Target Up and Up Prenatal vitamins potentially harmful?

Temp181960312506516 · March 2012

I recently started taking the Target Up and Up Prenatal vitamins. I love them so far and they haven't made me sick at all which is so great. However I am now concerned about the level of Vitamin A (4,000 IU as retinyl palmitrate). After a Google search, it appears that preconception and during pregnancy, high levels of preformed Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitrate) can be harmful. I am worried about the Vitamin A issue. Regular non-gummy prenatal pills use beta-carotene as the primary source of Vitamin A, which is plant derived and supposedly doesn't have the side effects/risks that retinyl palmitrate has. Anyone heard about this or did your Dr say anything about this? I really want to continue taking the gummy vitamins because they seem to be working great with my body so far and no sickness, but if they are harmful I am going to have to try to switch to something else. : ( Would it be better to just take one that is based from beta-carotene?

jonesdouglas · March 2012

Wow!

Ive never heard of that. Ive been taking my "one a day" prenatals and was thinking about switching. There's a lot of women here who take those vitamins. Im interested to hear what others have to say.

heatherf1017 · March 2012

I went for my preconception appointment in December and told my nurse that I was taking the Target Brand prenatal vitamins and she didn't say anything about them. She even added them to my current medications log. My doctor didn't mention anything either. I would think if they were harmful they would have told me right?

choppinbroccoli22 · March 2012

My prenatal (nature's bounty) has the same amount but as beta-carotene. The source of the Vitamin A was something I was specifically going for when looking at prenatals.

Because it is a non-soluble vitamin, I think the overall amount is important when you take a look at your diet, too-- I have a lot of it in my normal diet. It's funny, as soon as DH and I were in our first 2ww this time around, he immediately got all restrictive of my sweet potato fry consumption.

jonesdouglas · March 2012

GhostMonkey:
4,000 is less then the RDA.
ETA: LMFAO. It is 50% of the RDA for pregnant women (it's 80% for everyone else). Read the whole label and look at the percentage, not just the amount people. Christ.

*giggles*

I knew someone would chim in with FACTS.

holly321 · March 2012

I took them my pregnancy with DD.... She's doing alright.

jujubee25 · March 2012

If your doctor is ok with it, I don't see the issue.

I highly doubt that a prenatal supplement with far too much Vitamin A in each daily dose would be allowed to remain on the shelves.

The problem with a "Google search" is that when you're asking pregnancy questions you get a lot of blogs and baby sites re-reporting bits and pieces of research, and it's often without context. I'm not aiming this at you, OP, but just a general warning for everyone.

Temp181960312506516 · March 2012

Okay good to hear! I am so glad I won't have to stop taking these. I really like them and I know the other pill prenatals would probably make me barf. I can't even stand regular vitamins, they make me ill, let alone prenatals. Thanks again for the info!

kellyrn9956 · March 2012

My RE has on my initial instructions to not take any more than 4,000IU of vitamin A. But it is well within the guidelines for pregnant women. You are safe.

https://teratology.org/pubs/vitamina.htm - if you would like to read more.

Study suggests that 25,000IU might be the safe upper limit for pregnant women. Beta-carotene is completely safe. My prenatals have all vitamin A as beta-carotene. But having 4,000IU by retinol is not harmful.

Target Up and Up Prenatal vitamins potentially harmful?

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