Berocca, anyone?

[sarahsarah]

After a recommendation from a friend, I've been taking berocca for a week now and I really do feel like I am getting some benefit from it. I realise it may be a placebo effect, as with all dietary supplements, but I do have more energy, feel less tired during the day and sleep better at night. I am aware I should be getting all my nutrients from my food and I do try to eat well but I figure this can't hurt, can it?

Has anyone else tried it? Do you swear by berocca or did it do nothing for you? Would be interested to hear from you.

Thanks in advance xx

[jaynehal]

I had it once after I had flu as I felt run down for weeks and it did seem to buck me up, it's got all the n vitimans which give you energy xx

[Sparkle1984]

I use Berocca in the mornings when I start work. I do find it gives me more energy and helps me to concentrate on my work better. I was first recommended it by a colleague after suffering from a bad cold. I think it must also boost immunity, as I haven't had a really bad cold since I started taking it. When I say bad cold, I mean one that's so severe it comes with a high fever and I have to take a couple of days off work.

[sarahsarah]

Thanks both. My mum is always getting colds, I might encourage her to take berocca too.

Sorry if TMI but have you had any urine colour issues with it?

[Sparkle1984]

Yes, it often makes my urine luminous yellow! Apparently it happens because you urinate out any excess vitamins your body doesn't need.

[sarahsarah]

Noticed that for the first time today and have to say it was a bit of a shock! Xx

[jaynehal]

Yes I have noticed this before ha ha x

[steveo]

There's nothing in it that should give you more energy. It's a very massively over RDA'ed vitamin supplement.

http://www.berocca.co.uk/en/products/berocca/index.php - Take a look what's in there.

It's just ridiculous amounts of common vitamins and minerals. The reason it colours your urine, is because our bodies don't need that much and excretes it out via the kidneys. Too much of this can be dangerous for us.

Unless you're severely lacking in one of these vitamins (which in todays age, all of these vitamins and packed in nearly everyones daily diets regardless if we eat alot of fruit or veg) then it's no more than a pleasant tasting orange drink.

I take an ordinary multivitamin tablet everyday which although doesn't pack upto 900% of my RDA of vitamins, still has a much broader range of vitamins and minerals and I feel no energy from it, and nor should I. I only take them as my mum bought me them.

There is a large field of research that says taking vitamin supplements does us damage, so taking up to 900% of our RDA of vitamins and minerals, doesn't mean it's better than taking 100%. It's 100% because that's pretty much all our bodies can handle of it. Anything else is wasted.

Berocca are unfortunately a well marketed waste of money.

My knowledge and opinions from my moaning post is from my years a medical professional and reading peer reviewed research on the subject, not just me being a miserable old fart

[sarahsarah]

Thanks Steveo, it is good to read your post. I didn't think that there was any ingredient in berocca that would actually give me energy, rather the general sense of well-being making me feel like I wanted to do more. For all I know, it may be imbibing a generous glass of liquid every morning that's doing it.

I have always been of the opinion that for me personally, food supplements are pretty placebic (is that a word) and that if you have a medical reason for being deficient in a vitamin or mineral, taking over the counter supplements is not going to help much. I think there is a lot in the theory that if you think you are doing yourself some good, your body and more importantly, your mind will react in kind. Of course this doesn't work for everyone. I take evening primrose oil because it helps with headaches. Do I really believe a the contents of the pill have balanced my hormones to such an extent that it has cured my hormonal-based headaches? Probably not. Do I get headaches any longer? No. So I will keep on taking them.

Your link to the ingredients in berocca has certainly made me think again about whether I want to continue to take it. Sorry if I haven't expressed myself very well here, they are thoughts which I have never articulated before xx

[steveo]

I 100% agree with you.

I'm certainly not here to 'bash' remedies that appear to help people. I'm here to support people through their terrible times.

There are many posts on this natural remedies part of the forum that hold zero evidence and are wasting peoples money, but thankfully we are not suffering a dangerous physically illness and I also understand the power of placebo. Infact, Placebos show to me MUCH more effective than SSRI medications!!!

Alot of people don't drink enough liquid so if a berocca is a way of getting someone to gulp a full glass of water a day, then I'm ALL for it! I must admit, in my university days, I had many a night out with lectures to go to early the next day, so somehow in a drunken state, before sleep, I would get a pint of water and a berocca and drink it all. I would then take one in the morning. I would say it had some effect, but really, the drinking a glass of water before bed and when waking, is enough to counteract the dehydrated effects of the alcohol. In my head though, it was topping up all the vitamins and minerals that I had depleted from the night before.