is there such a thing as too much folic acid?

[amandaawesome]

i recently found out i was pregnant from a few positive home tests and the fact that my boobs are 3 times the normal size. i have set up an appt to do some blood work and test my levels and stuff for tomorrow morning. soon as i found out i rushed out and bought some over the counter prenatals. they contain 800mcgs of folic acid. i also bought just some folic acid by it self. it also is 800mcgs. should i be taking both or just one? even though tomorrow is not a real sit down with the doctor i am guessing they will prescribe me vitamins?? i am in the US and on private insurance. the dr's nurse did say that they will probably set up an ultra sound on my first real visit as long as my levels are high enough to get me an expecting date. i just want to make sure i have not been doing harm. it's all so confusing. i always hear all the great things about folic acid but is there such a thing as too much?

 

[NGRidley]

You shouldnt be taking more than 1000mcg each day. So just take the prenatal vitamins

 

[rai]

I think you can OD on anything. I would say use your prenatal vitamin and then get additional folic acid from natural sources (broccoli, spinach, etc).

 

[amandaawesome]

thank you ladies. i took both pills twice as i thought i was doing best. i have head over the counter ones are really not that great so i'm excited i'll get something prescribed tomorrow!

 

[lexi_is_ttc]

1000mcg a day or you can OD. Prenatals are meant for picking up where we lack in the vitamin department. The prenatal I take is 600mcg of folic acid and my doctor says that that's the perfect amount.

 

[NGRidley]

100mcg a day or you can OD. Prenatals are meant for picking up where we lack in the vitamin department. The prenatal I take is 600mcg of iron and my doctor says that that's the perfect amount.

i think she means 1000

 

[lexi_is_ttc]

Woops! Sorry! I did mean 1000.

 

[Jo_banana]

I lost a baby at 12 weeks due to a catastrophic neural tube defect (anencephaly).

Due to this I have to take 5mg of folic acid a day for the first 12 weeks. Its not doing me any harm and its doing my baby a whole lot of good I can tell you. Its may mean the difference between life and death.

Mums who haven't had this problem in their history should have 400 mcg of folic acid. Its only because I have demonstrably got a history of problems that I take the high dose.

But I can confirm, I am not OD ing...!

 

[veganmum2be]

from what i have gathered, overdosing on folic acid wont do harm, but its what other stuff thats in the tablet, to bind it, colour it, or whatever, that can be harmfull if taking too much?
xxx

 

[Jo_banana]

from what i have gathered, overdosing on folic acid wont do harm, but its what other stuff thats in the tablet, to bind it, colour it, or whatever, that can be harmfull if taking too much?
xxx

This is probably why you need to get a prescription for any higher dose as the 5mg tables I take are absolutely tiny (miniscule orange ones). Just taking over the counter folic acid times by more (to up the dose) would mean you are having more of the other stuff they put in tablets I should think as over the counter ones are bigger than what I'm taking by a country mile yet contain far less folic acid.