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Anyone Notice Major Difference after Vitamin D Supplements?

Hi,

My Vitamin D level was 16 ng in late May 2015. Doctor prescribed 50,000 IU Vitamin D2 which I took for 8 weeks. I was retested and my level was 24 ng. He wants me to continue on 50,000 IU Vitamin D2 for 3 months and be retested, but I'm going to switch to D3, maybe 7,000 IU/day instead of the 50,000 IU of D2.

I've not felt well off and on for several years and always attributed it to lack of sleep since I was only sleeping about 5 hours/night.

Has anyone gone through the supplements long term and noticed an improvement in symptoms?

Thanks...

11 Responses
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Avatar universal
I was at 24 ct two years ago and my biggest low vitamin d symptom was fatigue (practically lethargy). My level barely budges if I take 2,000 UI daily. I did that for a little over a year and the highest I got to was 29. So doc put me at 5,000 UI daily. I feel GREAT! You would hardly think I was the person who could barely get out of bed some mornings. Raising my level has given me my life back.

I'm not quite sure where I am right now, but I'm willing to bet its over 30. I take magnesium every other day to help me absorb my daily VD.

It takes awhile for you to start feeling the results of supplements. I knew someone who was at ZERO and it took him 3 years to get back to normal levels.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Oh.... and it takes a long time to recover from Low Vit D or Hyperparathyroidism. I had my PTH adenoma removed June 2018 & I am just now a year later starting to feel a little better. If you just have low Vit D and nothing else going on, it depends on the dose of D3 you are taking and for every person the time frame is different. If you take 5,000 units of D3 a day, I would have your Endocrine Dr. check levels every 3 months. Once you reach a normal level you can reduce the amount or the frequency as your Doctor advises. Vit D3, Calcium and PTH are all working together.
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Avatar universal
That is not enough D to pull you out of this... but I get everyone should also have their B levels tested.
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Avatar universal
It take more than six months of very high doses of D to get you feeling better My levels were 11 in Feb I took 50,000 iu of d every other day plus an additional 10,000 a day (weekly total of 220,000. I am getting better!
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Avatar universal
I'm familiar with all the symptoms as my dr discovered low Vit D about 3 years ago. I thought I must have arthritis or something else because I was having so much pain in various places plus tired all the time. So she began me with the 50,000'of Vit D2. Fast forward to March of this year and my level was low again & I had still been taking the same prescription. Now she has me taking it twice a week. I just started it so no results to comment on. But as I was reading here it seems D3 is more potent than D2. That made me wonder why my dr wouldn't have changed me to D3. Also, I have read if taking Vit D supplements you should also take calcium. Another thing dr hasn't mentioned. So I'm a bit frustrated thinking even if this dose of twice works it wiki be 3 months so for 6 months of feeling rotten & I maybe need to use D3 and calcium. I know all of you here know what I'm talking about if you came here to get more info on VDD. I will be calling the dr office to inquire and I know they don't want to hear ppl say "I read on the Internet" but that's exactly what I'm going to say. From Mayo Clinic at that!!! Wish you all the best & hope you are better or will be soon.

I didn't mention this but I'm 55 and apparently because I have the ability to get a good tan works against me. If you are darker skinned then it requires more VitD. I was out in the summer at the pool and other places. That didn't seem to bring it up.

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Avatar universal
Yes, I'm trying to get out in the sun most days.

So sorry to hear that your medications aren't helping your pain. I'm reading a NY Times bestseller book right now by Dr. William Davis called Wheat Belly. It's about how wheat has been genetically modified over the years and causes all kinds of problems as we get older. I had come across his name and the book several times during my research about Vitamin D and thyroid issues. (I also saw him on PBS the other day.) I'm not as strict about it as he proposes, but I am trying to eliminate a lot of bread and pasta from my diet. It might be worth checking out. This is a section on his  blog about joint pain and inflammation in the body: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/category/joint-pain/

Hope you find something to make you feel better.
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Avatar universal
Yes, that order came from my physician.  I'm sure that your MD won't keep you on that high dosage once your levels even out.  Do research on what foods are high in Vitamin D as well to help boost your levels.  Go outside in the sun, as that is another good source of it.  Perhaps you could suggest Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia to your MD and see what he thinks about those being applied as diagnoses for you.  I, too, only sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours per day, and just don't feel well much of the time.  My body hurts all over, and I went to a pain clinic and was diagnosed with the fibromyalgia.  No medicine that I'm on at present has helped with it though.
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Avatar universal
My B12 was tested in May also and was 433, normal range being 180-914, so I guess it's ok.

Did your doctor recommend 1,000 IU 2x/day?  I don't like taking the high dose (50,000 iu) of D2 so I'm trying to figure out how much D3 I should take.

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Avatar universal
My level now is 31.8, still on the low side, but within acceptable ranges for length of treatment when tested.  My dosage is 1000 IU twice daily.  

Have you ever had your Vitamin B12 level checked?  That being low can cause lots of fatigue, and if it's the case with you, a simple monthly shot after the loading doses will help energy levels tremendously!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
You could probably double your dosage to 2000 IUI twice daily.  From what I have read doses up to 10,000 IUI are still safely tolerated by most who are low.
Avatar universal
Thanks CP3kids. May I ask what dose of D3 you're taking? From what I've read, 4 months doesn't sound like a long enough time to judge the long term effects of the supplements. I've read it can take up to a year.

I've had 2 broken bones this summer... right after my deficiency was discovered, but before I started on the supplements. I've also had a lot of fatigue, made worse by the fact that I wasn't sleeping through the night. I'm curious what your dosage is. Also, when you say you're in the normal range, what level are you at?

Thanks for replying to my post.

Ginger518
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
From reading your posts, you MAY have a Hyperparathyroid problem. See an Endocrinologist, have them run the following blood tests:
- PTH
- Vitamin D - 1,25
- Calcium
- Ionized Calcium

You can read about Hyperparathyroidism at
parathyroid.com and download Dr. Norman’s Calcium Tracker App to enter your lab results. It will tell you if you may have this endocrine disorder.

I had it. It is caused by an overgrowth of parathyroid gland cells called hyperplasia, or by a parathyroid adenoma.

It is a very symptomatic disorder and will destroy your bone density.

If your lab results point towards this disorder, your Endocrine Dr. will order a neck ultrasound to look for a large parathyroid gland.

Check all the symptoms  on the website above.

Good luck!

And PLEASE.... Do not take anything advised by anyone here. They mean well, but it could be very dangerous. See & Ask your doctor instead.
Avatar universal
I've been on Vitamin D3  for low level (I was at 9 ng) at twice daily dosing for the last 4 months now and my level has improved to within the normal ranges.  I have to say though, that I have not noticed any change in my pain symptoms relative to bone demineralization.   But I'm not sure that you would notice any change in symptoms either, since it is only trying to stop bone loss.  I already have severe osteoporosis, and can't take any of the etidronates like Fossamax or Evista, etc, due to ulcers and dental issues. So, in my mind, if it's helping me to make bones stronger...I'm all for it.  Good luck!
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
are you taking k2 as well as D3?  Both are needed.
What is K2? Vitamin K? or K as in Potassium? Anyway.. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ANYONE MEDICAL ADVICE IF YOU ARE NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. Telling someone to take Vitamin K or Potassium can be very dangerous for some people. Vit K makes the blood clot easier and should only be taken if patient has clotting difficulties and their Doctor tells them to. Potassium can cause heart dysrythmias if level gets high from taking too much. So your comment could cause serious effects.
Agree with you wholeheartedly.  I'm an RN myself, even though disabled x 4 years now. Unfortunately you will always find people who are honestly trying to help others on sites such as this, and while their intent is awesome, it can lead to some folks being hurt by it.
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