Vitamin D Deficiency

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  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    alohajls wrote: »
    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?

    I wasn't tested specifically for D, it was a full panel. At first he said he was looking for something thyroid but this came back.

    I've been in maintenance for a couple of years and did some week long cuts this year just to shave off a little creep here and there, but nothing drastic.
    ShayCarver89 wrote: »
    You need to get into the sun, at least once or twice a week. Sun will give you instant vitamin d. I was diagnosed with low vitamin D about 2 years ago and have struggled with it. During the warmer months my vitamin d is okish, during the winter it can get as low as a 2. At one point it was so bad my doctors thought I had RA. You can wear sunblock when you go outside. Just take a walk around the block with a short sleeve shirt on and that'll do it.

    I'm afraid sunscreen makes the exercise pointless, the literature says broad spectrum sunscreen blocks the UV absorption that is the point, and I am proof haha! I am always covered if possible and wear sunscreen on areas that are not, such as arms and neck/chest if I'm hiking or running or doing whatever outside. I am outside a lot generally too, I have animals and a big property I work on a fair bit. The first 20 mins of my walk today I wore just a tanktop on top and got some rays. I'll be more thoughtful about how black and white I am about it and hopefully that and these meds, and probably a OTC supplement after that and I won't have to revisit this.
  • liz0269
    liz0269 Posts: 139 Member
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    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.

    Vitamin k gives me heart palpitations. It is a common side effect. OTC supplements are not always safe. It is best for the OP to continue to follow the doctor's recommendations.
  • liz0269
    liz0269 Posts: 139 Member
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    I will also add that I was tested for vitamin d when I was diagnosed with RA in 2009 and I was severely deficient. I was fatigued, I had balance issues, severe depression, concentration problems. Some of that was the RA but some of it improved as soon as I started taking D. I have taken 5,000iu a day ever since. This spring I tried stopping because my current rheumatologist said there isn't enough benefit to help my RA and my depression and concentration issues came back with a vengeance.
    Deficiency is nothing to mess with. It is a proven risk factor for autoimmune diseases.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    liz0269 wrote: »
    I will also add that I was tested for vitamin d when I was diagnosed with RA in 2009 and I was severely deficient. I was fatigued, I had balance issues, severe depression, concentration problems. Some of that was the RA but some of it improved as soon as I started taking D. I have taken 5,000iu a day ever since. This spring I tried stopping because my current rheumatologist said there isn't enough benefit to help my RA and my depression and concentration issues came back with a vengeance.
    Deficiency is nothing to mess with. It is a proven risk factor for autoimmune diseases.

    Huh, my OH's mother had all of these symptoms. It's too late for her now, but I wonder if she was ever tested for D deficiency. They may have just assumed it was her age.
  • Kalex1975
    Kalex1975 Posts: 427 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Examine.com posted the following on their Instagram page 2 days ago...
    A big study on vitamin D came out last week.

    Here's a quick recap: If you have lower blood vitamin D levels, you're at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. But this updated meta-analysis (of 21 randomized trials) showed NO BENEFIT from vitamin D supplementation for cardiovascular events or all-cause mortality.

    That might seem contradictory, but it's not.

    Those with lower blood vitamin D levels might be sicker, or less likely to be outdoors in the sun. Popping a vitamin D pill won't magically solve those problems.

    An oft-recurring takeaway: there is no magic bullet supplement, and you can't bottle a healthy lifestyle.

    I'm unsure of which study they are referencing but thought it was pertinent to this discussion. I would be interested in hearing more about it.

    Edit: here's the referenced study... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31215980
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,154 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    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.

    Pretty much the same here. My last run of blood work showed me on the low end of normal , so I've been on 2000 IU per day. I take drops suspended in coconut oil for the fat soluble uptake (got them at Sprouts I believe) and have also been spending more time outside thanks to the weather clearing up and getting back into running. I'm due for my next round of blood work next month, so we'll see how it goes. I never noticed any symptoms and haven't noticed any changes since beginning taking them, but I've also got some severe sleep problems that could mask any fatigue.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    I also remember the depression, balance problems, concentration problems. My Doctor didn’t monitor me closely. My d level went from 12 to 70+, the symptoms got a little better fairly quickly, but then I started being sick at my stomach and having headaches until I stopped taking the d. Then got over the new symptoms fairly quickly.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I have lived in California all my life (much of it in SoCal) and get plenty of year-round sun hiking, kayaking and just going about my day. I was very surprised when I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency last year. No symptoms whatsoever. After a year of daily supplements my levela are now good. Would rather take a vitamin D supplement than risk skin cancer.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    ShayCarver89 wrote: »
    You need to get into the sun, at least once or twice a week. Sun will give you instant vitamin d. I was diagnosed with low vitamin D about 2 years ago and have struggled with it. During the warmer months my vitamin d is okish, during the winter it can get as low as a 2. At one point it was so bad my doctors thought I had RA. You can wear sunblock when you go outside. Just take a walk around the block with a short sleeve shirt on and that'll do it.

