Yesterday I was shopping for vitamin C at the grocery store and I was squinting to read the signs over the aisles, and then squinting at the different vitamin bottles, and then I started thinking maybe I should get some sort of supplement for my eyeballs, as well. So I bought this Eye Defense by Nature Made. It has, like, 300% the daily value of Vitamin C, as well as Beta Carotene and other vitamins, so I thought maybe that would be useful. Has anyone heard anything about this? I asked the pharmacist and he said it should be fine, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it.

Also, I was reading an article today by "Pharmacists for Life," or something, and one of the doctors said something about an excessive amount of Vitamin C causes birth control pills to be less effective. What's that about?

I don't know about excessive amounts of vitamin C causing birth control to be less effective. But birth control does change the way the body absorbs specific vitamins, namely C, B6, B12 and Folic Acid. Actually antacids, alcohol, antidepressants, and steroids also affect the rate of absorption.

If you have a healthy diet it's not necessary to take vitamins with your birth control. But if you are taking the vitamin C make sure you take less than 1000 mg because anything higher than that can cause extrogen related side effects. Your hormone levels can increase as much as 50%.

As for healthy vision, "Eye Defense" seems to have some good ingredients. It's got Beta Carotene (the pigment that gives carrots and sweet potatoes their coloring)which converts into Vitamin A. The Zinc is necessary to help your body absorb the antioxidant vitamins. And vitamins A, C, and E can reduce your risk of developing cataracts. Lutein is an antioxidant and is found in dark green leafy vegetables. The majority of it concentrates in the macula, which is a part of the retina responsible for central vision. Zeaxanthin is the other carotenoid also present in the macula. Together, increasing the presence of those two can reduce your risk of Macular Degeneration.
So this supplement can probably keep your eyes healthy but the only thing that will keep you from squinting is a visit to your eye doctor and a (gasp) prescription for glasses. Because no amount of vitamins, antioxidants, or the like can reshape your eye-ball which is responsible for having blurred vision.

Oh, I have glasses, I just always forget them... But I figured taking something to stave off any further degeneration couldn't be a bad thing!
I forget how many mgs of C are in the vitamins... I will have to check.
As for my diet... it's okay, but I get a lot of Vitamin I (from my ice cream) and a lot of Vitamin 3M (3 Musketeers bars) and a lot of trans fats from my Oreos... I don't really eat a lot that has the big C in it...

LMAO!!

OMG Elexina that is too funny! hahahahahahhaha

Now I am not going to say that you are sucker, however these companies keep on coming out with new product labels that sell the exact same thing over, and over, and over again. Yet since it is now "formulated for ________" fill in the blank, they can not only sell it but charge a pretty price to it as well.

Vitamins and Minerals have become the second biggest rip-off scam of all time. Topped only by Women's and now Men's cosmetics that promise youth in a bottle.

I strongly urge everyone who is going to buy Vitamins and minerals to stop off at their local library and check out all of the herbal and vitamin and mineral encyclopedias out there. Peruse the selection checking out what you can and from that select one or two that you will want to purchase and locate and buy that cherished tome.

You should have a good book on herbal remedies and one that covers minerals and vitamins A to zinc, one that explains what each does and hopefully gives you an idea of which foods it can be found in. Do not ask the Herbal Store Clerk - their job is to sell you as many useless stuff as they can. Ask your local Librarian.

Before buying supplements you need to know what each product contains so you do not over dose on some, or mix others which cancel each other out. Things most people do not know. I am willing to bet if you took your little bottle with you and looked at a one a day multi vitamin you would find that it contains much of the same stuff in the same quantities that you would get with a one a day and the one a day is cheaper per volume and comes with a lot of other interesting things from A to Zinc.

With that said: Yes we are discovering that many of our drugs are affected by "natural" nutrients. The pill is a testy little thing - (Was that funny?) Testy little... Never mind - It is affected and affects many things because it is hormones which causes shut down of the female cycle - er - interrupts the hormone cycle. Hormones are a product (in a round about way) of diet and nutrition. Tamper with the nutrition you tamper with the hormone production in some ways.

"Vitamin C may increase the level of estrogen in your blood and may lead to increased spotting. If you need to take vitamin C daily (especially one gram or more), take it at least four hours apart from taking your birth control pill. This will prevent any interaction between the vitamin C and the birth control pills. Using vitamin C will not increase your risk of getting pregnant only for bleeding." from http://www.well-net.com/womenshealth/contraception/instructionspillusers-1.html (thanks for that trip to a site I would never have had a reason to go to BTW I learned a few things)

Also note that many other medications out there are upset or detracted from with the use of Vitamins. Most Doctors now have working knowledge of most meds and vitamins, however your pharmacist will know every detail - its their job, its all they studied in school for years.

Cheers

I have to agree with you David. I am not a huge proponent of taking vitamin supplements, believing that a healthy diet is what you need. There are specific dosages of vitamins needed and there is a possibility of damage from vitamin overdose, specifically vitamin A. Also, certain vitamins can be taken together while others interfere with each other's abosrption in the body. Certain diet books are geared to this and specify what foods can be combined to get the most out of you vitamin intake.

However, if you are not getting all the vitamins you need via a healthy diet then sometimes it is necessary to use a supplement. Just read the labels carefully. And be wary of those products "promising" improved (fill in the blank). Vitamin bottles will say that the product promotes healthy....but if you read the fine print it will say that "The FDA has not evaluated this statement." and that "this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Okay, well I did talk to the pharmacist at the supermarket he didn't say anything detremental about it. I do still have the receipt and haven't opened it yet, so I could take it back. I was just looking for some opinions. Thanks...