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Areds 2 (PreserVision): Anyone experienced muscle pain?

Posted by crabman @crabman, Dec 24, 2021

I have been taking Areds 2 for about 4 months. After about a month my leg hamstring muscles started to pain especially after sitting or lying down. After some activity the pain lessens or goes away but starts again each day when getting up in the morning. I read on other sites that muscle pain is an unusual side effect.

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mjj | @mjj | Jan 3, 2022
In reply to @imallears "@mjjl I have been on Preservision Areds2 for years and brought up the zinc question to..." + (show)
@imallears

@mjjl

I have been on Preservision Areds2 for years and brought up the zinc question to my eye Doc a long time ago.

I have dry MD kept stable by vitamins and , more importantly, diet. I know it is excreted through bodily wastes on a daily basis….not sure how much. My Doctor dismissed it as a non concern but most doctors are not experienced enough in nutrition or supplements to offer any advice.

What you need are the minimum recommendations for zeaxanthin and lutein. Check the amounts on your current supplement and try to find another eye vitamin with those two and compare them to what you have now. They are out there but be very careful where you source them from. I can recommend Pure Encapsulations as a reputable site for supplements and that is where I get mine from…not cheap. There are a lot of eye vitamins, some claiming to be zinc free, but be mindful of what else are in them.

I wouldn’t just go down to one a day, quite frankly, you are losing what you need in zeaxanthin and lutein. I would do research on other supplements and let your doctor know of your concern or decision. A lot of people are deficient in zinc and you would know that based on how you feel and unusual symptoms. The reverse is true also, too much zinc
has undesirable side effects.

I personally don’t have any concern about taking that much zinc daily at this point (I am 80 by the way) but obviously you have been reading the labels and reading about what is in the supplement your doctor gave you. That’s the right thing to do. There are medical abstracts online that you can read on just about anything. This is preferable to reading medical “ stuff” online….who knows where those sources are from.

I am interested in what you decide.

FL Mary

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I realize that I need to be more concerned about zaexanthin and lutein amounts being cut in half, and less concerned about the 80 mg of zinc. That certainly makes lots of sense, and I appreciate your thoughtful response. My next shot is in two days, and I will bring this up with my doctor, although she is not a nutritionist and will probably dismiss my concern. For now, I'm going back to two per day. Thanks again for responding.

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pacer3702 | @pacer3702 | Jan 4, 2022

I agree with your concern about excess zinc. Systane I-Caps by Alcon have the AREDS2 formula but only 12.5 mg zinc per capsule. The AREDS2 study found this lower amount of zinc was equally effective. You can find the I-Caps at Walgreens.

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1 reply
beam64 | @beam64 | Jan 28, 2022
In reply to @crabman "muscle tightness. closer to cramping. not weakness" + (show)
@crabman

muscle tightness. closer to cramping. not weakness

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I had the same thing. It is due to the excessive amount of Vitamin E in Areds -triple the required RDA amount - see the Mayo Clinic site for cautions about Vitamin E. If you are taking certain medications such as blood pressure & others it can cause reactions. You can take the other ingredients in Ared2 in separate vitamin pills, the zinc & copper combination & Lutein-zeaxanthin combination in another vitamin pill & probably enough vitamin E in a multivitamin. Talk to your pharmacist or licensed hospital dietitian.

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1 reply
beam64 | @beam64 | Jan 28, 2022
In reply to @pacer3702 "I agree with your concern about excess zinc. Systane I-Caps by Alcon have the AREDS2 formula..." + (show)
@pacer3702

I agree with your concern about excess zinc. Systane I-Caps by Alcon have the AREDS2 formula but only 12.5 mg zinc per capsule. The AREDS2 study found this lower amount of zinc was equally effective. You can find the I-Caps at Walgreens.

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Agree

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crabman | @crabman | Feb 6, 2022
In reply to @beam64 "I had the same thing. It is due to the excessive amount of Vitamin E in..." + (show)
@beam64

I had the same thing. It is due to the excessive amount of Vitamin E in Areds -triple the required RDA amount - see the Mayo Clinic site for cautions about Vitamin E. If you are taking certain medications such as blood pressure & others it can cause reactions. You can take the other ingredients in Ared2 in separate vitamin pills, the zinc & copper combination & Lutein-zeaxanthin combination in another vitamin pill & probably enough vitamin E in a multivitamin. Talk to your pharmacist or licensed hospital dietitian.

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Quit it all and pain has gone. Apparently I have a toxic relationship with them. Cured.

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beam64 | @beam64 | Feb 7, 2022

Thank you for validating my vitamin & reaction research on Mayo Clinic site internet research about cautions about Vitamin E & blood pressure & interaction with other medications. I have also stopped Areds 2 & the muscle aches & bruising has stopped. Bausch & Lomb should be printing these on their informational flyer in the Areds 2 box & tell their toll free number people about it. Most vitamins & even teas & coffees have such cautions printed on their containers, boxes & flyers. Please share comments with others. You could save a life or injury.

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blackwing | @blackwing | Feb 8, 2022

I think I commented here last summer when I tried lutein alone. It resulted in a 5 day migraine, one of the longest migraine callreactions I’ve ever had. I have chronic migraine and neuromuscular pain and disorders and I’ve had it 30 years. I take maintenance meds nightly and cope, but the killer breakthroughs are disabling. Does anyone have a similar experience?

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pattylou1212 | @pattylou1212 | Dec 11, 2022

Hi!

Finally I found a kindred spirit!! I too had been taking Preservision Areds2 with Vitamins for a couple of years. I too developed severe cramping that went down the outside of both thighs and ended at the side of the knees. It was excruciating to extend my legs upon arising from sleep. I finally found an article about Preservision and high-dosage of vitamins causing muscle problems. I stopped the Preservison about one month ago and much to my amazement my pain is down about 95%. I had been to knee doctors, hip doctors, spine doctors, neurologists and they found nothing other than arthritis appropriate for a 72 year old woman. I NEVER thought i would be pain free again! STOP THE PRESERVISION!!! Good luck.

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1 reply
imallears | @imallears | Dec 11, 2022
In reply to @pattylou1212 "Hi! Finally I found a kindred spirit!! I too had been taking Preservision Areds2 with Vitamins..." + (show)
@pattylou1212

Hi!

Finally I found a kindred spirit!! I too had been taking Preservision Areds2 with Vitamins for a couple of years. I too developed severe cramping that went down the outside of both thighs and ended at the side of the knees. It was excruciating to extend my legs upon arising from sleep. I finally found an article about Preservision and high-dosage of vitamins causing muscle problems. I stopped the Preservison about one month ago and much to my amazement my pain is down about 95%. I had been to knee doctors, hip doctors, spine doctors, neurologists and they found nothing other than arthritis appropriate for a 72 year old woman. I NEVER thought i would be pain free again! STOP THE PRESERVISION!!! Good luck.

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@pattylou1212

I took Preservision Areds 2 for many many years with no side effects whatsoever. There is a big difference between the Areds 2 formula without multivitamins and the one with all the multivitamins. It could be that the one you took and had all the side effects with was not due to the Areds 2 formula itself but to the multivitamins especially if you are already taking some of these vitamins separately. So , since everyone is different, I would hesitate to tell people not to take it especially if it was recommended by their Doctor and they have no ill side effects.

FL Mary

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Dec 11, 2022

@pattylou1212
Like Mary (@imallears) I took it for year's also without any side effects but I rarely have side effects from medication.
Are you normally sensitive
to medication?
Jake

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