Get Informed: Vitamin C
Active Ingredient(s)
Ascorbic Acid
What does it do?
This product is used as a dietary supplement.
- Last Text Update:
- 2009-Nov-20 10:04 PM
- Last Data Update:
- 2009-Nov-20 6:53 PM
Other Names
- Vitamin C
- VIT C
- Ascorbic Acid
How Safe Is It?
- Your Risk Rating
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- Average Risk Rating
-
- Pregnancy Category:
- N/A
- Black Box Warning:
- No
Facts & Figures
- Date Approved
- 21 Nov 2009
- Est US Patients*
- 3,456,000
- Generic Available
- No
- OTC Available
- Yes
User Age Distribution*
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
* Estimated number of US people currently taking Vitamin C or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.
Recent alerts for Vitamin C
There have been no alerts regarding Vitamin C during the past year.
Vitamin C Safety Report
Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings
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What is Vitamin C used for?
iGuard.org is currently tracking more than 20,200 patients that use Vitamin C (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.
| Disease / Condition | % | Average Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary Supplement | 60% | 
|
| Immune Support | 36% | 
|
| Urinary Tract Infection | 4% |
|
| Heart Disease Prevention | 3% |
|
| Anemia | 3% | 
|
| Allergies | 2% |
|
| Other | 12% |
|
How well does Vitamin C work?
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 20,200 users taking Vitamin C (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.
Average Satisfaction Score
(out of 10)
Average Effectiveness Score
(out of 10)
- 88%
- of patients are confident that the good things about Vitamin C outweigh the bad things.
- 4%
- of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Vitamin C.
Common Side Effects of Vitamin C
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 20,200 users taking Vitamin C (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.
10% of patients experience side-effects on Vitamin C
< 1% of patients experience signifcant side-effects on Vitamin C
Most Common Side Effects...
-
= 10%
Less than 1%: Abdominal Pain, Bone/Joint Pain, Diarrhea, Increased Urinary Frequency, Nausea
Global Patient Feedback for Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
my dad always tell me to take this. i take 2000 mg whenever i remember or feel i like it. i used to drink it everyday before school, but my routine broke.
18 year old Male
Posted: 2009-08-08 04:07:27
Question/Comment:
I take Vitamin C myself started off with 1000mg a day now up to 3000 mg a day. I take this supplement because I have scurvy. It is a Vitamin C deficiency. It is not normal for for someone in the US to have this but I do. I will be taking 5000 mg a day starting tomorrow as my Vitamin C level is still 0.0 May need to go and give self Vitamin C injections if I can not absorb or bring my levels at next test in about 8 weeks.
39 year old Female
Posted: 2009-07-23 22:10:41
Question/Comment:
Smokers in particular should take additional vit c as smoking depletes the body, however, vit c can interfere with antibiotics.
68 year old Female
Posted: 2009-04-23 11:54:46
Question/Comment:
AS I HAVE ONE GENE FOR HAEMACHROMATOSIS DOES TAKING 500MG OF VITAMIN C MAKE THIS WORSE????? AS I KNOW THAT VIT C HELPS TO ABSORB IRON SHOULD I NOT TAKE THIS VITAMIN AT ALL I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS AS I CAN'T SEEM TO KEEP MY IRON LEVELS GOOD UNLESS I GIVE A LITTLE BLOOD NOW AND THEN ....BUT MY SISTERS WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ALSO DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR READINGS.....THEY DON'T TAKE VIT C....THANKS JUDY
63 year old Female
Posted: 2008-11-24 06:00:13
Question/Comment:
I haven't had a cold since I started taking it two years ago. 74 yo.
76 year old Female
Posted: 2008-05-19 18:54:19
You may post comments for the benefit of other patients or post questions other patients might be able to answer. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Only your age and gender will be published with your comment, although your other user details will be securely recorded for verification purposes.
Comments may be either questions or answers to previously posted questions. Any iGuard.org user may post questions and reply.
23
Patient Comments about
Vitamin C