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Reaction to Zinc?


Cnsmama

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I recently had worsened POTS symptoms after taking supplemental Zinc low dose.  Had increased HR, shaking chills, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, brain fog, etc.. lasted 7 days.  Anyone else had that happen?  Also happened when I took zithromax a couple of years ago. My doc does not know much about it. Thanks!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm not sure about zinc but I have weird reactions to vitamins, supplements, etc. Vitamin C at low dose makes me extremely ill and worsens everything. B12 and other B vitamins make me extremely tired. Iron makes me sleep all the time. And coq10 makes me quite sick. Yet no side effects with IVIG... Sorry no real answer on the zinc but I have quite bizarre reactions to things that seem quite normal to most people. Vitamin C is by far the worse for me personally when supplemented and also makes my dysautonomia worse. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Cnsmama, here's some zinc info below. With regard to Zithromax, not everything is dysautonomia-related. I do fine with Zithromax. I have had cats and kittens over the years who could not take Zithromax (puking, shaking, the blahs) while many of their buds had no problem with it. Just saying, Zithromax may just not be right for you. 

Zinc (Zn2+) is an essential mineral and an important nutrient found throughout the body. Zinc is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymes, influencing various organ and cellular functions, including immune mechanisms, actions of several hormones, enzyme activities, and metabolism. Zinc has a direct effect on the production, maturation and function of white blood cells. Zinc is also important for wound healing and for the sense of taste and smell. Zinc also influences the function of immunostimulants.  
With a varied diet, we usually get enough zinc and deficiency isn't common in the United States. Many multiple vitamins contain zinc. Our bodies don’t store zinc, so we need to eat enough every day to ensure we’re meeting our daily requirements. People who have low levels of zinc seem to benefit most from zinc supplements. 

The recommended daily amount of zinc is 8 mg for women and 11 mg for adult men. The National Institutes of Health considers 40 mg of zinc a day to be the upper limit dose for adults. 
The dietary intake, bioavailability, and absorption of zinc depends on the composition of the diet and also on age and disease status. 

High value food sources of zinc include chicken, red meat, beef, lamb, pork, shellfish (oysters, Alaskan king crab, shrimp, lobster, and mussels), legumes (chickpeas, peas, lentils and beans), seeds (hemp, squash, pumpkin and sesame seeds), nuts (pine nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds), dairy foods (cheese, milk, and yogurt), eggs, whole grains (wheat, quinoa, rice, wild rice, and oats), and fortified breakfast cereals. Although it is a high calorie taste treat, dark chocolate is an excellent source of zinc. Vegetables can provide smaller amounts of zinc (potatoes, green beans, baked beans, kidney beans, and kale). 

It is possible that zinc lozenges or syrup, when taken within 24 hours after cold symptoms start, can help shorten the length of colds, but zinc supplementation can decrease the effectiveness of certain drugs and cause side effects. Due to its anti-inflammatory effects, zinc is especially beneficial for inflammatory acne and related scarring. In men, a nutritional deficiency in zinc may cause hypogonadism (with low testosterone levels). 

Zinc can interact with some antibiotics (quinolone antibiotics such as Cipro and tetracycline antibiotics), rheumatoid arthritis medications (e.g. penicillamine), prescriptions used for autoimmune diseases, and thiazide diuretics such as chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide. 

Oral zinc supplements can cause indigestion, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and vomiting
Although zinc is essential at low concentrations, higher concentrations are toxic and may cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and stomach upset; too much zinc may also interfere with healthy (HDL) cholesterol levels.
When oral zinc is taken long term and in high doses it can cause copper deficiency. People with low copper levels might experience neurological issues, such as numbness and weakness in the arms and legs. 

At a micro level, high concentrations of zinc enhance and prolong the firing rate of neurons, significantly depress paired-pulse potentiation, block the action of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) on cortical neurons, enhance quisqualate receptor-mediated injury and inhibit the Ca2+-dependent release of transmitter by inhibiting the entry of calcium into nerve terminals.

The first link below has the zinc content of some common foods in case it is desired to see if supplement-supplied and dietary zinc totals are in excess of the 40 mg ceiling set by NIH of 40 mg/day. 

Zinc, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, NIH, updated March 26, 2021
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/#en36 

Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-zinc/art-20366112 

Nutrition and Functional Neurochemistry, Gary E Gibson and John P Blass, In: Basic Neurochemistry: Molecular, Cellular and Medical Aspects, 6th edition, Siegel GJ, Agranoff BW, Albers RW, et al., editors, Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven; 1999
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK28242/ 

Zinc and the immune system, L Rink, P Gabriel, Proc Nutr Soc, Vol. 59(4), pp.541-52; 2000
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11115789/ 

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