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Supplements

Multivitamin

ملٹی وٹامن · daily multi
Weak evidence

A sensible floor under a poor diet. Not a treatment, and not a reason to skip a blood test.

This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.

What it is

A single tablet containing small amounts of most vitamins and minerals.

What the research says

Trials in healthy adults report modest reductions in perceived stress and tiredness; evidence for treating depression or anxiety is weak. What a multivitamin does well is cover small gaps. What it does badly is correct a real deficiency, because the amounts are too low - which is why finding a deficiency matters more than covering one.

What studies have used

One daily, with food.

Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.

Who should be careful, and what it interacts with

Check it against everything else you take: B6, vitamin A, iron and zinc all stack across products. Multivitamins containing iron should be kept away from children. High-dose vitamin A is unsafe in pregnancy - use a pregnancy-specific product.

In Pakistan

Enormously popular and heavily marketed. If money is tight, a blood test for vitamin D, B12 and ferritin buys more useful information than a year of multivitamins.

Before you take it

Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.

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