Vitamin D deficiency?

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  • ERMBSN
    ERMBSN Posts: 32 Member
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    I have never known any to get headaches from Vitamin D. But, I do know alot of people who got headaches from iron supplements. If it were me I would talk to my doctor about cutting back the iron. Hope this helps.
  • smartblonde529
    smartblonde529 Posts: 61 Member
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    I'm trying to increase the foods I eat that have vitamin D. I have been drinking 2-3 cups of milk a day along with the supplements. I have yet to start the iron supplements as I couldn't find them at my grocery store but plan to get some tomorrow. I think the combination of low iron and vitamin D may be why I am so exhausted.
  • breasonable
    breasonable Posts: 115 Member
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    I also take 50,000 rx once a week... My problem is after I start taking the maintenance dosage I don't maintain it.. I feel exhausted and my legs ache so bad I cry at night!!! Good luck I hope it kicks in soon!
  • lmores
    lmores Posts: 18 Member
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    Wow I had no idea this was so common! All the research out their is so outdated. I kept reading that this happens to people in northern climates or who have darker pigmant in their skin. I'm a stay at home mom who is outside all the time - walk the dog, play with the kids, etc and I live in NC where it is beautiful weather much of the year!

    While I can't say I noticed any specific symptoms I will say my energy has gone up since starting the Vit D. I take 5000 IU every day. I was first diagnosed at the start of the summer and I just decided I would try to self treat with more sun and diet but I went back for my follow up blood test and no change. The Dr. said this sort of deficiency needs supplements to catch up. So now it has been supplements for 6 weeks and I just had my blood test today. Fingers crossed that we got it up!

    Good luck finding the balance that works for you!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    I also take 50,000 rx once a week... My problem is after I start taking the maintenance dosage I don't maintain it.. I feel exhausted and my legs ache so bad I cry at night!!! Good luck I hope it kicks in soon!

    Just to clarify, when you say 'maintenance dosage' are you referring to the lower dosages you take the rest of the week?

    The reason I ask is I too have leg pain that badly at night, also making me close to tears. I'm on higher doses now and haven't noticed the pain though it's only been a short time on the double dosage. Maybe the higher dose will help me with this issue, really glad you brought it up! I'd been trying to figure out what the heck was causing the pain for awhile now, all I could come up with was I must not be stretching out good after strength training. lol But since I cover that pretty well... this is making more sense.
  • gddrdld
    gddrdld Posts: 464 Member
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    Find out what your Vit D level actually is. If it is VERY low, you need a prescription for Vit D for a few weeks, which amounts to taking 50,000 units a week. That amount needs to be monitored by a physician and your level needs to be rechecked. Then your maintenance amount needs to be calculated. My level was only 6 (dangerously low). After the prescription was completed I am now on a maintenance dose of 4,000 units a day and my level is still only in the 30's. I take 2,000 units twice daily with a calcium supplement (I am 55). The other thing to check is your B12 level. If you no longer eat alot of red meat, if you are a bit older, or if you are taking proton pump inhibitors like prevacid (or actually most of the antacids) your Vit B12 level may be low which could also explain your symptoms. If you need to take B12 supplements and your physician does not think B12 injections are necessary, purchase the sublingual B12 supplements as they are better absorbed by your body (under the tongue to dissolve). Low levels of either vitamin is nothing to mess around with, and are associated with many ailments. Best of luck to you!

    This^^Wow. I am an RD and couldn't have said it better myself.
  • gddrdld
    gddrdld Posts: 464 Member
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    I also take 50,000 rx once a week... My problem is after I start taking the maintenance dosage I don't maintain it.. I feel exhausted and my legs ache so bad I cry at night!!! Good luck I hope it kicks in soon!

    You should also be taking calcium 500mg twice daily and add chelated magnesium 500mg at night. Vit D deficiency has a strong relation to calcium and magnesium (in a nutshell).
  • GCLyds
    GCLyds Posts: 206 Member
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    For those that get lots of sun and are still low,

    A.)Are you wearing sunscreen? That will shield you from making vitamin D.
    B.) Are you showering right after sun exposure. Give it a few hours. The oils on your skin are what have the vitamin D, and if you shower right away using lots of soap or bodywash, you are washing the Vitamin D down the drain before it can be absorbed.
  • rikwaynik
    rikwaynik Posts: 724 Member
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    Just to co-sign what so many have said, you need to stick with it for a while longer. You will feel better. I had a level of 12 earlier this year and was on 50,000 IU for several weeks. I'm now on a 4,000 IU maintenance dose. I'm much less fatigued and I sleep better. It's common to be deficient, feeling bad and not knowing why. Also for people of color It's harder to absorb Vitamin D from the sun.
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency and low Iron last year. I ended up with a supplement for both, for starters within a week I was thinking clearly again, and wasn't so tired all the time. Once my levels were good I was on a hunt for a milder supplement, I found a Post-Natal supplement at Costco that is giving me what I need (keeping me regular too). I am almost 50 but this sure gives me what I need and my blood work according to my Doctor is great.

    Good luck!
  • gddrdld
    gddrdld Posts: 464 Member
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    From all the research it seems this is pretty common and can cause a lot of health problems!!! I just wonder why my body does not absorb vitamin D since I am always in the sun and get a lot of it through my food and vitamins. Hopefully the problem will be fixed very soon!!

