Need some advice Re: Chromium

[Calluna]

Hey everyone,
I know there's a sticky about natural remedies, but this didn't seem to quite fit so I'm posting a new thread.

I went to the naturopath because I've had almost constant headaches for the last few weeks (my usual naturopath wasn't there and I don't know if i trust this guy). He said it was probably due to low blood sugar as it usually goes away a bit when I eat, and comes back after an hour or so.
He gave me something called "Chromium Plus" to take but said to take 3 p/day instead of the 1 p/day suggested on the bottle and he said it was safe to take during pregnancy, I just don't trust him enough to take it.
If it is safe to take I want to start ASAP as these headaches are driving me nuts.

So, my questions are:
Does anybody know if it is safe to take or not?
Does the dosage sound right?
Has anyone used it to stabilise blood sugar before?

Any info you have will be greatly appreciated.
TIA

ETA The ingredients in the tablets are:
2000mcg - Chromium Polynicotinate
250mcg - Equiv. to Chromium
200mg - Alpha Lipoic Acid
100mg - Inositol
53mg - Zinc Glycinate
15mg - Equiv. to zinc
100mg - Vanadium Aminoate
1mg - Equiv. to Vanadium

[Artechim]

From everything I have read you only need about 30mcg per day, those tablets have 250mcg and if you are taking 3 of them then you would be having 750mcg per day. New research suggests that chromium picolinate may cause damage to the body's cells, and there's no evidence that they can reduce cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, or control diabetes.

Personally I wouldn't touch them.

From the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

Potential Chronic Health Effects:
CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: PROVEN
The substance is toxic to the reproductive system, central nervous system (CNS).
Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.

[Calluna]

Holy s**t. Good thing I asked first. Could have done some serious damage.

Thanks heaps.

[Calluna]

From everything I have read you only need about 30mcg per day, those tablets have 250mcg and if you are taking 3 of them then you would be having 750mcg per day. New research suggests that chromium picolinate may cause damage to the body's cells, and there's no evidence that they can reduce cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, or control diabetes.

Personally I wouldn't touch them.

From the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

I've just realised that, that MSDS was for "chromium picolinate", where as the ingredient in the tabs he gave me is "chromium polynicotinate". Which, as far as I can tell, is different. I could be wrong though, I don't know anything about herbal medication (or reading MSDS for that matter)

[Artechim]

Sorry about that, here is an MSDS for 0.2% chromium polynicotinate

http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Chro...e_0_2_-9923469

Even so, it is 250mcg equivilant of Chromium which is a lot more than the 30mcg that is suggested for pregnancy.

[Calluna]

All good,

I'm a bit confused in regards to reading the MSDS...

Hazards Identification
Potential Acute Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation.
Potential Chronic Health Effects:
CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available.
Repeated or prolonged exposure is not known to aggravate medical condition.

Why would they give me something to "ingest", that is hazardous in case of ingestion?

First Aid
Ingestion:
Do NOT induce vomiting unless directed to do so by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an
unconscious person. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband. Get medical attention if symptoms appear.

Would this be just in case of overdose?

[Artechim]

Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. It is only toxic if you ingest large amounts of it, as is the case with most of the transition metals that you need in a very small amount.

Toxicity to Animals: Acute oral toxicity (LD50): >10000 mg/kg [Rat]. (Calcium phosphate dibasic).
This means you would need to eat about 10g per Kg of body weight to have a 50% chance that it would be lethal (provided humans metabolise it the same way as rats).