Vitamin D deficency

tucky3203
tucky3203 Posts: 57 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My Doctor recently diagnosed me with vitamin d deficiency and has me taking supplements. Just was curious if I have this in common with others on MFP. I started taking his recommended dose of 10000 iU of Vitamin D3 at night, which has been contributing to some poor nights of sleep. I will be switching to taking it in the morning. Just was curious how others were responding to treatment and whether it has helped with day time sleepiness and aided in weight management.

Replies

  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    Yes, I was given the mega supplement for maybe a month or so last year - I think there was a shot or 2, with some pills on the side. It immediately made a tremendous difference in my energy level, but I don't think it really affected my weight. Now I just take an OTC vitamin supplement so that I don't become so very deficient again.

    The doctor told me this is a growing problem in North America, because 1. we never go outdoors anymore and 2. when we do, we are afraid of sun exposure. You need a little UV for your body to make vitamin D on its own.
  • Baynurse
    Baynurse Posts: 2 Member
    I was diagnosed with Vit D deficiency about 8 months ago. My doc put me on 50,000 IU's once per week (for 3-4 months). I felt better after the first few weeks. I never realized my achy bones (especially in my feet) were from a Vit D issue. Just thought I was getting older. Now that it is back to normal my doc and I are working on figuring out my maintenance dose. I take about 5,000 IU's 3 times per week and after my next blood draw I may be able to reduce the dose further.

    My energy came up, I definitely feel less fatigued, and my bones do not ache any longer. I didn't have sleep issues because I take it at about 2pm. I can't say if it helped with weight management because I wasn't on MFP at the time and I had really bad eating habits. I will be interested to see if it aids in weight management, though. Hope this helps!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I have it too. There is some question as to whether it has to do with the time of year I'm being tested because in January, I'm not exactly getting a ton of sun exposure (living in the upper Northeast US). It could also be because I'm fair skinned and moley and therefore susceptible to skin cancer and tend to cover myself with sunscreen, which will inhibit absorption through the skin. I still put it on my face but if I'm only out for an hour or less, I'll leave the sunscreen alone.

    Anyway, she put me on the high dose for a month and I've been taking a supplement that's a fish oil tab with Vit D so I'm killing two birds with one stone (also have high cholesterol). Not been great about taking it lately though so I need to get back to that so we can get an accurate reading when I go back in January.

    One thing I will recommend, if you take them in the morning, make sure you're taking them with food that has some fat content as that will aid in absoption. You can also make sure you're getting some Vit D in your diet - whole eggs (yolks have it), certain fish, mushrooms, and of course foods fortified with it (cereals, soy products, dairy).

    I tend to take mine at night because it's after dinner and that's also when I take my BC pill so it's easier to remember. I'm horible about taking pills so I need all the help I can get! I think it can impact sleep sometimes but if I take it consistently, it doesn't seem to bother me.

    My doc is pretty cool so I asked her frankly if it's really necessary and she said it can help with many things so it's worth a try. I honestly didn't notice any difference in how I slept or felt but it's possible that it was helping with PMS - maybe. :) She also claimed it helped with weight loss and there's a chance that's true but since I fell off the wagon a few months ago, I can't say for certain. If it does, that's definitely a bonus!
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    The biggest difference I noticed was the fact that I wasn't getting sick as often. The biggest thing other people noticed is a change in mood. My husband commented that I seem happier and calmer.
  • catcalledjinx
    catcalledjinx Posts: 85
    Go out into the sunlight and don't use sunblock.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I was severely low for a couple of years. I started out with a script for 50,000IUS/day of D2. It didn't really help bring my levels up beyond the bare minimum. I finally saw an endocrinologist. She said to switch to OTC D3 and take between 4000-5000IUS for 2 months. She said something about some people being D2 non-responders.

    Once I made the switch, I felt GREAT! My levels shot up quickly. After about 6 months, she recommended cutting back to 1000-2000IUS a day. I did this. I started to feel like crap. After 6 weeks, I had my level retested. It had dropped 12 points in 6 weeks.

    From Sept-April, I've been taking 5000IUS/day. I lowered my dose down to 2000IUS/day during the Spring/Summer and have been trying to get 15 minutes of sun (I'm redheaded; I burn). If I don't get my 15 minutes, I pop and extra 2000IUS.

