Vitamin D Deficiency

sanjay_says
sanjay_says Posts: 22 Member
edited November 25 in Food and Nutrition
For the last year I have been taking daily Vitamin D supplements (2000 IU/day of D3) in addition to a generic multivitamin which has some Vit D in it as well. A few weeks ago I went to a new doctor who did routine blood test and found that I was Vitamin D deficient (<17, whereas normal range is 25-50). I have brown skin (I know darker skin has a tough time absorbing from sunlight), and work an office job in front of a computer, so getting direct sunlight during workdays is difficult.

I have generally felt very tired and fatigued for a long while (I always figured it had to do with my high weight, which I'm working on). Anyone have any ideas why my Vit D would be so low despite the daily supplements?

As a result of the blood test, the doctor has prescribed 50,000 IU/week of D2 for 10 weeks after which I am supposed to resume my old supplements. Has anyone had success with this kind of regime? Any good follow up questions I should be asking my doc about?

Thanks!

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I used about 4000 IU per day for a couple of months to fix an insufficiency. Went from 35 to 80 but units matter too ;-)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Yep! The true RDA is 4000-5000/day. Make it so! :)
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Try taking beta carotene, it has the building blocks your body needs to manufacture Vit D.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It's just really, really easy to become deficient in the northern hemisphere. When you lose weight you will for sure get an energy boost! Even the first ten pounds makes a big difference.
  • alexjvolk
    alexjvolk Posts: 22 Member
    Vitamin D is fat soluable. So make sure you are taking your supplements with a fat source.
  • aerochic42
    aerochic42 Posts: 843 Member
    Vitamin D is also one of those stored by excess fat, such that it isn't available for the body to use -leading to a deficiency. Questions for your doctor: other possible causes for the high level of fatigue beyond low Vitamin D or high weight?
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    alexjvolk wrote: »
    Vitamin D is fat soluable. So make sure you are taking your supplements with a fat source.
    I usually take it with flax oil capsules for this reason. Also taking it in the morning is supposed to be better than taking it at night. Vitamin D can interfere with sleep if taken too late.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    You could have problems absorbing Vitamin D. Did your doctor check your bone density? Malabsorption of VitD can lead to porous bones.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Yes I was put on a similar mega dose initially then after in normal range am doing 2000 per day. Sorry I don't remember the exact regime but 50k for 10 weeks sounds about right. It definitely helped with fatigue. You might just need the mega dose to bump things up.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Most people will raise their D just by taking a supplement. You may just need more D and it will all sort itself out. Going out in the sun can also help many people.

    As someone who has gone through more medical stuff than some 90 year olds, take it from me: Don't worry. It's going to be what it's going to be, anyway. Always do the healthiest stuff you can and follow the doctor's orders, but leave it there. You're doing what you can and that's that. Deal with problems as they arise and NOT before. Life hands us enough BS, we don't have to invent things to fret over.

    Don't borrow ahead on trouble. :)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited October 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    2000 is a low dose for some people. Also it has to be taken with fat.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 540 Member
    In answer to your question re: "Has anyone had success with this kind of regime?", yes, I have. I was feeling lethargic for weeks, and my bones hurt for weeks. I was otherwise a healthy and fit person. My doctor tested and put me on 50,000 IU of D3 (not D2) for 10 days, and then I was to resume to 2,000IU/day going forward. Did your doctor actually say to take 50,000IU of D for 10 weeks? (10 weeks at that level sounds very high for a very long time.) Within four days, I noticed the pain was going, and I felt literally like a new person by day six.
  • randomsue
    randomsue Posts: 179 Member
    Ideabaker wrote: »
    In answer to your question re: "Has anyone had success with this kind of regime?", yes, I have. I was feeling lethargic for weeks, and my bones hurt for weeks. I was otherwise a healthy and fit person. My doctor tested and put me on 50,000 IU of D3 (not D2) for 10 days, and then I was to resume to 2,000IU/day going forward. Did your doctor actually say to take 50,000IU of D for 10 weeks? (10 weeks at that level sounds very high for a very long time.) Within four days, I noticed the pain was going, and I felt literally like a new person by day six.

    That sounds right. I had the same regimen. Made a world of difference.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Spray forms of Vitamin D3 absorb the best. I use a 3000 iu one daily.
  • HaggisWhisperer
    HaggisWhisperer Posts: 125 Member
    I take a vitamin D3 supplement along with vitamin K2 which is supposed to help the body use the D3 correctly.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I have to take 5000 IUS daily of D3; I'm very light skinned, BUT I have to wear sunblock constantly. I actually went to an endocrinologist, b/c the general doc couldn't figure out why I couldn't keep my levels up with "normal" supplementation. The endo couldn't find a hormonal cause through running the typical tests; but I know the vit D and my hormones are linked. I can tell when my D level drops, b/c I feel fatigued and have "lady issues."
  • Last_mango_in_paradise
    Last_mango_in_paradise Posts: 48 Member
    Are you taking it with food? Vitamin D is fat soluble therefore you need to take it with food. I was taking 7,000 IU's a day and my numbers were still low so I've increased it to around 10,000
  • sanjay_says
    sanjay_says Posts: 22 Member
    edited October 2015
    Ideabaker wrote: »
    In answer to your question re: "Has anyone had success with this kind of regime?", yes, I have. I was feeling lethargic for weeks, and my bones hurt for weeks. I was otherwise a healthy and fit person. My doctor tested and put me on 50,000 IU of D3 (not D2) for 10 days, and then I was to resume to 2,000IU/day going forward. Did your doctor actually say to take 50,000IU of D for 10 weeks? (10 weeks at that level sounds very high for a very long time.) Within four days, I noticed the pain was going, and I felt literally like a new person by day six.

    Yes, the doctor's voicemail and the prescription both said I am supposed to take 50,000 IU per week (a single 50,000 IU capsule once a week). Not 50,000 IU per day for 10 weeks.
  • sanjay_says
    sanjay_says Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks all for the posts. Yes, I think one of the problems may have been that I've been taking my vitamins with breakfast, which is typically just a bowl of rolled oatmeal. I talked to my doc about it and he suggested I take it with some fat content. Going forward, I will try either adding some walnuts to breakfast or take the vitamins with lunch.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    Yes, I have had success.

    I was put on 50,000 IU weekly for about 6 months until I was at the very bottom of the "typical" range. I took mine weekly, not daily but mine was D3. I still have to get tested because I still have issues. It seems to be an ongoing thing and I hope that weight loss will help.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited October 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • miztessbert
    miztessbert Posts: 183 Member
    I also had success (so far) taking the vitamin D mega-dose to increase my levels and using supplements to maintain. When initially tested 4 mo. ago, I had extremely low vitamin D levels like yours. My doctor put me on 50,000 IU vitamin D2, taken once a week for 8 weeks. When that was done, I continued taking a multi-vitamin and calcium chew (both of which have vitamin D3) daily, and increased my daily vitamin D3 supplement from 2000 IU to a 5000 IU. I usually take the D3 supplement at lunch with a fish oil pill since I do the multi-vitamin at breakfast and the calcium chew with dinner. I also try to go for a 30-40 min walk outside at lunch everyday. When I went back to my doctor last week I was told my vitamin D levels are in the normal range.
  • bametels
    bametels Posts: 950 Member
    I was dealing with fatigue and other symptoms a couple of years ago and I was found to be Vitamin D deficient. My doctor prescribed a short-term, high dose regime like yours but I opted not to take it because the latest research has found D3 to be more effective than D2. While the D3 supplement raised my levels into the normal range, I was still experiencing symptoms of fatigue and more. Further tests found that I have hypothyroidism. I've learned that many people with thyroid issues are also Vitamin D deficient. Therefore, if your fatigue continues, you may want to discuss with your doctor having your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and Free T3 and Free T4 levels (thyroid hormones) levels checked.
  • sanjay_says
    sanjay_says Posts: 22 Member
    bametels wrote: »
    I was dealing with fatigue and other symptoms a couple of years ago and I was found to be Vitamin D deficient. My doctor prescribed a short-term, high dose regime like yours but I opted not to take it because the latest research has found D3 to be more effective than D2. While the D3 supplement raised my levels into the normal range, I was still experiencing symptoms of fatigue and more. Further tests found that I have hypothyroidism. I've learned that many people with thyroid issues are also Vitamin D deficient. Therefore, if your fatigue continues, you may want to discuss with your doctor having your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and Free T3 and Free T4 levels (thyroid hormones) levels checked.

    Thanks. This is helpful to consider.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    FWIW, I take 10,000 IU of D3 a day during the months I'm not getting a lot of bright sunlight on my skin (roughly September through May). When tested during the winter, I run at the high end of the normal range when I'm on that regimen. Since I starting doing this (about 3 years ago), I've had a lot fewer colds, and those I have are more of the "feel rundown for a few days" rather than "I'm going to spend a couple of days on the couch" variety.
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