Many women during pregnancy planning and while waiting for the baby start taking vitamin supplements to support their bodies and ensure the correct development of the baby. However, not all complexes are useful for expectant mothers. Some supplements can provoke unwanted effects and cause hypervitaminosis. These include "Aevit".
Features of the drug
"Aevit" is presented in pharmacies in two different forms: capsules and solution. Supplement in capsules is sold in 10-50 pieces per pack. They are soft, yellow, spherical, filled with an oily liquid of yellow hue. The injection form is available in 1 ml ampoules, packed in a box of 10 pieces. This solution is intended for intramuscular injections.
Both forms include two active substances, which became the basis of the name "Aevita". One of them is vitamin A in the form of retinol palmitate. Its dosage for 1 capsule is 100 thousand IU. The second active ingredient is vitamin E, represented by alpha-tocopherol acetate. This compound is contained in each capsule at a dose of 0.1 g.
One milliliter of injection solution contains 0.035 g of vitamin A, supplemented with 0.1 g of vitamin E. When making capsules, vitamins are dissolved in corn, soybean or sunflower oil, and then poured into a shell of glycerin and gelatin. The drug for injections is represented only by an oil solution of vitamin compounds.
How does it work?
The effects of "Aevit" due to the action of its main components.
- Thanks to vitamin A the additive maintains visual acuity, strengthens bones and promotes healing of the skin if it is damaged. Such a substance is important for the normal state of the mucous membrane and immune function.
- Adequate intake of vitamin E helps prevent inflammation, supports the immune system, vascular walls, heart and endocrine system function. This vitamin accelerates tissue regeneration and helps retinol to be absorbed better.
In combination, these vitamin compounds improve the structure of the skin, the state of blood vessels and the function of the organ of vision. "Aevit" has a positive effect on blood circulation in the capillaries, protects tissues from hypoxia and normalizes their permeability.
The supplement is prescribed for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (if the absorption of vitamins has deteriorated and vitamin deficiency has occurred), neuropathies, pathologies of the optic nerve, blurred vision, liver diseases, skin lesions and many other problems.
According to patient reviews, "Aevit" supports vision, has a positive effect on hair and skin.
Is it used during pregnancy?
If you carefully read the paper instructions for "Aevit", then in the list of contraindications to the use of this remedy, you can see pregnancy. Indeed, this drug is contraindicated in women in the position due to high dosages of vitamins, which can harm the fetus.
An overdose of retinol is especially dangerous. If you take large doses of this vitamin in the early stages, the baby develops defects of the limbs, nervous system, kidneys and heart, therefore this effect is called teratogenic. Due to an overdose of vitamin E, the normal course of pregnancy can also be disrupted, for example, a complication called gestosis appears.
Even if the expectant mother was diagnosed with hypovitaminosis A and E, taking "Aevit" is prohibited, since the harm of large doses of retinol for the development of the embryo has been proven. Capsules should not be used for prophylactic purposes, because the dosages of vitamins in "Aevit" are therapeutic.
Even in healthy people, they can provoke a skin rash, exacerbation of pancreatitis, leg pain, nausea, drowsiness, bleeding and other negative phenomena. And during pregnancy, the risk of side effects and overdose increases significantly.
You should not take such a remedy immediately before conception. The fact is that the vitamins in the capsules are fat-soluble and are able to accumulate in the tissues, so their effect lasts some time after the end of the course of administration. If a woman is planning a pregnancy, stop drinking "Aevit" should be at least 6 months before the possible conception. Taking these precautions will help you avoid the harmful effects of retinol in the first trimester.
In a situation where a woman drank this drug and did not know that she was already pregnant, you should stop using "Aevit" immediately after a positive test. Further, the expectant mother will be under the close scrutiny of a doctor who will prescribe folic acid to her to reduce the risk of malformations.
What to replace?
Undoubtedly, both vitamins presented in "Aevit" are extremely important for the full development of the baby and for the body of the pregnant woman herself, but only in admissible preventive dosages of 2500–3300 IU of vitamin A and 10–15 IU of vitamin E per day. The expectant mother can get a sufficient amount of them from multivitamin complexes created specifically for women who are expecting a baby. These additives include Complivit Mama, Alphabet Mom's Health, Elevit, Vitrum Prenatal and other drugs.
A pregnant woman can also get important vitamins from food, if she takes care about the balance of your diet while waiting for the child. Sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, herbs, buckwheat, wholemeal flour, fresh vegetables, legumes. Retinol is found in a fairly large amount in butter, eggs, offal, fish, milk, cheese.
In addition, sources of beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A (converted into it after entering the woman's body), should be added to the menu of the expectant mother. Such a substance is rich in vegetables, berries and fruits with a bright color: apricots, peppers, carrots, currants, pumpkin, sea buckthorn, tomatoes, cabbage, grapes and others.
They must be present in the daily diet of a pregnant woman, because a woman will receive other valuable vitamins, and various minerals, and fiber from such products.
