iu.
This puts me in a difficult position because every time I eat a bit of liver, I get a definite increase in desquamation and skin symptoms in certain regions, sometimes dry and sometimes moist, and a suppression of appetite. It has taken a few controlled attempts to make sure that these symptoms weren't coincidence. But I don't know if this reaction is my skin on its way toward balance, or away from balance. For the most part, my skin is usually dry and flaky ever since the megadose, hence my confusion as to whether I'm dealing with vitamin A excess or deficiency. I understand that fat soluble vitamin excesses take many weeks to resolve because of clearance time, but with the repeated emphasis on vitamin A's quick consumption when thyroid is performing well, I wonder if it's even possible to reach toxic levels under a Peat paradigm. Essentially, my dilemma is that I don't know at this point whether I need more vitamin A, or I need to stay away from it.
EDIT - I reiterated some parts, but I didn't get much sleep. I hope it is straightforward.
Thanks all.
I understand that generally the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can similarly resemble those of vitamin A excess, with a few exceptions (hair changes, callouses, yellowing skin).
In early November I did something rather rash and took about 300,000iu retinyl palmitate over the course of about 5 days, having convinced myself that my symptoms were due to vitamin A deficiency. What followed was a string of odd symptoms which I have little doubt were caused by the supplement. I developed 3 welts on my forehead and a drastic yellowing of my palms. In retrospect I also had bone pain in the lower legs, as when pressing my thumb into the tibia to assess water retention it was incredibly painful. The skin on my palms and toes were in a perpetual state of desquamation, and my face and neck took on a strange superficial layer that I could easily scrape away with my fingernails. My hair became thinner, including my body, which is very frustrating. Appetite has been lousy ever since.
Based on subsequent readings and the figures I came across, it didn't seem at all likely that I could have induced symptoms of toxicity/excess with only 300,000iu.
This puts me in a difficult position because every time I eat a bit of liver, I get a definite increase in desquamation and skin symptoms in certain regions, sometimes dry and sometimes moist, and a suppression of appetite. It has taken a few controlled attempts to make sure that these symptoms weren't coincidence. But I don't know if this reaction is my skin on its way toward balance, or away from balance. For the most part, my skin is usually dry and flaky ever since the megadose, hence my confusion as to whether I'm dealing with vitamin A excess or deficiency. I understand that fat soluble vitamin excesses take many weeks to resolve because of clearance time, but with the repeated emphasis on vitamin A's quick consumption when thyroid is performing well, I wonder if it's even possible to reach toxic levels under a Peat paradigm. Essentially, my dilemma is that I don't know at this point whether I need more vitamin A, or I need to stay away from it.
EDIT - I reiterated some parts, but I didn't get much sleep. I hope it is straightforward.
Thanks all.