Safety and side effects

When taken at appropriate doses, oral use of vitamin E is generally considered safe. Rarely, oral use of vitamin E can cause:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Intestinal cramps
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Rash
• Gonadal dysfunction
• Increased concentration of creatine in the urine (creatinuria)

Taking higher doses of vitamin E might increase the risk of side effects. Also, there is concern that people in poor health who take high doses of vitamin E are at increased risk of death.

Use of vitamin E can interact with many conditions. For example, research suggests that oral use of vitamin E might increase the risk of prostate cancer. Other research suggests that vitamin E use might increase the risk of death in people with a severe history of heart disease, such as heart attack or stroke. Talk with your doctor before taking vitamin E if you have:

• A vitamin K deficiency
• An eye condition in which the retina is damaged (retinitis pigmentosa)
• Bleeding disorders
• Diabetes
• A history of a previous heart attack or stroke
• Head and neck cancer
• Liver disease

The supplement might increase your risk of bleeding. If you're planning to have surgery, stop taking vitamin E two weeks beforehand. Also, talk to your doctor about vitamin E use if you're about to have or you just had a procedure to open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow to your heart muscle (angioplasty).