MULTIPLE VITAMINS

Assessment

• Assess patient for signs of nutritional deficiency before and throughout therapy. Patients at risk include geriatric patients and those who are debilitated, burned, or unable to take oral nutrition and those with malabsorption syndromes or chronic alcoholism.

• Toxicity rarely occurs with multivitamin preparations because of the small amounts per unit of fat-soluble vitamins. For symptoms, see individual vitamin entries.

» If overdose occurs, treatment includes induction of emesis or gastric lavage, calcium gluconate IV if hypocalcemic, and maintenance of high urine output.