AREDS 2 and side effects

Posted by sally1b2b @sally1b2b, Jul 15, 2018

My eye doctor put me on Areds2 .it is causing an upset stomach, has anyone else had this ?

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Compared with Preservision, the Systane AREDS2 I Caps have a lower zinc content, which was shown to be equally efficacious in the AREDS 2 study. You might better tolerate the I Caps. Walgreens carries them.

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@pacer3702

It seems unlikely that the lutein and zeaxanthin would cause gastrointestinal distress. It's more likely that you are reacting to the mineral components. It may help to take the supplement with meals.

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I always took my med with food but I also experienced gastrointestinal issues while taking medication for ARMD. Since I have other medical issues, I made the difficult decision to stop taking the med.

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@pacer3702

It seems unlikely that the lutein and zeaxanthin would cause gastrointestinal distress. It's more likely that you are reacting to the mineral components. It may help to take the supplement with meals.

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I had 5 days of disabling migraine and vertigo. I’ll never take it again. It’s been many years since I’ve had such a bad trigger and missed a week of work due to my migraines. I suspect it’s because marigolds are a member of the daisy family and I react with headache to other forms like camomile and stevia. Never anything like this bad! I wish this on nobody.

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That makes sense. Sorry you had this bad reaction! Lutein and zeaxanthin would be benign for most people. My comment was for the patients reporting gastrointestinal distress.

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I’ve been taking AREDS 2 twice a day with food. I’ve been noticing abdominal cramping and diarrhea ever since. Anyone else have this issue.? Should I lower my dosage ?

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@firespooks

I’ve been taking AREDS 2 twice a day with food. I’ve been noticing abdominal cramping and diarrhea ever since. Anyone else have this issue.? Should I lower my dosage ?

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Welcome @firespooks, you'll notice that I moved your question about abdominal cramping and diarrhea side effects of AREDS2 to this existing discussion that @sally1b2b started. I did this so you can connect with other members who are or have taken AREDS like @pacer3702 @blackwing @am1953 @ljmontgo @mjj and @ejrquast

Firespooks, have you mentioned the side effects you're experiencing to your doctor? Did they suggest a different dosage?

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@firespooks

I’ve been taking AREDS 2 twice a day with food. I’ve been noticing abdominal cramping and diarrhea ever since. Anyone else have this issue.? Should I lower my dosage ?

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I had the same situation, Be sure and eat before taking. After a couple of weeks my intestines settled down.

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I’ve been taking areds2 almost a year, one a day with dinner and no stomach problems.

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@georgiegirl88

It didn’t upset my stomach but I had a much worse side effect. I experienced an incredible muscle weakness to a point that I could barely function. After 2 months I was unable to climb stairs to a point that I felt paralyzed. It was dramatic and debilitating. After quitting AREDS2, I was back to normal! I lost most of the summer; never imagined vitamins and minerals could be so dangerous.

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I had some muscle pain also & after stopping AREDS 2 which has excessive amounts of Vitamin E it stopped.

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