Vitamin D Deficiency

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MelanieCN77
MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For about a month I was feeling various symptoms of fatigue, low mood, muscle and joint pain that I couldn't rectify by making sure I was sleeping and eating well and being careful of workout recovery. I went in to my doc earlier this week and they drew blood and found low Vit D levels. This also happened to me last year but I think we caught it incidentally as I don't remember having these signs then. I am fair complexioned and live in SoCal so am quite vigilant about my sun protection, and apparently too successful!

My question is for those of you who've had this diagnosed with blood work, were these your symptoms too and how quickly after supplementation did you notice an improvement? I am on "50,000 units" a week for 3 months which is a weekly tablet, and just took the first yesterday. I am trying to stay active in spite of the tiredness but a canker sore popped up on my tongue yesterday and a small target lesion on my torso which is usually a sign that I am depleted and run down. I am sad to be losing ground on my fitness, but also don't want to burn out. I've been shuffling through minimal cardio just so I don't have to cut my calories too much, but can't run or hike like normal. I also am less active around the house and home where I'd usually do a lot of maintenance and yard work on the weekends because I just can't summon up the energy.

Would like to hear your experiences!
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Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    Mine was tested low but I don't think it was low enough for me to notice the actual deficiency. I replied mainly to tell you to make sure you take your pill with some fat as Vit D is fat soluble. Mine are OTC and come in coconut oil and since taking them my levels are fine now.
  • leonadixon
    leonadixon Posts: 479 Member
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    I also just started 50,000 units per week about 5 or 6 weeks ago. I do feel like my energy levels are a little bit better, but I also started Lexapro around the same time. I am not sure which one is the one making me feel a little better to be honest.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    @MelanieCN77 I went through the same thing (I want to say my level was 20? Not sure). I kept up the weekly 50k dosing schedule for 6ish months and my level when I was tested in December was up to 68.

    Of course, I traded the D deficiency for an iron deficiency, so I didn't really notice any improvement in fatigue :tongue: Still working on that.
  • Arkie_Ali
    Arkie_Ali Posts: 106 Member
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    I have a Vitamin D deficiency, my doc has me taking 5000 IUs daily. I have issues with fatigue, but I'm also hypothyroid, so that's also a factor. I've gotten my thyroid meds regulated currently, and I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel I don't take my D supplements for a few days. Not a huge improvement, but definitely noticeable.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    @MelanieCN77 I went through the same thing (I want to say my level was 20? Not sure). I kept up the weekly 50k dosing schedule for 6ish months and my level when I was tested in December was up to 68.

    Of course, I traded the D deficiency for an iron deficiency, so I didn't really notice any improvement in fatigue :tongue: Still working on that.

    Are you an omnivore? Liverwurst is the best dietary source of iron I'm willing to eat. I also take blackstrap molasses and https://smile.amazon.com/Solgar-Gentle-Iron-Vegetable-Capsules/dp/B00013Z0QA/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    I was diagnosed with blood work and had similar symptoms, but they didn't go away until I moved out of the apartment, which had mold in the cellar below my bedroom, and into a new place with no mold and garden beds that I could play in.

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/worry-and-panic/201505/petal-power-why-is-gardening-so-good-our-mental-health
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
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    Make sure you are having your other mineral levels monitored as well. I ended up with low Mag due to vit D supplementation. Dropped my Vit D a touch and added a half dose of a Magnesium supplement and my fatigue corrected itself quickly.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    edited June 2019
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    @MelanieCN77 I went through the same thing (I want to say my level was 20? Not sure). I kept up the weekly 50k dosing schedule for 6ish months and my level when I was tested in December was up to 68.

    Of course, I traded the D deficiency for an iron deficiency, so I didn't really notice any improvement in fatigue :tongue: Still working on that.

    Are you an omnivore? Liverwurst is the best dietary source of iron I'm willing to eat. I also take blackstrap molasses and https://smile.amazon.com/Solgar-Gentle-Iron-Vegetable-Capsules/dp/B00013Z0QA/

    I tried the Solgar one but it constipated me horribly still. I found out I can take Feosol complete, even in the double dose my doctor has me on, with minimal side effects :smile:

    I am omnivorous but have never tried liverwurst. Not even sure I've ever seen it! I knew about molasses but haven't tried it.
  • gottswald
    gottswald Posts: 122 Member
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    I was diagnosed as vitamin D deficient, told to take 2000iu daily. When I asked about checking the levels, I was told the test for it is expensive and basically everyone in the north is deficient to some degree. Idk. I take the 2000iu, despite the fact it was clearly designed to try and escape by rolling away from me. I didn't know it affected other levels.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Thanks everyone. The test had me at 18.7 with the normal range stated as 30-100. I'm feeling less emotional now I know what is going on but I'm ready to get some energy back. I'll have some rebuilding to do.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    A supplement is great, and sounds like it is definitely needed for you to get your levels back up, but once you are sufficient again, the best Vitamin D is what your body makes naturally. Even just 20 minutes a day of sun, which isn't enough to cause skin damage, can help. Also make sure that you are taking a K2 supplement as well. If you are taking mass amount of D3 and not supplementing with K2 as well that can have adverse effects. I tested low Vit D last year, but not super low like you. I take a Vit D3/D2 supplement now that is a liquid (oil) as Vit d & K are both fat soluable.

    My fair Irish skin does get damaged in 20 minutes of summer sun.

    Same. I've got some of the worst burns of my life in that length of time, it's what made me so vigilant in the first place.

    Also I had a full blood panel and everything else was normal, I'm not gonna add anything else for the sake of it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    pinuplove wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    @MelanieCN77 I went through the same thing (I want to say my level was 20? Not sure). I kept up the weekly 50k dosing schedule for 6ish months and my level when I was tested in December was up to 68.

    Of course, I traded the D deficiency for an iron deficiency, so I didn't really notice any improvement in fatigue :tongue: Still working on that.

    Are you an omnivore? Liverwurst is the best dietary source of iron I'm willing to eat. I also take blackstrap molasses and https://smile.amazon.com/Solgar-Gentle-Iron-Vegetable-Capsules/dp/B00013Z0QA/

    I tried the Solgar one but it constipated me horribly still. I found out I can take Feosol complete, even in the double dose my doctor has me on, with minimal side effects :smile:

    I am omnivorous but have never tried liverwurst. Not even sure I've ever seen it! I knew about molasses but haven't tried it.

    @pinuplove I feel the need to emphasize that it is blackstrap molasses with all the iron, not regular. 1 T of https://smile.amazon.com/Wholesome-Sweeteners-Organic-Molasses-Pack/dp/B001M0G2PO/ has 20% of the RDA.

    https://smile.amazon.com/Golden-Barrel-Unsulfured-Black-molasses/dp/B00M1ZYF9E/ said it was 25% but when the bottle arrived I found it was actually only 11% >.<

    I got a brand from Whole Foods that was also unsatisfyingly low in iron. Caveat emptor!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    It's been many years ago now, but as I recall I was on the 50K for 6 weeks and was feeling better by the end of that high dose period. I've continued taking 1000 mg Vit D daily ever since.
  • alohajls
    alohajls Posts: 55 Member
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    According to my recent bloodwork, I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency (I can't remember how it was worded, it sounded dire!), but I had no symptoms. I got the same (huge!) 50,000 unit pills to take once a week. I didn't feel bad before, and didn't feel any different after taking the pills.

    This article on Vitamin D was in the New York Times not long ago--about the recent large increase in testing for Vitamin D levels:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/health/vitamin-d-deficiency-supplements.html

    OP, is there anything else that could be contributing to your feelings of fatigue? Have you been eating enough to sustain your activity level?
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
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    I had bad symptoms and ended up having a severe D deficiency at a level of 7 ng/mL and they wanted me closer to 70. I was on high dose D for a while and now I take a daily 2,000. It took a while to notice a difference BUT I have historically tested low on iron and B12 as well (I mostly have them under control but not always) so it was an uphill battle. Now, most symptoms are lessened but when I don't take my stuff for a while, it is noticeably worse.

    As for the sunlight. I see a dermotologist regularly as I'm higher risk of skin cancer and he specifically told me not to try to get it from the sun- that even 20-30 min of exposure without sunscreen isn't 'safe'. As a long distance runner, I knew I was getting quite a bit of sunlight on a regular basis and my D levels were still very low. My B12 problem is with how it's processed in my body so it's likely D is the same issue.

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