Vitamin d deficient?

firesoforion

Vitamin D is a great thing, even if you're not deficient, it can help prevent a ton of things, and studies even point to its being useful in the treatment of MS.

I've never been diagnosed as deficient, but I take it anyway, and spending some amount of time in the sun (about 15-20 minutes a day) without sun screen and allowing the sun's rays to hit you, it's another good thing.

Bookers23

50,000 a week is the routine with daily supplementation afterwards. Once your level is greater than 30 the body is able to store it, that's why you need the big dose, anybody in the northeast should be on vit d. I use a light therapy lamp, big square thing you sit in front of for ten minutes a day, amazing how your mood changes and you get energized after that. With vitamin d, especially ergocalciferol, make sure to drink plenty of water or kidney stones are in your future! This is an acceptable risk, as you will feel so much better with a therapeutic d level. Good luck!

janf15

This is from the National Institutes of Health website "The normal range is 30.0 to 74.0 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL)."

Most of us are Vitamin D deficient. Right now there is good data to support treating Vitamin D deficiencies with supplemental vitamin D and the amount you take should be coordinated with your primary care provider who will base it on your Vitamin D levels. Usually done annually.

Benefits (particularly well documented) is bone health and heart health. There may be other benefits but the evidence is not as strong.

A good source of Vitamin D is sunshine - but since that is not always possible, supplemental Vitamin D is needed. You should look for vitamin D (liquid) that can be given under the tongue. However, it is more expensive. An alternative is gel capsules. (Consumer report recently reviewed all the brands of Vit D).

tataliciousd89

This is actually extremely common. In northern climates the sun doesn't even get high enough in the sky to give you any vitamin D. Here it only gets high enough from May through July and most of May and June are usually pretty cloudy. Fyi vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin so you can overdose on it. Don't take it unless you know your levels and have run it past your physician first. I'm not a big milk drinker and I live north of seattle so my levels are super low. I still only take 2000 IU a day tho and my levels have risen just fine.

jenniebean1680

Yep, I'm deficient as well. Dunno how badly, but bad enough to be on 5000/day. Doc told me not to worry about taking in that much because of the Rx level being 50000, so I'm glad you're on it.

My deficiency cases pretty severe fatigue and depression. It's amazing what this little vitamin can do! I felt better within a week.

jenniebean1680

50,000 UI impossible. After 10,000 vit D is toxic. 5000 UI/day for sure. I've been vit D deficient and now after 1 y on supplementation with 2000-3000/day I'am back in business. Hard to evaluate the benefits though.

its a prescription. i take it once a week for 6 weeks.. just started yesterday. its prescribed when your levels are very low and daily suppliments arent enough to increase it.

LOL love how everyone on here knows everything! My doc told me we could always try the Rx 50,000 if 5,000/day didn't help. SMH lol

trishoida

Wisconsin winters always wreak havoc on my vitamin D levels. My blood work always come back between 8-12 ng/ml. It takes me three months of 10,000 iu/day before it gets back up to the 50's. From what I understand, and this is not medical advice, good levels are anywhere between 32-150 it all depends on how you feel. My fatigue is remedied and I only have to supplement my diet with 1,000 iu after those three months (I'm currently taking those darn 10,000's)

karenhs2

Here is a balanced detailed informative article:
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

It points out that you can take up to 2000IU a day without testing and not be in danger of too much. It also gives guidelines about how much sun exposure is needed. And in case it isn't obvious, it has to be exposure without sunscreen to work (reason for the guidelines of early morning or late afternoon but of course you might want to be out at noon in some places).

In case you weren't aware, the supplements are usually D3.

Like any other nutritive factor, there will be a host of other factors that are affecting it, hence the differing experiences.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

50,000 UI impossible. After 10,000 vit D is toxic. 5000 UI/day for sure. I've been vit D deficient and now after 1 y on supplementation with 2000-3000/day I'am back in business. Hard to evaluate the benefits though.

its a prescription. i take it once a week for 6 weeks.. just started yesterday. its prescribed when your levels are very low and daily suppliments arent enough to increase it.

