Replied By Laura (Boulder, Co) on 03/05/2010
Wow, you have described me exactly. I have the exact same symptoms. More anxiety, less sleep, heart racing, light-headed. It's been a week since I stopped taking the oil and I am still getting heart palpitations. It's been awful. I hadn't taken it in over a month and I decided to try some again. I only took it twice-a couple tsp each time-and I ended up with the worst heart palpitations ever that don't seem to be going away this time. In fact, I went to the cardiologist today because it's so unsettling and it really freaks me out! They didn't find anything yet, but I need further testing to make sure it's not serious. It seems like every time I try to incorporate CO into my diet my symptoms get worse. I've also tried it topically and ended up with red bumps all over my face. This time, I will not be trying again. Ever. It's nice to know I'm not alone! I will try to follow up and I would like to hear your experience too. Best wishes!Replied By Amanda (Hot Springs, Ar, Usa) on 03/07/2010
It has been a little over a week, and i am still having that nervous feeling, like i cannot calm down, like i am on caffeine. i have been concerned about my heart as well; especially because i have anxiety and i keep thinking something is wrong with me. i just don't feel right. i haven't been getting the fluttering anymore, but i think i have other symptoms of palpitations, like being too aware of my heart rate; just a nervous feeling in my chest.i get lightheaded, too. i wish it would just get out of my system, i am tired of this.i think someone else's post said they were better within two weeks. someone said it could be that if your liver is sluggish, the coconut oil would cause this. this makes sense to me, because i know i have a sluggish liver, and i read somewhere else that coconut oil is converted to energy directly in the liver and that is something that makes it different from other fats, and while the liver is sluggish, the person may not be able to process it properly.Replied By Amanda (Hot Springs, Ar, Usa) on 03/11/2010
Can anybody who has had side effects with coconut oil tell me how long it takes to leave the system? i have been off of it for two weeks. i feel like it has ruined my life. i constantly feel my heart beating and i am nervous and my resting heart rate is higher than my normal. i was up almost all night. i cannot find answers; nobody really knows why it has this effect. i have four children and i am worried about this all day and night.Replied By T (Maryland, Usa) on 03/11/2010
Amanda, I'd take some magnesium and see if that helps (there's lots of magnesium info here at EC to guide you on types and dosages). I don't take coconut oil because it gives me palpitations as well. I have autoimmune thyroid disease which can swing from hypo to hyper. I don't think anyone with an overactive thyroid should take coconut oil supplementally as it stimulates the thyroid. I wonder if you have an underlying thyroid condition. Anxiety, sleeplessness, and nervousness can be all be symptoms as well. You might want to get your thyroid tested (be sure they test Free T3 and Free T4 in addition to their usual TSH, and consider getting antibody tests as well). Let us know if you do that as it may help others reading here in future, and also let us know if the magnesium helps. If it doesn't, there's a bugleweed/motherwort compound that is sold at a major vitamin dealer online which might be helpful. Bugleweed is a thyroxin antagonist which has been useful in treating hyperthyroid conditions as well as irregular heartbeat. Motherwort has similar properties. You should of course research thoroughly for yourself before trying any remedy. Good luck, and please do update us!
Replied By Amanda (Hot Springs, Ar, Usa) on 03/12/2010
Thanks, you all who have responded. i will try to make this short. the magnesium oil i had put on the bottom of my feet did help that day, but the next day i decided to take a bath in the crystals (from the same company) i was not aware until after the fact that the crystals are stronger than the oil, and i am not a large person 127 lbs, and i didn't fill the tub very much because i did not want to dilute it too much. well, that night was AWFUL! i had palpitations all night and couldn't sleep. i am a sensitive person and i do not need much of whatever i take.anyway, i went out to a friend that sells herbs from a well known company and she had something that can tell you what supplements your body needs at the time, and you don't even enter information into the computer. you put your hold your hand on something that is like a computer mouse (it is like muscle testing). anyway, magnesium malate came up for me, and i started taking it yesterday evening. i calmed down and was able to sleep and it is 10:30 p.m and i have been doing great.i even was very nervous because i am afraid of it coming back and i checked my pulse and was sure it would be high because of being so nervous.it was 67, which is my normal.praise God!anyway, i had tried magnesium glycinate a few days ago and that had made me feel worse, too. a few years ago i had taken magnesium citrate for depression and it made me feel terrible and weird. so i said all of this to say that sometimes even the same thing but in different forms could affect a person different. it's good to find someone who muscle tests. anyway, like someone had said, maybe the coconut oil can use up your magnesium and that could be one reason to affect some people this way.Replied By Toddcolorado (Wiggins, Co) on 09/01/2010
I am not a doctor but have been told that detox can take years as toxins can be stored away in fat tissue and slowly release as fat is burned. I am told this is why lsd flashbacks can happen years after initial ingestion. I am told that this can apply to almost anything from prescription and over the counter drugs to caffeine and vitamins in addition to more well known toxins. Sweating is the best way to detox fast and MSM can help with that. Smaller doses of VCO should result in less fat burning to help minimize daily detox.Replied By Faith (Forest Park, Ohio) on 12/24/2011
Those SYMPTOMS are DIE OFF so in that case decrease the amount that you are taking to a dose low enough that you an handle the detoxification symptoms. THYROID problems are mostly an INFECTION and the coconut oil kills the infection over time. If you can't take it orally at first, then use it on your skin and hair. Then after a few weeks try a small amount orally and use that amount until you have no more reaction, then build up over time. This will benefit your body greatly, so don't be afraid of it. In the long-run your body will be better for it and all of the microbes that were making you ill will be under control... As long as you use it for life!Replied By Erin (Western, Pennsylvania) on 10/14/2012
You have to be really careful with which symptoms you blame as "die off. " I have also read that if you are deficient in saturated fats, which your heart needs, the Virgin Coconut Oil will cause it to overact. That person recommended continuing taking the vco, but if it is making you unable to sleep after a month of taking it, I would just stop.
Anyone that is sensitive to heart rate increases is going to have difficulty dealing with these symptoms. It will become both a mental and physical illness. Please do not blame everything on this "die off" process that I have yet to even be able to find actual scientific evidence of. I am not saying it is not real, but people can have negative reactions to foods for a number of reasons; some that could be dangerous.
I have anxiety as well and have been trying Virgin Coconut Oil (very good, highly recommended brand) for three days now. I experience about 5 hours of heart palpitations, dizziness, the shakes, etc. All the symptoms of panic attacks. This is after 1 tablespoon in the morning. I am going to try cutting way down because the antifungal/bacterial aspect of Virgin Coconut Oil _is_ medically proven, but if this persists I am going to have to stop.
Not all negative side effects are "die off."
I understand the distrust in modern medicine, but please be careful with these kinds of sites. Going natural is great, but I have yet to read a medical professional on this site comment on anything and there is a certain amount of biological knowledge that comes with a medical degree that we as laymen just do not have.
