I know this sounds silly, but is it possible for your body to become dependent of multivitamins and nutritional supplements? Not like drugs, where you are mentally convinced (?) that you must have them to survive, but if you hold them for extended periods of a time, then cut them off completely, will your body suffer as a result?

I guess what I'm trying to enunciate is - will your body crash without the continued support of multivitamins and nutritional supplements?

Thanks a lot!
-- teh_wolf
Answers:    No. Vitamins are NOT drugs, they are necessary nutrients (by definition).

Again, I would suggest the answer is no. Many of the vitamins conduct yourself as co-factors (not catalysts). High doses of these vitamin co-factors would lead to maximum saturation of the associated enzymes with the co-factor. A sudden decrease contained by intake of the co-factor would not suddenly change the saturation level of the enzyme (with the exception of the rare genetic cases I information below).

Other vitamins act as antioxidants in the Antioxidant Network. Again, when this network is at maximum 'saturation' of involved vitamins (E, C, etc.), a sudden stoppage of dignified doses of them will not suddenly deplete the network.

Additionally, most vitamins are involved directly or indirectly in modulating gene expression. Gene expression is a gradual/delayed (and very complex) process such that a sudden suspension of excess supplementation should not (cannot?) enjoy an immediate effect.

I have not seen any studies within the recent medical literature about "sudden withdrawal" problems with vitamin supplements. (Of course, just because I haven't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!) Years ago there was some controversy just about high doses of Vitamin C and whether or not the sudden withdrawal of those high doses would end in "rebound scurvy". However, I believe that idea has be disproved.

There are two situations where I can see the possibility of sudden withdrawal of supplements inducing a 'reaction'. The first case would be if someone be barely maintaining nutritional adequacy beside the supplement - thus, the removal of the supplement might lead to a fairly quick weakness.

The second situation would involve the more than 50 known genetic disorders that require extremely high doses of the vitamin co-factor to compensate for the genetically induced under-performance of an enzyme. In these rare cases, a sudden removal of the high-ranking dose supplement might quickly result in a loss of function in the defective enzyme.

So, presently you have my best thoughts on this interesting question!

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What are the most commonly used drugs..

Well, if you live on a diet that is malnourishing - after yes, stopping a vitamin would cause harmful effects due to deficiency (with time).

But no.within can be no physical dependency on vitamins.

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Is near another alternative passageway to treat..