LOL love how everyone on here knows everything! My doc told me we could always try the Rx 50,000 if 5,000/day didn't help. SMH lol

Just listen to your Dr girl.

My Dr has me on 70,000 IU (10,000 IU per day) and I have been on that regimen for 4 months and my levels have only raised a short climb. From 4 to 11 in a four month time span..........

Under the advise of my Dr I have also started going to the tanning bed 3-4 times per week (usually every other day) for 5 minutes in an effort to raise my levels a bit faster. The heart palpitations are no fun.

HeavenlyBri77

so how do you know if you have a deficiency? blood work? I take a B12 shot every 3 weeks, my body won't adsorb it for some reason and i get the max does every 3 weeks. After 1.5 weeks i can tell i am due for another shot already but i can't get it more then 3 weeks. so how different is vit d compared to b12. can you just take a otc supplement? how much? i have been told by many that i probably should be taking it

If you need to get B12 shots then your body is lacking intrinsic factor which is needed to absorb vitamin B12. This has nothing to do with a Vitamin D deficiency. This is not to say that you don't have a deficiency in vitamin D as well, but the two wouldn't be related.

jenslife82

50,000 a week is the routine with daily supplementation afterwards. Once your level is greater than 30 the body is able to store it, that's why you need the big dose, anybody in the northeast should be on vit d. I use a light therapy lamp, big square thing you sit in front of for ten minutes a day, amazing how your mood changes and you get energized after that. With vitamin d, especially ergocalciferol, make sure to drink plenty of water or kidney stones are in your future! This is an acceptable risk, as you will feel so much better with a therapeutic d level. Good luck!

I live in Maine so I know a number of people who use these with seasonal effective disorders. I can't be near one for more than a few minutes at a time, gives me a severe headache, nausea and sometimes vomiting. I know tmi but makes me wonder if I could survive a tanning booth. I am 3 days into my 50k and don't really feel much different yet. But hopefully will come soon so I don't have to worry about being under the lights!

jenslife82

question for you all - do you feel like you were in a worse mood or depressed before you got on the supplements? how long until you saw an effect from them? i've been pretty irritable and wondered if this had something to do with it.

I would like to know this too. When I take vit b I feel better almost immediately every time. It's been a few days now since my 50k dose of d and I don't think I feel any different?

MaximalLife

Vitamin d deficient? So my vit d is at 12 units or something like that. Under 100 is considered Deficient. From what I've found and heard It can contribute to all kinds of serious issues like cancers and bone and organ abnormalities. Also causes serious issues when trying to lose weight. My doc has me on 50000 units once a week for 6 weeks. Then 2000 daily after that. Any one else gone thru it? Or going thru it?

That's good you are addressing this.
Neanderthal man lacked Vitamin D which caused rickets, and that's why they're extinct today except for in South Philly where I hang out...

Seriously, lack of D can cause a world of issues.
Spread the word!

fj211

I take 4000 IU every day as a supplement because mine had gotten so low. I have it checked every 6 months by my rheumatologist.

aulove

I'm currently taking 50,000 IU twice a week. When my Vit D level was originally checked over a year ago I was at 7.3. I managed to get my level up to 19 this past summer, only to have it fall back to 15 this winter. To be fair, I wasn't taking my Rx as prescribed. I am now, though, so I'm hoping to see improvement when I get blood work done in April.

kepete

I had it last year & it makes a huge difference. I lost 25 pounds in nothing flat once I had it in line!

DakotaKeogh

After reading about vitamin d deficiency and immunity and looking at my own health history, I put myself on 5,000 IU of D daily about four years ago. I haven't had so much as a sniffle since then.

jenslife82

Vitamin d deficient? So my vit d is at 12 units or something like that. Under 100 is considered Deficient. From what I've found and heard It can contribute to all kinds of serious issues like cancers and bone and organ abnormalities. Also causes serious issues when trying to lose weight. My doc has me on 50000 units once a week for 6 weeks. Then 2000 daily after that. Any one else gone thru it? Or going thru it?

