Side Effects of Vitamins for Macular Degeneration

Few side effects were reported in the study that examined high-dose vitamins for macular degeneration. About 7.5 percent of participants who had zinc in their formulation experienced genitourinary problems that required hospitalization. Some of these problems included:

 

This compares with 5 percent of participants who did not have zinc in their assigned treatment that experienced the same genitourinary problems. Participants in the two groups that took zinc also reported anemia at a slightly higher rate; however, testing of all patients for this disorder showed no difference among treatment groups. Yellowing of the skin, a well known side effect of large doses of beta-carotene, was reported slightly more often by participants taking antioxidants.