VCZ-500 CHEWABLE TAB SL/ST

• Vitamin C is required for collagen formation, wound healing and normal immune function, and is not stored by the body.
• Zinc supports immune function, wound healing and taste perception, all of which are impaired in deficiency.
• Zinc taken early in a cold may modestly shorten its duration.
• Vitamin C enhances the absorption of dietary iron, useful alongside iron supplementation.
• The chewable format needs no water and suits patients who dislike swallowing tablets.

Not everyone gets these. Most are mild and settle as the course finishes.

• High-dose vitamin C increases the risk of oxalate kidney stones. Use with caution in a history of stones and in renal impairment.
• Prolonged high-dose zinc causes copper deficiency and can impair immune function — do not continue high doses indefinitely.
• Contraindicated in haemochromatosis and in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, where high-dose vitamin C can cause haemolysis.
• Zinc impairs absorption of tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics — separate doses by at least two hours.
• Take with or after food to reduce nausea, and rinse the mouth after chewing to protect tooth enamel.
• High-dose vitamin C can interfere with blood glucose meter readings and with faecal occult blood tests.
• A supplement, not a treatment for infection. It does not replace assessment of a persistent or severe illness.