This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

A couple years ago I noticed that Halls Vitamin C drops have a warning on the package that the drops shouldn’t be taken by people with MS. I used to keep them on hand to take if I was tired or felt a cold/sore throat coming on. Plus, it seemed like an easy way to get Vitamin C. Then one day I happened to read the warning label, and I haven’t taken them since. This has been bugging me for a while. It was never significant enough to ask the doctor, and the pharmacist said it had to do with the zinc in the drops. The link lists the ingredients, and the warning is at the bottom of the page. Anyone have any ideas what the connection might be?
http://www.gethalls.com/halls_defense_df.aspx

Folks with MS are cautioned not to take echinacea or herbs that boost the immune system. It's not the zinc...zinc is good (ask Jimmylegs!)
AC

It is the "helps support your immune system" part. There are those who think you should supress, not boost. When I went to Georgia last March for my Accelerated Cure blood draw, I was invited to sit in on an inservice. That was a main point in the presentation there. The speaker listed many herbs, vitamins NOT to take for that reason. I disagree, but appreciated being allowed to sit in.
Terry

I figured boosting the immune system was the problem. But since the pharmacist was pinning it on zinc, and zinc is good (and Jimmy, if I didn't pay attention to you, I wouldn't know that and probably would have bought his explanation), it didn't make sense. Just goes to show who we should be listening to! Thanks for clearing it up.

I want to clarify. The inservice was a Shepherd Center inservice, not an Accelerated Cure inservice. Shepherd houses the Accelerated Cure Project in Atlanta.

I did some heavy reading about ascorbic acid a couple years ago. Post here in Vitamin C and MS ???

You'll get the reasons for the warning (at least as I saw it) and the reasons to take it (as I now see it). Ken

for the zinc part, yea i would say the warning goes to that knee jerk NO to the "boost" provided by zinc. fortunately we know better

It may contain aspartame which is harmful to MSers.

harmful to anybody i reckon! a couple days ago i accidentally bought halls extra strong with 'no sugar added' - when i noticed that, i read the ingredients and sure enough, aspartame. i gave them away!

The lozenges in question have good ole glucose...
but it's wise to look out for artificial sweeteners, too.
We like stevia- naturally sweet herb w/no added calories.
AC

Raw cane sugar is good when eaten in small amounts!

cane sugar's what i use. every day i have tea and/or coffee, usually 2 or 3 cups, with a tiny smidge of sugar in a tea, and a teaspoon in a coffee.
nothing else i can think of on a daily basis.

Part of what bothered me about the drops was that they seemed so harmless. Just little Vitamin C drops – it never occurred to me that there might be something “bad” in them. I guess the silver lining in this cloud was it got me in the habit of reading ingredients and warnings. And I absolutey try to look out for aspartame. Ya just never know what’s going to pop up where, especially that sneaky stuff!