That's good you are addressing this.
Neanderthal man lacked Vitamin D which caused rickets, and that's why they're extinct today except for in South Philly where I hang out...

Seriously, lack of D can cause a world of issues.
Spread the word!

Lol.. Extinct except in South Philly lmao

hausofnichele

Yup! My vitamin D was at 4 in March last year. After months of taking supplements I got rechecked and it was only at 32. So I got put on 50,000 IU for 6 weeks. I still need to go back and get re-checked but I take vitamin D every day (probably need to be taking a lot more). I was also low on magnesium and calcium. Developed osteoarthritis, a heart arrhythmia and high BP (among many other things which may or may not be related). Light therapy sounds like something I'd like to try. I definitely love the heat. My bones can't handle the cold.

Edit: I saw some posters talking about immunity ... I'd like to add that I have been tested over and over for autoimmune diseases in the past year. My doctor even suggested that I might have HIV and then had me tested (again) just in case!!! I was even sent to a cancer center to see if they could shed light on my immune system but the doc was a total jerk and not much came of it. My white cell count is consistently very high.

sewedo1

My levels have been deficient for about 2 years and am hoping levels will be up this month at my physical. I take prescription D weekly plus a multi-vit with D daily. My levels went down for unknown reasons about 6 months after my low levels were discovered even when taking suppliments so I've been on this higher-dose regimine. I've read that deficiencies can be linked to many health problems or many people have low levels. According to my physician, the standards for "normal" levels has been raised in the past few years so more people are appearing low than in the past. My doctor, however, does not think the studies show enough evidence that a D deficiency is a causative factor with the many diseases it has been linked. I do get plenty of sunshine-rick D with outside time, especially in the summer, so not sure of the culprit. No harm in taking the suppliment if it may be helpful.

Shawnjay75

My 15 yr old son is Vitamin D deficient and takes 5000 IU Daily...

taso42

I take D every day as long as I remember too. It's pretty much a requirement in Seattle. The liquid drops are really easy to deal with.

Bonus: it's likely to improve your mood as well.

fitnfun1

I had low Vit D and my hair started to fall out. My doctor put me on a high dosage for 3 months, and that corrected the problem. I now take a vitamin every week to keep my level normal.

I could not believe how important Vitamin D is. So many things can go wrong if you have too low of a level.

peacemongernc

A few years ago mine was under 10, and so was my iron. I took a few 1000 daily for a while and now I try to remember to take 2000 a day. Last time it was checked it was okay, but it took me a couple of years to get it back up.

luvmybaby333

I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient last year. I was put on 50,000 IUs every week. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, those 50,000 IUs were in the form of D2, rather than the better absorbed d3. The prescription wasn't marked, so I just assumed they were giving me something that would actually work. Not so. After a few months on that regimen, another doctor had my levels tested because she was concerned that I had been taking such a high dosage for so long. Lo and behold-- I was still vitamin D deficient.

So this doctor tells me to just take 2000 IU of regular (OTC) vitamin D3 every day. I decided to take 3000, because I was desperate to see some improvements by this point. That was getting kind of expensive and I still wasn't noticing any dramatic benefits. Then one day I happened across a big bottle of 5000 IU at Sam's. This thing had 400 pills and was only $10. STEAL! Even if I took one every day, this thing would last me over a year. So I bought it and started taking one per day. Thank goodness I did. I finally started feeling human again. A month before starting the 5000 IU (D3) per day, there is no way I could have even thought about exercising on a regular basis. But now I am exercising every day. I have energy. I sleep well. I just feel so much better.

I had my blood drawn last week. I'll be checking tomorrow to see if they have my results back yet. With any luck, my levels will have finally risen and I will be able to cut back to one pill every other day or something. LOL. Ideally I would get my vitamin D from more natural sources, but I have a couple things working against me. I'm very sensitive to sunlight and I'm lactose intolerant. This means that I will probably need to take a supplement even once my levels do reach a normal range. I'm okay with that, though. Anything beats living my days out in deficiency. That stuff is for the birds!

luvmybaby333

50,000 UI impossible. After 10,000 vit D is toxic. 5000 UI/day for sure. I've been vit D deficient and now after 1 y on supplementation with 2000-3000/day I'am back in business. Hard to evaluate the benefits though.

