Having trouble with vitamin C dosing

[Systemlord]

When I first encounter symptoms on TRT my first set of symptoms starting 2 years ago it would later be attributed to a vitamin C deficiency do to a lack of vitamin C in my diet, which then lead to an iron deficiency, but I have found over the course of 6 weeks that I am extremely sensitive to vitamin C.

I first started out on 500mg vitamin C daily and after 7 days experienced extreme nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea and then the marks on my arm appeared. I realized since I had only just started vitamin C a week ago, it was more than like the cause and I reduced the dosage to 250mg and did well for a 5 weeks and those symptoms (including mildly elevated ALT levels) returned after week 5.

It was last Thursday I encountered all too familiar symptoms of extreme nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea that had been building leading up to these symptoms, so I decided to give up the supplements and go to a more natural approach drinking orange juice. I found citrus twist combining many fruits and mainly because it had 91mg of vitamin C, I figure it would be perfect since men need only between 65-90 milligrams of vitamin C from the daily diet.

So I started with 8 ounces which is 91mg (using precise measuring cup) and started experiencing all vitamin C deficiency symptoms as I did back in April however not as bad but still, rashes appear on skin, corkscrew curly hair on head, dry damaged skin, painful joints, slightly loose teeth all within 1-2 days.

I learned that when you supplement more than moderate doses 30-180mg vitamin C, absorption drops be 50 percent. If I drink 130mg worth of vitamin C and experienced all symptoms associated with excess vitamin C within a few days, if I lower the dosage back to 91mg, symptoms of a deficiency is experienced that day and I'm trying to understand what is at play here.

It's as if I have no reservoir and I understand vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and the body doesn't retain it well, but this is ridiculous. I drank 91mg this morning and have felt bad all day long and just decided to drink an extra ounce totaling 102mg and feel a little better.

I'm wondering if this is similar to how when you change dosages on TRT, if there is a period where vitamin C levels are not stable, I know it sounds ridiculous but what else can explain what going on. A deficiency exists and there is threshold that is very temperamental.

Any advice would be welcomed.

My doctor emailed me with:

As you may know, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, with dietary excesses not absorbed, and excesses in the blood rapidly excreted in the urine, so it exhibits remarkably low acute toxicity. More than two to three grams may cause indigestion, particularly when taken on an empty stomach. However, taking vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate may minimize this effect. Other symptoms reported for large doses include nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. These effects are attributed to the osmotic effect of unabsorbed vitamin C passing through the intestine. Only 65-90 milligrams of vitamin C is needed from the daily diet.