Question: Hello, I believe I have become allergic to vitamin C. I am 30 years old and the symptoms started about 2 years ago when I used to take a 500mg vitamin c tablet everyday throughout the winter and then wean off it come summer when I am less likely to catch a cold. I noticed that muscles in my feet and hands would turn rock hard with what I assume is blood. They are specific muscles in my feet or hands but not always the same muscle. As I stopped taking the Vitamin C tablets I noticed the rock hard muscle symptoms would occur less. I eventually suspected it must be vitamin C when the symptoms would come back after drinking orange juice or even eating a healthy portion of broccoli at dinner. The swollen muscle takes effect anywhere from 12 to at most 48 hours after ingesting vitamin C. It usually lasts about 12 to 24 hours and then will go away. I went to a foot specialist because it originated in my feet as I tend to snowboard and work on my feet a lot. He thought it could be a disease called Dupuytren's contracture. Something that happens to your scar tissue in places like your hands the older you get and vitamin C is an inhibitor. I then went to a regular doctor for a check up and had blood work done. They didn't notice anything to abnormal and said I looked like a healthy individual. The last place I tried was an allergen specialist who had no idea how to test for a vitamin C allergy and instead tried to get convince me that my asthma which I haven't had since I was 12 was a bigger issue. It is not, I can keep up with pro athletes hiking up a mountain while carrying camera gear just fine. So I have come to the wonderful world wide web to solve this strange illness that nobody has ever heard of. I can't seem to find anything on vitamin C allergies. I do my best to avoid intake of vitamin C but it is in lots of different foods and I worry that no intake of the vitamin could be harmful to my body. I will say the the muscles which turn rock hard seem to happen in my arms and legs now as well. I would say it seems to happen in whatever muscle I have fatigued just before or after taking the vitamin. I would describe it as the vitamin may be sent to the muscle to repair the ripped muscle and instead inflames it and turns it hard. This is extremely hard to go about my day when it is in my heel or foot because putting pressure on it causes extreme discomfort. Has anyone out there ever heard of this happening before because right now I have searched and I am the only one.

Thank you, XXXXXXX

I'm sorry but your wrong. It's not just lemons and oranges. As I said it will happen when I have broccoli. It definitely happens if I have grape fruit and I'm pretty positive it happens when I eat Brussels sprouts but not sure about strawberries. Just want to note that I have eaten all these things consistently since I was a child. This is a new allergy that I still believe is linked solely to vitamin C. Has nobody ever heard of this before?