    I'm struggling to understand this - go outside to get sun...while wearing sunblock?
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    edited June 2019
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    It's not quite as simple as just sun exposure. The exposure needs to be when the sun is at the correct angle which (depending on time of year and your location) can be a very narrow window. And the more skin you have exposed, the better (for Vitamin D production, anyway :lol: )
    When the sun’s rays enter the Earth’s atmosphere at too much of an angle, the atmosphere blocks the UVB part of the rays, so your skin can’t produce vitamin D. This happens during the early and later parts of the day and during most of the day during the winter season.

    The closer to midday you expose your skin, the better this angle and the more vitamin D is produced. A good rule of thumb is if your shadow is longer than you are tall, you’re not making much vitamin D. In winter, you’ll notice that your shadow is longer than you for most of the day, while in summer, your shadow is much shorter for a good part of the middle of the day.
    ...
    For example, in the southern United States, in places like Florida, your body can produce vitamin D most of the year, while in more northern places, like New York City or Boston, you can’t produce much vitamin D from November through March. If you live even further north, like in Edmonton, Canada, you can’t produce vitamin D from October through April. These times are even longer (by a month or two) if you’re skin type is darker.

    https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    I'm redheaded, so I wear sunblock year round. I was diagnosed with Vit D deficiency years ago. I was fatigued and period was very irregular. I took the 50,000 IUS pill for a year. It did not significantly increase my level or decrease my symptoms of deficiency. The supplement was D2.

    I switched to 10,000 IUS of D3 per day for a few months. My level came up to a normal level. I can sustain a normal level by taking 5000 D3 from Sept-April and then dropping to 2000 IUS of D3 from April-Sept.

    I feel less fatigue when I am in the "normal" range for sure. My period has also been regular for years after starting D3 supplements (as it is a precursor for hormones).
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    I'm redheaded, so I wear sunblock year round. I was diagnosed with Vit D deficiency years ago. I was fatigued and period was very irregular. I took the 50,000 IUS pill for a year. It did not significantly increase my level or decrease my symptoms of deficiency. The supplement was D2.

    I switched to 10,000 IUS of D3 per day for a few months. My level came up to a normal level. I can sustain a normal level by taking 5000 D3 from Sept-April and then dropping to 2000 IUS of D3 from April-Sept.

    I feel less fatigue when I am in the "normal" range for sure. My period has also been regular for years after starting D3 supplements (as it is a precursor for hormones).

    Good point on D2 vs D3. I also take D3.
  • steviejay27
    steviejay27 Posts: 1 Member
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    I was told I was very low on vit D this January. I was experiencing constant tiredness, low mood, migraines, sickness for years!! I was put on 20,000 units a week for 7 weeks and felt a million times better in just 2 weeks! Honestly life changing. Just gotta keep up with the daily doses so I don't fall back into it all again
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
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    liz0269 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.

    Vitamin k gives me heart palpitations. It is a common side effect. OTC supplements are not always safe. It is best for the OP to continue to follow the doctor's recommendations.

    Me too! I thought I was having an anxiety attack😵
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
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    Mine was diagnosed as very low and I had your symptoms and a few more - hairloss and dry skin being two.

    I took an OTC daily liquid supplement that I sprayed under my tongue, preferring this to the weekly hit.

    Mine were back in the zone in under 3 months.

    For those who are avoiding sun due to the risk of sun damage, I dont think anyone is suggesting that you pop your top off when the suns at its highest. I get my hit before 8 in the morning and after 7 in the evening (Northern Italy), no burn, no supplements, levels maintaining (I would add thought that my diets been much better since moving here too).
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,977 Member
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    I was diagnosed w/VitD deficiency many years ago.

    Took 10k units daily for a yr but the levels spiked way beyond the recommended levels. Dropped it to 10k units every other day (ave 5k/day) and my VitD dropped to a better level. Have been taking 5k units ever since.

    However, I never experienced any noticeable problems or improvements b4 or after tsking the VitD supplements. So any henefits that I've experienced as,a result are a unknown to me.

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