Multivitamin refers to any preparation containing more than a single vitamin. Tablets and injectable forms (e.g. Vitaped®, Hospira) are available. In common usage, "multivitamin" refers to tablets that contain various vitamins usually along with dietary minerals and, occasionally, herbal extracts.
Multivitamins are intended to provide a proper dietary balance by supplementing the diet with additional vitamins and minerals. Since the vitamin and mineral content of such tablets is generally not above the recommended daily amount, side effects are very rare. Therefore these products are marketed as safe-to-consume dietary supplements. Because of their categorization as a dietary supplement by the United States Department of Agriculture, most multivitamins sold in the U.S. are not required to undergo the same rigorous testing procedures typical of pharmaceutical drugs.
However, some multivitamins contain very high doses of one or several vitamins or minerals and therefore require a prescription in the U.S. Since such drugs contain no new substances, they do not require the same testing as would be required by a New Drug Application, but were allowed on the market as drugs due to the FDA's Drug Efficacy Study Implementation program. See 36 Fed. Reg. 6843 (Apr. 9, 1971).
While multivitamins can be a valuable tool to correct dietary imbalances, it is worth exercising basic caution before taking multivitamins, especially if any medical conditions exist. Pregnant women should generally consult their doctor before taking any multivitamins. Severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies require medical treatment and cannot be treated with over-the-counter multivitamins.
Multivitamins
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