Vitamin D Deficiency?

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  • lsapphire
    lsapphire Posts: 297 Member
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    I live in the northwest, lots of Vit D deficiency is common. I take 200iu a day. Just go with the flow and check foods that are high in Vit D.
  • shardown
    shardown Posts: 258 Member
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    I've been taking 4,000 units a day as my bloodwork came back as really low. I didn't realise that you need a perscription for Vit D in the US as it's just something you grab from the supplements aisle over here. Interesting.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I had bloodwork done during a physical a few months ago, and my doctor said I was low in vit D. She wants me to take 2,000IU a day.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I was on the D2 50,000 IUS/daily for 2+ years. It did very little to raise my D level from the mid-20 range to low 30 range. I started seeing an Endocrinologist. She suggested switching from the D2 script to a D3 OTC. I started taking a 5000 IUS/daily of D3. In less than a year, my levels went from 30-55.

    She suggested I cut back from the 5000 to 2000 IUS/daily. My level dropped from 55 to 43 in six weeks! I just had to go back up to 4000/day.

    If you aren't seeing results from the script, try the D3. It made a HUGE difference for me. I was having irregular periods, fatigue, and my hair was falling out. Once I switched to the D3 and got my level up to the high range, I stopped experiencing all of those symptoms.
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
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    I've been taking 4,000 units a day as my bloodwork came back as really low. I didn't realise that you need a perscription for Vit D in the US as it's just something you grab from the supplements aisle over here. Interesting.

    you can buy vitamin D supplements over the counter in the U.S.

    I've seen the 50,000 unit doses sold through amazon but none of the drugstores near me had anywhere near that high a dose. Also, in my case the 50,000 unit pills were actually cheaper through my insurance prescription plan than if i bought without the prescription
  • donnam40
    donnam40 Posts: 246 Member
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    Take your Vit D deficiency seriously. Low vit D is linked to auto immune disease. I should know - I have Hashimoto's and Rheumatoid Arthritis. My specialist said they don't what comes first - the auto immune disease or the Vit D deficiency, but they are definitely linked.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    I had really low vitamin D levels. Shocking to me considering I live in a warm climate and I'm outside quite a bit. But I was put on a regimen of 5,000 IU of Vitamin D a day. It took weeks to months to get the plasma Vit D levels up. After retesting when my blood levels went up, I dropped to 1,000 IU/day for maintenance. My skin looks a lot less dry and I don't seem to get as sick since I upped my Vitamin D levels.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    is there an over the counter test for Vit D? or do I have to get blood tests from my dr? I'm gearing up for an Alberta winter right now :)
  • mjkanaan
    mjkanaan Posts: 78 Member
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    Vit D deficiency is linked to a whole list of problems, and unfortunately sometimes the small over the counter supplements just don't cut it for some people. I tested very low and my doctor told me to take an OTC supplement to try to get my levels up (I think I was taking 5,000 IUs a day). I went back in to get retested and was still very low. Obviously my body just wasn't absorbing the supplement. That's when he put me on the 50,000 prescription 1x week. That finally got my levels up to the low end of acceptable. My chiropractor actually recommended that I start on the liquid drops, as he said that the body would absorb those a little easier, so I've been taking those for a few months now. I'm due for my physical later this month, so I'm hoping the blood work will come back showing that those are working. Sometimes you just have to go to extremes in order to get the vitamins your body needs! But a vit D deficiency is not something that you want to mess around with, so if your doctor prescribed this for you, definitely follow his recommendation!
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    is there an over the counter test for Vit D? or do I have to get blood tests from my dr? I'm gearing up for an Alberta winter right now :)

    All the vitamin D tests I've done were blood tests ordered by a doctor. It was covered by my medical insurance.
  • DrewMontoya
    DrewMontoya Posts: 77 Member
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    Don't you just pee it out if your body doesn't use it?

    No, certain vitamins like Vitamin D and other fat soluble vitamins, you can actually get vitamin toxicity. That said, this is pretty standard treatment for Vitamin D deficiency and in a few months the tests will come back better and the OP will go onto a maintenance dose. This is just to "flood" the body so to speak and get the numbers up fairly quickly.

    OP...currently on 5,000 IU maintenance dosage.

    Yup. I learned about this when I read about the Far Eastern Party. One of the members died and another became seriously ill from eating husky liver and the resulting vitamin A toxicity.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Eastern_Party
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
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