‘They thought I had hepatitis’: Woman takes this popular CVS vitamin. Then she has to get her organs checked

When one takes a vitamin, they likely believe that there’s no way such a supplement can do more harm than good.

However, there are some vitamins that, if taken improperly, can have devastating consequences.

For example, some experts have warned against taking large or improper doses of Vitamin D. Others have noted that biotin supplements can skew the results of pregnancy tests. At the same time, additional internet users have claimed that consuming too many drinks with Vitamin B6 can lead to Vitamin B poisoning.

Now, another internet user has the internet talking after claiming that a popular CVS vitamin sent her to the emergency room with organ failure.

How did this vitamin possibly lead to organ failure?

In a video with over 4 million views, TikTok user Jenny Ramirez (@jennyramirez278) tells viewers, “Do not take hair, nails, and skin growth multivitamins, unless you want to end up like me: in the hospital with organ failure, yellow as a [expletive] Minion.”

According to Ramirez, she knew something was amiss when she became jaundiced. After going to the hospital, she says doctors were confused, initially believing her to have hepatitis.

However, “Everything was like negative, negative, negative, negative,” she says regarding the tests.

Eventually, the doctors began to question her about medication and supplements. Ramirez told the doctors, “I'm on these vitamins because I've lost weight and I'm going [expletive] bald.” She later revealed that the vitamins in question were marked as being for hair growth.

It was upon learning this information that the gastroenterologist allegedly figured out what the problem could be.

“Basically he's like, ‘Yeah, you induced liver failure,’” the TikToker states.

In a follow-up video, the TikToker reveals that the vitamin she had been taking was the CVS Health “Hair, Skin, and Nails” supplement, which contains Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and Gelatin (Porcine and Bovine). According to Ramirez, these are the two things that the GI suspected of causing her liver problems.

Can these supplements cause liver issues?

There’s presently no evidence to suggest that Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) can cause liver failure. There is also currently no evidence that gelatin can cause liver damage.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the supplements aren’t to blame for Ramirez’s issues. 

Many commenters noted that the supplement contained a considerable amount of Vitamin A—1500 mcg, or 167% of one’s daily recommended intake of the vitamin. This is at the upper limit of what experts suggest is OK for human consumption.

If one consumes any more than this through their diet, they are at risk of developing hypervitaminosis A, or vitamin A toxicity. This presents side effects similar to what is being experienced by Ramirez, including changes to skin and liver damage.

Thankfully, most people fully recover from vitamin A toxicity after a few weeks by simply stopping taking their vitamin A supplement. That said, if the liver was sufficiently damaged as a result of their hypervitaminosis A, they may need to seek other remedies.

Additionally, it should be noted that it is unclear whether the supplement caused the damage or if other issues were the reason behind the TikToker’s liver problems. For example, the TikToker mentions issues with her gallbladder, which present with similar side effects.

@jennyramirez278 Watch till the end for the vitamin I took & also thank good it’s reversible just can’t take it no more 😭❤️🥺 #liver#jaundice#supplements#liverdamage#herbal#vitamins#hairgrowth ♬ Anxiety - Doechii

'A lot of people don't realize.'

In the comments section, users warned against blindly taking vitamins and supplements.

“A lot of people don’t realize that supplements can cause liver failure. We literally ask patients about supplements (Herbalife is a big culprit) when they come in with liver failure,” wrote a user.

“Girl this probably wasn't the vitamin, it was probably just your gallbladder,” countered another. “My gallbladder made me incredibly sick.”

“This happened to me but it wasn’t from a vitamin.. it was from having gallstones. I turned super yellow & my liver was super swollen,” recalled a third. “Had gallbladder removed & no issues.”

The Daily Dot reached out to CVS Health via email and Ramirez via TikTok DM and comment.

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