LOW VITAMIN D

MY BLOODWORK SHOWED MY VITAMIN D TO BE LOW AND MY DOCTOR HAS ORDERED 50,OOO IU OF VITAMIN D ONCE A WEEK.   ARE THERE ANY SYMPTOMS THAT I MAY HAVE OVER LOOKED?  I FEEL FINE.  MY DOCTOR DOES LABS EVERY 5-6 MONTHS.  I AM VERY BLESSED TO HAVE A WONDERFUL DOCTOR.    

Danielle made a vitamin D post mid October. I've cut & pasted it for you. There are no symtoms you overlooked, but see below to determine if you really want to be taking that large dose of Vitamin D .... may want to have a further discussion with your doctor .... "Because vitamin D3 can be endogenously produced by the body and because it is retained for long periods of time by vertebrate tissue, it is difficult to determine with precision the minimum daily requirements for this secosteroid (it is not really a vitamin). The requirement for vitamin D is also known to depend upon the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the diet, age, sex, degree of exposure to the sun, and the amount of pigmentation in the skin. In the US, adequate amounts of vitamin D can be readily obtained from the diet and from casual exposure to sunlight. However, in parts of the world where food is not routinely fortified and sunlight is often limited during some periods of the year, obtaining adequate amounts of vitamin D becomes more of a problem. As a result, incidence of rickets in these countries is higher than in the US. Blood tests only measure what is in the blood. Vitamin D levels measured by blood are not an accurate measure of what your body has stored. I know people think that blood levels tell the whole story - THEY DON"T. Blood levels are one piece of the puzzle - there are many nutrients that are stored in the bones, the liver, the fat tissue, or vertebral tissue, etc. To treat a blood level is irresponsible, unless you have other evidence that leads you to suspect a deficiency. We treat patients, not lab work. But you asked about the safe levels for supplementation. Doses of 400-600 IU (10-15mcg) vitamin D3 have been used safely. There are preparations of up to 1000 IU, but those are reserved for parathyroid dysfunction and renal bone disease. An upper limit (do not exceed) of 2000 IU is recommended. With total body sun exposure, your body can produce 10,000 IU (250 mcg) of vitamin D Doses that reach "intoxication" are caused by large amounts of vitamin D3 and its conversion in your body to a form called 25(OH)D3 - this is an unregulated step, meaning if you put too much D3 into your body, this is what your body will do with it. Patients suffering from hypervitaminosis D have been shown to have a 15 fold increase in blood levels of 25(OH)D3 and can lead to a massive stimulation of intestinal calcium absorption, increased leaching of calcium from the bones, deposition of calcium in the soft tissue, and development of kidney stones." Something to think about ....

THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION.    MELODIE

I went in for a check up (like in April) and I was in critical low stages of Vitamin D. I was also pretty malnutritioned because I had stopped taking my vitamins like I should. I was about a year out at that time and for some reason, my mind just thought I didn't have to do it regularly anymore. Of course I was wrong. I was pretty sick. I was very exhausted and tired. I was having spasms in my hands. I just overal felt really bad. They gave me the 50,000 IU to take once a day for a couple of weeks and then to change to once a week for a couple of months. I actually chose not to take it once a day because I just thought it was too much so I only took it once a week. It worked realyl well and made me feel a lot better. When I went in for more blood work a couple months later, my vitamin D was in normal range (low normal but still normal). So, it worked good. I am not taking it anymore and I just make sure that I take all my regualr vitamins and calcium like I should.  I know there are risks witrh taking a large dose of Vitamin D but from my research, that is if you continue for long periods of time. If it is just for a couple months to get your levels raised, then it should nto be harmful. Not to mention, we do not absorb that much anyway so you are not really getting 50,000 IU anyway. I think the risk is worth the try. I am surprised you did not feel bad. I just overall felt bad. I noticed a big difference once I got all my vitamins back in. Good luck