Be careful with megadoses of Vitamin C

I had seen an integrative medicine MD in January to consult about nutrition, supplements, and other recommendations. I started on six supplements, one of which was large doses of vitamin C. My oncologist told me in Februrary that I may want to consider going off that, as there is some evidence that vitamin C cleans up the waste by-product of tumors, enabling them to grow faster. So I decided to go off of it, which I didn’t mind too much as it gave me “the wind” something fierce! He said that vitamin C might be okay if you don’t have cancer, but if you have tumors, it could encourage them to grow. Also, the dietician I consulted at my oncology center recommends that patients not take large doses of vitamin C while on chemo.

I continued with Omega 3 Fish Oil, N-Acety-Cysteine, Mushroom Extract, Co-Q10, and folic acid mouthwash. I think the mouthwash really works because at my last dentist appointment they said my gums were improved and I hadn’t really done anything different other than use the mouthwash. Unfortunately, I was advised this week by my oncologist to suspend all my supplements as I am in a clinical trial and have a bad rash, a common side effect of the drug. He wants to make sure that there’s not any side effects coming from the supplements.

I was supposed to also start glutathione injections in January, but you have to take them twice a week for two months, and we have been traveling, so it was going to be hard for me to get on the schedule until late February. Then I was applying to get into the clinical trial for sorafenib, so I decided not to do the injections until I knew if it would be acceptable with the clinical trial folks. So I have not done the glutathione yet, but I’ve really good things about it. Bad thing is that I had to buy the medicine myself, so I have $150 worth of it in my frig waiting to go.

-Caroline