Safety and side effects

Experts think that vitamin E, when taken by mouth or put on skin in typical amounts, mainly is safe. Rarely, taking vitamin E by mouth can cause:

• Upset stomach.
• Loose stools.
• Belly cramps.
• Tiredness.
• Weakness.
• Headache.
• Blurred vision.
• Rash.

Taking higher doses of vitamin E might raise the risk of side effects. Also, people with heart disease and some other conditions who take high doses of vitamin E have a higher risk of death.

Vitamin E can affect many conditions. For instance, some research suggests that taking vitamin E by mouth may raise the risk of prostate cancer. Other research suggests that vitamin E use may raise the risk of death in people with a history of heart attack or stroke.

Talk with your healthcare professional before taking vitamin E if you have:

• Too little vitamin K.
• An eye condition in which the retina is damaged, called retinitis pigmentosa.
• Bleeding conditions.
• Diabetes.
• A history of heart attack or stroke.
• Head and neck cancer.
• Liver disease.

Vitamin E may raise the risk of bleeding. If you're having surgery, stop taking vitamin E two weeks before the surgery. Also, talk with your healthcare professional about vitamin E use if you're about to have or you just had a procedure to open blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart, called angioplasty.