Women hospitalised after taking 'dangerous' pregnancy supplement

At least eight women have been hospitalised over the past months after suffering kidney problems from taking a pregnancy supplement containing 200 times more Vitamin D than indicated.

Folidi - a pregnancy supplement that contains Vitamin D3, iodine and folic acid - was urgently recalled on Monday due to the “potentially dangerous” amounts of Vitamin D. Excess Vitamin D increases calcium absorption from the intestines, resulting in hypercalcaemia - higher-than-normal levels of calcium in the blood, which can lead to kidney problems.

At least one of the women impacted was pregnant, and several of the others, who were planning a pregnancy, will have to delay their IVF as their body settles. Some of these women are considering taking legal action over the matter.

One woman's story

One of the women, now in her second pregnancy trimester, shared her story on condition of anonymity. She recounted how, her gynaecologist told her to start taking Folidi as a pregnancy supplement. 

As soon as she started taking the supplements she began to experience nausea and vomiting, leading her to believe she was suffering from severe morning sickness. She later learnt she had the same symptoms as hypercalcemia.

“Some weeks after starting the supplement, I became extremely weak. There was nausea and vomiting and I could barely stand up,” she said.

She went to hospital and was admitted for "severe kidney damage", she told Times of Malta. While there, she continued taking her supplements. To deal with the high levels of calcium, doctors had to flood her body with liquids as they could not give her other medication due to her pregnancy. She was placed on a heart monitor and even needed a blood transfusion.

Doctors could not understand what was causing this and thought she might have a rare condition. She was discharged after about two weeks and told to stop any supplements she was taking due to her tendency to develop high calcium levels.

Then, a few days ago, a friend shared a Facebook post – about the recall of Folidi.

'I found out on Facebook'

“I found out on Facebook. I called my doctor and asked if it was it, and was told: 'most likely'.” She is now feeling better. “I’m better health-wise. But I am under constant stress about the health of my baby,” she said.

Folidi was recalled on Monday when the Environmental Health Directorate updated the precautionary notice it had issued last week. The press release did not make reference to it being a pregnancy supplement and did not include a photograph of the product.

Gynaecologists confirmed with Times of Malta that, over the past weeks, women were admitted to the hospital suffering from acute kidney injury. While high levels of Vitamin D is not associated with deformities of the foetus, it can be dangerous for the mother. Babies would be affected if the mother is not treated promptly, a gynaecologist explained.

Questions sent to the health authorities remained unanswered by the time of writing. 

Consumers should immediately stop taking Folidi but not replace it with another Vitamin D supplement. Any remaining product should be returned to the pharmacy from which it was purchased. The Malta National Poisons Centre can be contacted on 1774. The service is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm.