Another question on Vit D (deficiency of)

"dry" is a generic term meant to differentiate between the oil filled soft gels (useless) and dry powder in capsules.

Standard dosing in drug stores, if you can find any, in the dry are 400, 800, 1000, 2000 IU. Pretty hard to even find D3 in 5000 in DRY.

If you go to my site, focus your eyes on Tender product. They are made by BioTech, but my label makes them on special during ASMBS conference time.

There is a 1000 (for the timid, not for those who want good D levels); 5,000 for those whose docs think that is a lot (it isn't for RNY or DS); a 10,000 for those afraid of 50,000 in a tiny tablet (says sublingual - not tasty but fast dissolve) and then the 50,000.

ALL are teeny weensy caps, except the 10, which as I said, as a teeny weeny soft tablet.

You can open and dump if you are afraid to swallow, but wow, they are pretty tiny to be holding onto!

The 50,000 is water soluble D3, so cannot go toxic unless you are taking way too many. The D 25 hydroxy level you are seeking is about 70-120 or so. Your clinics may be satisfied when you reach 32, but your body won't thank you til you get up over 70.

Worry about overload (not toxic) when your levels exceed 700. Doubtful most ppl can afford to actually TAKE that much!

The gelatin exterior is fine on both soft gels and caps, BUT the oil inside is useless to us. Gelatin dissolves in saliva, no****er. Be sure you roll it around in your mouth long enough to coat it, then down the hatch.

I reserve judgment on normal pressed tablets only because we have not seen good success with them.

Again, the "sublingual" are not pressed. They are loosely structured like a B12 sublingual. They start to break down as soon as they hit saliva.

Hello vitalady! Wow! Thanks so much for responding - I feel like a nitwit most of the time when it comes to figuring out how many of what type to take, etc.  I usually have to write things down anyway!  Your post helped me alot.  I just want to get my levels up to snuff so to speak or perhaps with a little luck even above that.  I can tell my bones ache and when I used to see an endocrinologist (before RNY surgery even) she told me my levels of D were low and told me that is why my bones ached so.  I also showed my doctor my lower legs.  To me they seem to be bowing a bit more than before my surgery almost 3 years ago.  It could be my imagination but I think not.
I believe my bones are starting to deteriorate now and want to stop them if I can.  My teeth have never been in worse shape.  I had good strong ones with few cavaties and now I'm getting 3-4 cavaties all the time, gum disease, etc. you name it.  I think it allcan be tied into the low D and perhaps even low calcium levels.
 Thank you Michelle for taking the time to explain things.  I will be contacting you ,  I do not have a credit card per se, so I am in hopes you take either checks or money orders.  Thanks again.  Mary

A retraction:

I always say capsules dissolve in saliva, no****er. I have since learned that if you drop a capsule in wet grass, then run over it a coupla times with a truck, it will indeed break down in water! LOL

Really, it's taken me every day of the last 16-17 yrs to learn this stuff. I you learn it in 15 minutes, I'd feel kinda slow-like, KWIM?

Learn one thing at a time. soft-gels, bad. Oil inside, cannot use it. capsules (some call them gel caps) are ok, if there not oil in them. soft gels bad. capsules good.

D2, bad. D3, good.

First day, that's all you need to know today

Those script D your doc wants you to take won't do hardly anything. I took them for 6 months post op and my D rose by only 6 points .  Dry D3 (cheaper form) also comes in a softgel, BUT don't use this either, as the oil will prevent absorption.  I've looked at a wide variety of stores, but dosages of D tend to be a maximum of 5000 IU ,  and these are labelled as high potency.  Vitalady had 50K IU dry D3, and that's what I use. I took 4 of the 50K IU per week for 2 years and then labs showed a 65. Target numbers for D are 80-90.  UNLESS it says DRY  D3, don't buy it.  The D3 I get from vitalady is in a small capsule.  My last labs showed a 65 for D on 4 of the 50 k per week. I now take one 50K IU daily and will have labs done again in 3-4 months.  If levels exceed the 90 target number, I'll just decrease one or two capsules per week.  Without D levels at the 80+ number, your calcium citrate won't be absorbed by your bones as well either. 50K dry D3 levels are virtually impossible to find in stores.  I get mine at vitalady and I did see one lab that had them on Amazon, but the price was about the same.   You could always take several of the 5K at a time, but that would end up costing your more money than buying the 50K.  Vitamins and calcium citrate may have some dry D3 in them, but not enough to make up for D deficiencies you are dealing with now.  I usually buy 6 months of the dry D3 at one time, and this saves some on shipping. DAVE

Dave: Thank you for your information - My goal is to get my levels up because I can tell in my bones(you know the saying I can feel it in my bones?, well I can.  They ache and it seems to me to be a different aching than even say arthritis.  I want to feel good so I will be getting Vitalady's 50,000 i.u.'s.  It is great that she is so educated and willing to help us WLS people.  I may have mentioned that my doctor is not stupid, just not as educated in what RNY WLS patients needs are in so far as vitamin aspect.  I thinkhe leaves that up to me and the bariatric center however, he should also be a part of it all, too, so I will show him all of the materials on dry vit d.
THanks again Dave, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!  Mary

I went through the vit d deficiency and I found "dry" 2,000's by nature made at Walgreens 

Just to show off my public school math skills she would have to take 25 of those Nature Made pills to equal ONE Tender Dry D 50,000 IU.

~Becky

Thank you Tia - I will still use up my Nature's way vitamins but VItaLady is going to be the way for me to go, I think.  Thanks for responding.  Mary

You are going to have to find someone on these forums who can help you because your doctor is trying to kill you.

Have you had a dexa scan?

I am really an idiot about labs.  I had no idea that you wanted a LOW PTH for example.  Well I'm never going to be a lab expert, but what I AM an expert on is finding people here on OH who ARE lab experts.  I send them my labs and I do what they say.  

That is my advice to you.  Find a lab expert who will look at your labs and advise you and forget your doctor and his terrible advice.

~Becky