    I take mine usually in the afternoon with food and no coffee and no other vitamins.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Go out into the sunlight and don't use sunblock.

    This doesn't work well for me. There is a history of skin cancer in the family. I am also hypothyroid so I don't produce D at the same rate. I would burn before I produced enough D.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I have been taking supplements (5000 iu/day) since last fall. I noticed a big change in how often I got sick. I used to have frequently recurring sinus infections (every 6-8 weeks.) I haven't had one since last October.

    There's not enough sun here for the majority of the year for "go out into the sunlight and don't use sunblock" to help.
  • tucky3203
    tucky3203 Posts: 57 Member
    Thank you all for the good information. It is nice to know I'm not the only one out there that has this. Took my vitamin D in the morning today and feel much better after what seems like a better nights sleep. The doctor said it might have an inverse relationship with your body's own melatonin (sleep hormone) so I was on the right track I guess trying it at a different time. My mom has/had hashimoto's thyroid and so far my TSH is normal, but doctor doesn't want to do any antibody, T3, or T4 tests, which I thought was a little strange. Weight loss seems to be steady with calorie deficit and exercise. I want this to be a permanent change. Hopefully with the extra energy from the Vitamin D or eating healthier, not sure which to give credit to, I can make this a lifelong change. Thanks again :)
  • sixout
    sixout Posts: 3,128 Member
    I had a major deficiency. I had to take 50kui per week. I got the 5k D3 suppliments and took two every morning monday thru thursday. After 3 months I went down to one every morning. Now I'm taking 1k per day.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I'm glad the switch helped!

    If you have a suspicion (boy that looks weird but I checked and it's spelled right) about your thyroid levels, don't hesitate to be a bit more assertive with your doc. Talk to them about why they feel it's not necessary and if you still feel strongly about it, insist on having the tests done. It's not like there's some harm in doing them...

    This is one other reason why I love my doc. I hate paying for certain tests but it's so worth the peace of mind. One of my cousins passed from a heart attack a few years ago and that made me so scared about unknowns since both sides of my family have a fairly high risk of heart disease. So she ran a full spectrum and thankfully everything was good except my Vit D and borderline high cholesterol and I'm working on both of those with diet, exercise and supplements. At least I know and have control over working to fix the problem!

    Thanks for the thread since this prompted me to stop being an idiot and start taking my Vit D again.
  • dekadai
    dekadai Posts: 47 Member
    I've always had vitamin deficiencies. My biggest worry has always been vitamin B12. I get a shot once a month.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I had "unmeasurable" vitamin D for a long time. I did the mega doses, but didn't notice any issues with it.

    fwiw: I moved my sun screen to work and take a cal/mag/D and have been able to keep my numbers up just fine now.
  • twrobbel
    twrobbel Posts: 132 Member
    Oh yes- I perpetually have severely low Vitamin D levels (around a 9). I have Hashimioto's also, and the doctor mentioned that I have the autoimmune version of Low Vitamin D (can't remember the name right now).

    Scalp tenderness, hair loss, slow healing scratches/mosquito bites (as in months to heal) are some of the symptoms I remember having. I am not sure about the fatigue- if it was from the Vitamin D or Hashi's. I have not had a major flare up in a year- but I do take Vitamin D daily and take several 15-20 min walks daily with my skin exposed to sun. I burn easily too, but I seem to do pretty well with those short bursts of sun. So happily my Vitamin D is finally regulated properly.

    No weight loss getting it regulated though.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Yup. I take 2,000 IUs/day. My husband has to as well. He had to take the mega dose for awhile then take the normal dose daily. Our doctor also said that it is a growing problem because people are so afraid of the sun and new studies show that we should actually get more vitamin D than the studies previously thought.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    I'm outside for 4+ hours every day midday and my levels still come back crazy low (7-12). Every time I tried to reduce the supplements, my levels would tank again so now I'm just sticking with it - 2,000 IU a day is what I'm aiming for after I go through another round of the 50,000 IU stuff. Make sure you get Vitamin D supplements that are packed in oil or be sure to take it with a meal that has fat in it - your body needs that fat to help make use of the supplement. As far as weight loss, I have never noticed a difference but my energy levels and mood are better when I'm not low.

Categories