What are you saying?

hausofnichele

I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient last year. I was put on 50,000 IUs every week. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, those 50,000 IUs were in the form of D2, rather than the better absorbed d3. The prescription wasn't marked, so I just assumed they were giving me something that would actually work. Not so. After a few months on that regimen, another doctor had my levels tested because she was concerned that I had been taking such a high dosage for so long. Lo and behold-- I was still vitamin D deficient.

So this doctor tells me to just take 2000 IU of regular (OTC) vitamin D3 every day. I decided to take 3000, because I was desperate to see some improvements by this point. That was getting kind of expensive and I still wasn't noticing any dramatic benefits. Then one day I happened across a big bottle of 5000 IU at Sam's. This thing had 400 pills and was only $10. STEAL! Even if I took one every day, this thing would last me over a year. So I bought it and started taking one per day. Thank goodness I did. I finally started feeling human again. A month before starting the 5000 IU (D3) per day, there is no way I could have even thought about exercising on a regular basis. But now I am exercising every day. I have energy. I sleep well. I just feel so much better.

I had my blood drawn last week. I'll be checking tomorrow to see if they have my results back yet. With any luck, my levels will have finally risen and I will be able to cut back to one pill every other day or something. LOL. Ideally I would get my vitamin D from more natural sources, but I have a couple things working against me. I'm very sensitive to sunlight and I'm lactose intolerant. This means that I will probably need to take a supplement even once my levels do reach a normal range. I'm okay with that, though. Anything beats living my days out in deficiency. That stuff is for the birds!

I hope your levels are up once you find out your results!!! Thank you for sharing your story.

Survivor1997

Bump to read later.

jenslife82

I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient last year. I was put on 50,000 IUs every week. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, those 50,000 IUs were in the form of D2, rather than the better absorbed d3. The prescription wasn't marked, so I just assumed they were giving me something that would actually work. Not so. After a few months on that regimen, another doctor had my levels tested because she was concerned that I had been taking such a high dosage for so long. Lo and behold-- I was still vitamin D deficient.

So this doctor tells me to just take 2000 IU of regular (OTC) vitamin D3 every day. I decided to take 3000, because I was desperate to see some improvements by this point. That was getting kind of expensive and I still wasn't noticing any dramatic benefits. Then one day I happened across a big bottle of 5000 IU at Sam's. This thing had 400 pills and was only $10. STEAL! Even if I took one every day, this thing would last me over a year. So I bought it and started taking one per day. Thank goodness I did. I finally started feeling human again. A month before starting the 5000 IU (D3) per day, there is no way I could have even thought about exercising on a regular basis. But now I am exercising every day. I have energy. I sleep well. I just feel so much better.

I had my blood drawn last week. I'll be checking tomorrow to see if they have my results back yet. With any luck, my levels will have finally risen and I will be able to cut back to one pill every other day or something. LOL. Ideally I would get my vitamin D from more natural sources, but I have a couple things working against me. I'm very sensitive to sunlight and I'm lactose intolerant. This means that I will probably need to take a supplement even once my levels do reach a normal range. I'm okay with that, though. Anything beats living my days out in deficiency. That stuff is for the birds!

Thank you for sharing. I need to be retested in the next couple of weeks to see if I'm up any. I hope it starts giving me energy soon! I'm having a hard time forcing myself to exercise the past couple of weeks.

tross0924

50,000 UI impossible. After 10,000 vit D is toxic. 5000 UI/day for sure. I've been vit D deficient and now after 1 y on supplementation with 2000-3000/day I'am back in business. Hard to evaluate the benefits though.

What are you saying?

Basically that there's a lot of dead people posting in this thread. :laugh: