Vitamin D deficiency

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Hi all,

I thought I'd share a recent experience here, in case it helps anyone.

I've always been a bit lethargic, slow, tired and struggled to drag myself out of bed in the morning, but considered it was part of who I was. However, I became quite sick just before Christmas, nasty sore throat, cough, really couldn't get out of bed in the mornings, etc, and my constant exhaustion just felt far worse than ever before. 6 weeks passed, same problems, so I called sick for work, and went to see the doctor, who did several tests. One of the blood tests revealed vitamin D deficiency. Can't remember units but mine was 12. Apparently anything above 50 is optimum, 30-50 insufficient, below 30 is insufficient.

I took a once per week supplement, 50,000 iu, and the doc said it would take at least another 6-8 weeks before I felt fully recovered. Sure enough, 8 weeks or so later I felt amazing. I think I'd probably been deficient of Vit D for the past 20 years!

I can't stress the difference it has made, I don't feel tired anymore, can bounce out of bed, and just feel so much more positive about life. And my pallid face seems much more full of colour.

Anyhow, I know there is a tendency for us guys perhaps to stay shut up indoors away, from the sun, thus increasing the likelihood of insufficiency / deficiency. I can't recommend it enough for anyone who feels tired, run down, or maybe even a little depressed, to go to the docs and check your Vit D levels. It might just help, and much more than you think.

Sorry if that's an obvious post to anyone, but I had no idea a vitamin could make such a difference!

Stay healthy,

guestrider999

Very interesting and encouraging. Can you confirm that it's 50,000 IU that was recommended? The supplements in my local store are generally only 1000 IU. Is there a reason for it to be once per week instead of an equivalent daily?

Yes, definitely 50,000 once a week. I guess if you have a test at the doctors and you need it, they'll give you the big dosage. As for the reason for once per week rather than daily dose, I can't explain...

Reading about it on the net, from an amateurs point of view, continued use of 50,000 isn't recommended. Just until levels are back at normal, but your doc should help with that if necessary.

I can't stress again the difference it has made - if you're sedentary or prone to staying indoors a little too much as I am - it's changed my life a huge amount. Would recommend anyone on here to get at least a check up.

I have low-D (as opposed to the more recognized low-T, but I digress).

Weekly doses of 50,000 IU of Vitamin-D were common several years ago (and still are for acute care), but research showed that such a dosage, especially at one time, does more harm than good. The current recommended course is a daily dose of 5,000 IU for a total weekly dose of 35,000 IU.

So, while a single dose of 50,000 IU is sometimes needed, it shouldn't be sustained beyond a multi-dose of 35,000 IU.

And, yes, when one's Vit-D levels are normal, it is pleasant.

I'm always hearing how we don't get enough Vitamin D in the winter, so I started taking Vitamin D drops. But I didn't feel any different. I wasn't really feeling bad before taking them, either. Now it's spring, the weather is very gradually getting warmer and there's more sunlight. And the past two weeks I've been feeling like garbage. I feel depressed, tired and weak during the day. Yesterday just buying groceries felt like a major chore. More so than usual. I don't feel like eating much. I feel like just standing up is difficult. It's like I'm slowly being pulled into the ground. I just want to lay down all afternoon, and the warmer weather just adds to the guilt. I'm hoping I'll bounce back enough when the weekend arrives because I'm going to my parent's for Mother's Day.

I still take a mutivitamin every day.

For what it's worth, I keep Vitamin D in 5,000 international units. When I remember to take one each day, I take one. If I've missed two or three days, I take 2.

Vitamin D Toxicity is the problem you can get from taking too much Vitamin D, but it is rather difficult to take that much. I only know of two cases of Vitamin D Toxicity and those were both the result of manufacturers accidentally putting something like 100,000 units instead of 1,000 units or so in the lozenges.

If I remember correctly, a fifteen minute mid day exposure to the sun with bare arms can make as much as 35,000 units per day. There is only a four or five hour window around noon each day where your body can make the Vitamin D and the window gets smaller in the winter the further you are from the equator and the window vanishes at about the latitude of Atlanta, Georgia.

There is a huge difference between weak and strong vitamin D supplements. One should not take the strong ones without having had a blood test.

That said, I had the same experience as the OP. They told me I had asthma and gastritis. All gone when vitamin D levels got normal.

If you have a diagnosis of depression, vitamin D levels should be checked. It is meaningless to treat depression if vitamin D levels are unusually low.

Also, vitamin D deficiency can be a sigh of gastrointestinal disorders - it is a fat soluble vitamin, so it can be a sign that your body is not able to digest fats properly.

This is why it's not smart to start a big vitamin D regime without telling your doctor.

It is possible to take too much vitamin D supplements, but your skin will not let you OD on sunlight. So sunlight is safer, as long as you don't get burnt.

Week and strong Vitamin D supplements?

Do you mean one with 200 IU compared to one with 50,000 IU?

After my levels got back to normal, I took 20 µg which is a standard daily dose. The prescription ones were way stronger, but I can't remember exactly how stron.

I was recently prescribed 4 at 50,000 IU to be taken once a week.

They sit on my table while I wait for the right time to test my body's tolerance to such a high dose. My body doesn't handel pills or chemicals at all, after taking them; i'm usually either extremely nauseous or tired.

Yeah the daily ones are 1,000 UI or so.

Yes OP, you can Overdose on Vit-D but it's usually caused by the supplements and not the sun.

I never heard of a weekly 50,000 UI tablet before.

50,000 IU are Vitamin D2, a form of Vitamin D with poor bioavailability. 50,000 IU of Vitamin D2 is NOT 50 times the dose of 1000 IU of Vitamin D3.

The 1,000 IU Vitamin D tablets you find in stores are Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 has a much higher bioavability and has a much higher effect on your Vitamin D levels than crappy Vitamin D2 that the doctor hands out. Taking Magnesium with Vitamin D will help increase its bioavailbility even more. Try taking 150mg Magnesium Citrate with 4000 IU of Vitamin D3 everyday of the year. Take it with food as Vitamin D can upset the stomach if you take it on an empty stomach.

Since taking Vitamin D everyday, my mood is certainly improved a lot without my situation in life changing whatsoever.

Interesting points, thanks a lot for the replies guys. The tablets I took were definitely 50,000IU of D3, am trying to figure out to post a picture of the box. Anyhow, here they are...

http://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/v ... cular.html

guestrider999