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@2flamingos... is your 50,000 IU dose a Rx or OTC? If Rx it is D2 which is not the preferred D to take. OTC D3 is the preferred. Always get a copy of your lab test results so you KNOW the numbers. Labs often score things as 'normal' using very low standards. D is scored normal at 30-100 when the optimal level is 50-80.

My nephew has suffered for many years with depression which has been diagnosed as bi-polar. He tried every combination of drugs out there to find relier from this
condition with no help. He was about at the end of his rope and then decided to have a hormone blood panel done. His testosterone came back extremely low. The
doctor told him it was the lowest reading he had ever seen. He started taking the oral pills that you place between your cheek and gum 24 hrs a day. This did not affect
his hormone reading enough so he was switched to injections. He now feels the best he has in YEARS and feel that this may have been his root problem all along. I'm\
very happy for him and think that this is an important thing to have checked...especially if you getting up into your 50s.

Jim

I too had low vitamin D, and it took over a year and a half at 20,000IU PER DAY to raise my levels from 13 nmol/L to the 63 nmol/L range. That was after the first year of 5,000IU of D3 per day that hardly caused any increase!

Wow, osmium... that is an amazing testament to how low D levels can be stubbornly hard to remedy. So glad you are now in the optimal range and will reap the many health benefits of it!

Vitamin D is good for health, it cure from many of worst diseases and also help to make bones strong and health and fulfill the needs of our body and cure in cancer and control cholesterol level.

I checked my vitD levels and it was 26 so I started taking 50,000-100,000 a week but it hasn't changed my sleep apnea and I'm still tired. is it bad for the kidneys? I try to take divided doses

I remembered having a blood test in January as I was beginning this cpap odyssey and finally looked up the results after reading the Vit D thread here on the forum. I was stunned to discover that my level was 51 because I am fair skinned, 67 y.o. and do not do sunshine. That's from no additional supplementation aside from what comes in my calcium capsule, 1000 IU Vitamin D3, taken once a day, and I really don't include the Vit D that comes in my daily because it doesn't say whether it is D2 or D3, the value listed on the bottle says 1000 IU. Though my blood level in January seems adequate for that time of the year, I am considering getting the D3 testing kit available through the vitamin D council website before I even consider additional supplementation. I began having sleeping problems a couple of years ago, which the sleep doc feels probably coincided with worsening SA. I'll be curious to see if increasing my level of D3 will have an impact. From what I've read, it surely won't hurt as long as I keep the level under 80.

Suz

Emilia wrote:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org Navigating that site is a bit odd...you must keep an eye on the left hand navigation as you go to each level of topics. They also have many other pages not in the side or top navigation that are accessed via the hyperlinked topics on the various pages. It is like peeling an onion to view it all..... not the best design.

I like their newsletter, and I agree that the site is a bit cumbersome.

Suz

Does anyone know if Insurance plans cover testing Vitamin D levels? Just curious as I checked out the kit(s) on Vitamin D Council's website and $65 for 1 test seems a bit pricey to me and I'm paid into my deductable for the year 100%...

lazer wrote:Does anyone know if Insurance plans cover testing Vitamin D levels? Just curious as I checked out the kit(s) on Vitamin D Council's website and $65 for 1 test seems a bit pricey to me and I'm paid into my deductable for the year 100%...

My Insurance covered it 100% as part of a wellness checkup. Nobody can answer that for you as each and every policy is different.

My Vitamin D was 15 and my Dr told me to get the Vitamin D3 2000 and take 2 a day. He recommend Kirkland brand from Costco. He stated that his vitamin D was low and those are the ones he buys.

so what level is toxic for vit D, above 60? and what's the max daily dose, 50,000IU? I was given these 50kIU pills by my doctor, one a week

I had mine checked and it was extremely low. I was put on Rx vitamin D. It made a huge difference in my health, for instance, I rarely get viruses now and when I do I do not get as sick as I used to or for as long. I used to be sick all the time. But it took time- I think about a year and a half- before it had full affect. I can't say that it had an effect on my sleep, though.

At risk people for Vitamin D deficiency: (from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-d-deficiency)

1. You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegetarian diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, cheese, fortified milk, and beef liver.

2. Your exposure to sunlight is limited.

3. You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

4. Your kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form. As people age their kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form, thus increasing their risk of vitamin D deficiency.

5. Your digestive tract cannot adequately absorb vitamin D. Certain medical problems, including Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease, can affect your intestine's ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.

6. You are obese. Vitamin D is extracted from the blood by fat cells, altering its release into the circulation. People with a body mass index of 30 or greater often have low blood levels of vitamin D.

Unfortunately, at the same time I learned I have a Vitamin D deficiency I learned I also have low T. The 50,000 I.U. D pills have made my muscles feel a lot better, but I still have low energy, etc. I was referred to an endocrinologist for the low T and am having tons of blood tests run, so the exact cause is unknown. I don't expect to feel much better until the low T situation is resolved. I'm hoping I don't have a pituitary tumor, as transphenoidal surgery would require me to stop CPAP for a month afterward. Frankly, I've never been this nervous about my health before.

I have struggled with low D levels for several years. The first time it was 11 and went on the RX vitamin D. I continue to take the OTC and still need more. I am now on the RX again. I didn't know till now that low vitamin d went with sleep apnea. I have been telling my family for a long time that there was a root to all my health problems(high BP,high cholesterol,low vitamin d,depression,sleepiness,fatigue,and the list goes on)and now am hopeful that it was all from sleep apnea and now I can get a handle on it. I am so glad I found this site and you wonderful knowledgable people!!!