Common Vitamin E Side Effects

Vitamin E side effects are usually minor, but they do exist. Vitamin E is a fat soluble anti-oxidant that is important to your overall health. It is comprised of eight compounds, called tocopherols and tocotrienols, to create the common E vitamin pill people take as a daily supplement.

The benefits and risk associated with Vitamin E are constantly being studied, and there is some debate about its actual overall usefulness. However, there is no debate that small doses of Vitamin E are an important part of a healthy diet.

Side Effects
Vitamin E can have a few side effects if taken in large doses over an extended period of time. When applied topically as a lotion or salve, the vitamin can occasionally irritate the skin. When ingested orally, it can cause headaches, nausea or fatigue. High doses of the vitamin can also cause problems with blood clotting, making any bleeding worse than it would be normally.

Interactions
Vitamin E has been known to have an adverse effect on some people taking other medications. The vitamin can interact with large doses blood thinners or aspirin. Chemotherapy or seizure medications and vitamin E can also cause adverse effects. It can also reduce the benefits of vitamin K, zinc and cholesterol medications.

Foods High in Vitamin E
If you're worried about ingesting too much vitamin E in your diet, there are a few foods you should try to avoid. Nuts and seeds, particularly almonds and sunflower seeds, have very high doses of the vitamin. Vegetables, such as avocado, tomatoes and spinach, are high in vitamin E. Many vegetable, nut and seed oils can also have large doses of the vitamin. Last but not least, eggs, many whole grains and fortified cereals contain high doses of vitamin E.