Severe Vitamin D Deficiency...So Bummed!

I heard when you get much above 10,000 IUs, you are asking for trouble. 70,000 sounds too high, but I'm not claiming to be an expert, just someone who is reasonably well read on the subject. From where I'm sitting one should probably not go above about 5K a day in supplements without first talking to one's doctor.

I'm currently taking 8,000 ID/day of D3 to raise my levels to optimal 60-70; I started at 15 & 15 months later with ever increasing daily amts am finally up to 41. I took 50,000 IU/day over Thanksgiving and it worked to abort the cold I was getting...interesting protocol I read about http://www.drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/ Great site but if you're not up on your chemistry, some of the blog posts will be tough going...fascinating info tho.

Jay, I didn't say TAKE 70,000 units. I said the body can tolerate that much at the top end! I said that I take 5,000 units.The 70,000 unit toleration comes into play when you are at an extreme medical situation and would be monitored by a doctor. The only reason I mentioned it is that you can see that down in the lower end of 2,000 to 5,000 units...it's safe when you can tolerate 70,000 units. It also shows that MOST people are NOT getting enough Vitamin D3 and that they need to take it in larger doses...the 2,000 to 5,000 unit area. Muse is correct when she says that she took those large amounts to ward off a cold. The same is true IF you get the Swine Flu...take HUGE amounts of vitamin D3 to fight it! Also GOOD amounts to avoid it.

Sagesteve: Actually, no one really knows what the toxicity level is for Vitamin D and therefore 70,000 IU per day may or may not be correct. It is rather difficult to prove a negative in these sorts of situations, i.e. that a particular dose is not toxic, given that this is not something one can perform human experimentation on.

Taking into account the just-stated caveat, the Counsel for Responsible Nutrition suggests 10,000 IU a day as the upper tolerable limit. Good chance this is too low, but nonetheless may be a good guide in terms of what someone should be taking (keeping in mind also that some amount of vitamin D is going to come from food and the sun, so 10,000IU a day does not mean 10,000 IU a day in supplements).

I guess when I hear in the context of a discussion about how much people should take in supplements a statement that 70,000 IU is the toxicity level, I become concerned some might think this means it is okay to take 50,000 IU a day, e.g., without adverse consequences. That simply has not been demonstrated to my knowledge.

Bottom line is my blood work showed a Vitamin D level around 25 ng, and by taking 2,000 to 3,000IU in daily D3 supplements (not in a gel tablet but in microdots), and occassionally popping a 5,000 IU, I got mine up to around 55. Arguably it could be a bit higher, but I emphasize the word "arguably." I know of no evidence mega doses much above the range I'm taking are beneficial, or for that matter are not harmful.

The lesson here is do your homework about vitamin D! Get tested regularly if taking supplements to know when you've reached ideal levels, then drop back and re-test.

What should I tell my doctor to convince him of checking my Vitamin D levels? I would ask for the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, not the other one right? I do work indoors and don't get much sun on the weekends (working on that).

I would think simply asking your doctor for the test would do the job. You could add a concern about your lack of exposure to sunlight, although if your doctor keeps up with the medical literature there should be no resistance to including this as part of a blood test. I only know about the two Vitamin D tests in these terms (1) the cheap one, and (2) the ridiculously expensive one.

Actually, Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy is the cheaper one (I now note after consulting a website) and should be adequate for identifying an overall Vitamin D deficiency. I order the test for between $35 and $50 from a U.S. based website depending on whether it is the time of the year they have a "blood-test sale." (are we allowed here to include links to non-profit health foundations?; if yes I'll post it; if no you can reach me by private mail on this site); the website then sends you to a local lab, which is one of the largest, if not largest, chain of labs in the country. Of course, if your insurance covers the test, and the co-pay is relatively low, that might be a better route although if you also have to visit a doctor solely to get the prescription for the test, the web route may be the best.

tattooyu wrote:What should I tell my doctor to convince him of checking my Vitamin D levels? I would ask for the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, not the other one right? I do work indoors and don't get much sun on the weekends (working on that).

I told my doctor it ran in the family and that worked well.

tattooyu, you can have the test for $40 by joining the D*action group at Grassroots Health. Here is a link:
https://www.grassrootshealth.net/questi ... e?c=1&js=1

That group is trying to collect data and will send you the test and ask you to complete a questionnaire, and then repeat in 6 months. That will give you the results of taking the supplement if you need to do so as indicated by the first test. No need for a doctor, apparently.

I have no affiliation with them, but have seen their website and watched some of their videos.

Good luck.

Catnapper - Joanie

My doctor hinted that my vitamin D deficiency could be the reason I had breast cancer as they are strongly correlated. Makes you wonder.

Joanie, do they send you to a specific lab? Who pays for the blood draw?

At home vitamin D tests

http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/ ... dtest.html

http://www.zrtlab.com/vitamindcouncil/h ... egory_id=1

Prick your finger, drip on the blotting paper, mail it back -- and they send you the results.

There may be cheaper places.

Vitamin D May Be Tied to Heart Disease Via Genes
THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- New research points to the possibility of a genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease.

People with high blood pressure who had a gene variant that reduces vitamin D activation in the body were found to be twice as likely as those without the variant to have congestive heart failure, the study found.

The finding may lead to a way to identify people at increased risk for heart disease, according to Robert U. Simpson, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School and his research colleagues.

They analyzed the genetic profiles of 617 people. One-third had hypertension, one-third had hypertension and congestive heart failure, and the remaining third served as healthy controls.

The researchers found that a variant in the CYP27B1 gene was associated with congestive heart failure in people with hypertension. The study is in the November issue of Pharmacogenomics.

Previous research showed that mutations that inactivate the gene reduce the conversion of vitamin D into an active hormone.

"This study is the first indication of a genetic link between vitamin D action and heart disease," Simpson said in a news release from the University of Michigan.

"If subsequent studies confirm this finding and demonstrate a mechanism, this means that, in the future, we may be able to screen earlier for those most vulnerable and slow the progress of the disease," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091204/hl ... seviagenes



Couple more good D links ...

http://nephropal.blogspot.com/search/label/vitamin%20d

http://www.paleonu.com/display/Search?s ... &startAt=0

Hi All

I had severe Vitamin D deficiency, now getting better.

But Vitamin D deficiency was part of the cause of the real problem - osteoporosis - bones breaking more easily and broken bones not mending. Which is also connected with a Calcium deficiency.

I have started drinking milk for the first time in many years, I now have to trim my (healthy) nails much more often.
So it appears that the milk is working.

I just got a Tanita Inner Scan monitor so I can keep track of my bone density.

It seems that Vitamin D, Calcium and osteoporosis are all connected.

About 10 minutes of sunlight on bare flesh morning and afternoon is supposed to fix the Vitamin D problem.

cheers

Mars

potholerepairman wrote:

tattooyu wrote:What should I tell my doctor to convince him of checking my Vitamin D levels? I would ask for the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, not the other one right? I do work indoors and don't get much sun on the weekends (working on that).

I told my doctor it ran in the family and that worked well.

Maybe I don't give my doc enough credit, he said he always tests his patients with "fatigue or depression" for vitamin D on a regular basis. I guess this time was my first "deficient" results. I guess I'll have to stick with him, even though my daughter has dubbed him "dr-takes-too-long"!

Osteoporosis is a lack of enough calcium in your body, causing bones to be less dense, brittle and to break easily.

In order for calcium to help with the osteoporosis, enough vitamin D must also be taken, usually in supplement form. Your body cannot use the calcium effectively at all without enough Vitamin D as well.