    Vit D deficiency is quite common. You are not getting as much as you think through the sun, multivit and food. Some people just don't produce it on the surface of the skin very efficiently. It is not found in large amounts in any food and most multivits only provide about 400IU which is an outdated RDI. If your current level is at 33, you could easily supplement about 5,000IU daily for the next 3-6 mths safely and then have it rechecked. You want it to be up around 50-70. It is likely that you would need to stay on a maintenance dose even after you get your blood level back up.
  • newhabit
    newhabit Posts: 426 Member
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    my level was the same as yours and i was told to take 4000 IU a day after a few megadoses of 50,000 IU once a week for 12 weeks. now i take about 2000 IU a day and it's in the 50s. i'd take more than 1000, personally. i feel like if you have a deficiency, 1000 is just not enough.
  • doubleduofa
    doubleduofa Posts: 284 Member
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    Mine was 25 at my last test and I take 4000iu per day, plus a multivitamin. I do have headaches, fatigue, and some body aches and pains. I am hypothyroid and being treated for that. Dr. is checking for celiacs because he thinks it isn't getting absorbed. We will see!
  • juliec33
    juliec33 Posts: 238 Member
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    My doc put me on Vit D about a year ago. 50,000 IU dose once a week for 12 weeks and then 50,000 once a month with a 5,000 IU dose daily. He said that if you take a 5,000 IU dose you're not actually getting that much because of the way that the body breaks down the pill?

    For the 50,000 dose there is a supplement called Replesta that is a chewable wafer. You can get it over the counter (no prescription) but because it is a medical grade food supplement it's not on the shelves. You have to ask at the counter. You can also buy it online. It was much easier on my stomach than taking dozens of little pills :-)
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    For those that get lots of sun and are still low,

    A.)Are you wearing sunscreen? That will shield you from making vitamin D.
    B.) Are you showering right after sun exposure. Give it a few hours. The oils on your skin are what have the vitamin D, and if you shower right away using lots of soap or bodywash, you are washing the Vitamin D down the drain before it can be absorbed.

    Well yes, but there is more involved I believe. Skin color changes in response to the exposure and thae trigger is the pituitary gland. As soon as you've see that sun your pituitary produces the hormones needed to up your melanocytes and produce melatonin. The pituitary gets the trigger from the the optic nerve....so take off the sunglasses. :)
  • zeebruhgirl
    zeebruhgirl Posts: 493 Member
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    I used to take 3000mg of Vitamin D a day cause I was extremely deficient, it definitely took awhile to feel better. I am also anemic so I know that affected me as well.

    I tried to get more time outdoors, eat more iron rich foods and drink Milk with vitamin D and that helped pick me up faster.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
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    I have a Vitamin D deficiency. When I was diagnosed, it was so low that I was at risk for osteomalacia, which is when your bones start breaking. It is important, because it helps your bones absorb the calcium you take in and keeps them strong. I started off taking 10,000 IU daily for 2 weeks, then 20,000 IU every Sunday. Now I take 10,000 IU every week. sources of vitamin D are fortified cereals, milk, fatty fish, and beef liver, and 15 minutes a day of direct sunlight. I really think that if you take the multivitamins and the vitamin D supplements you'd feel much better.
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
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    I take 2000 IU per day. Its safe and its the upper limit. If you want to recover faster I would do that. Its really hard to OD on vit D. You would have to take a lot of it for a really long time.

    This amount is safe but I wouldn't say it's right that it's the upper limit. I have MS - linked to low vitamin d - but that's a different kettle of fish. I take 7,000 IU a day and recently had my blood test and it was at 161 nmol/L which is normal - high for someone with this condition. The amount that studies have shown symptoms of toxicity is 40,000 IU a day. So I'd say you coud take more than 1,000 a day. Disclaimer - ask your doc first I'm not a medic! Recommended intake is 200IU a day but many experts believe this figure is seriously too low. There's little vitamin d in foods. Sunlight and supplements are best.
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
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    I kept reading that this happens to people in northern climates or who have darker pigmant in their skin.

    Blood work showed I was deficient, so my doc advised a daily supplement.
    He said he read a study that showed residents of the northern tier of states actually had higher levels of vit D than residents of the southern tier.
    The reasoning was that when southerners go outdoors, we tend to cover up, wear sunscreen, wear a wide brimmed hat, etc. When northerners go outdoors, they enjoy the infrequent exposure of the sun on their skin.
    Surprising, but somewhat logical.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    I kept reading that this happens to people in northern climates or who have darker pigmant in their skin.

    Blood work showed I was deficient, so my doc advised a daily supplement.
    He said he read a study that showed residents of the northern tier of states actually had higher levels of vit D than residents of the southern tier.
    The reasoning was that when southerners go outdoors, we tend to cover up, wear sunscreen, wear a wide brimmed hat, etc. When northerners go outdoors, they enjoy the infrequent exposure of the sun on their skin.
    Surprising, but somewhat logical.

    1st quoted -exactly, a darker pigment to the skin might have developed to protect stores of folate and a genetic trigger evolved for increased cholesterol to maximize the production of D. So...darker skin adaptations and you move up north, there might not be enough sunlight to penetrate that dark skin to convert the extra cholesterol to D.

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