Vitamin D and the trots...

AlaskaDeb

Does anyone else seem to be getting diarrhea from vitamin D? 

I am up to 1600 to 2000 a day and I am getting an annoying case of the trots about 4 hours after I take it.  I know people are taking way more than that.  Are you having the same problem?  Do you break the dose up and take it multiple times a day?  In theory, that sounds good, but I usually don't remember to take the other dose later in the day. 

Is one type of D more annoying to the digestive system than another?

My D levels are really low, 22 at last check, so I really need to get them up.

Thanks

Deb C

deborye

I take 1000 IU per day, no trots here, LOL.

I just take it because I'm on Arimidex.

When I have the trots, I take Pepto Bismol.

  

jerseymaria

hi deb...no i don't have that particular problem.  i do split up my vit D but mainly because i take so many pills i spread them out over the day.  after lunch i take centrum silver, 1 citracal, 1 vit D 1000mg. (along with other supplements).  at bedtime along with my rx meds, i take 1 more 1000mg vit D and 2 citracals.  the citracals each have 400mg vit D.  so if my math is right that's 3200mg D not counting whatever is in the centrum. but no problems with digestive system. you would think with all that my last test would have been in the normal range but not yet.  mine is 27 up from 22 last year.  i guess i'm just not absorbing nutrients well anymore.  hugs, maria

BlindedByScience

Hi, Deb,

I don't know if this is it, but if you're taking Vit. D, you're probably taking Calcium. If you're taking Calcium, it may be combined with Magnesium. Magnesium is important, but it can cause the trots depending on your dose and sensitivity. Check your supplement and see how much you're getting. If this scenario sounds like it might be the cause, the amount of magnesium that comes with 500 mg of Calcium is often 250 mg --less likely to cause your diarrhea than if you take 1000 - 1500 mg of Calcium (500 -750 mg Magnesium) at a time. Keep in mind that  only 500 mg of Calcium is absorbed in a 4 hour period, so this supplement needs to be split into divided doses.

Do you take other drugs or supplements at the same time? I've noticed that drugs for acid reflux or gastritis can cause food to move faster too.... 

BlindedByScience

Jerseymaria,

We all absorb and process Vitamin D from supplements depending on our individual characteristics. If you have been deficient--and 22 - 27 ng/ml of 25(OH)D based on a reference range of 20 - 100 ng/ml as 'normal' is now generally considered too low--you might try taking a higher dose, getting 15  - 30 minutes of summer sun without sunscreen each day, and taking your vitamin D with a fat-containing meal.

People with impaired kidney or liver function may not be able to easily convert the supplement. Those of us who carry extra weight may also need higher doses as Vitamin D is stored in body fat and not well-released once tucked away in storage. It may also be that your body is using up most of the supplement. If your parathyroid is not functioning properly, it can also drive down blood levels of Vitamin D to help regulate calcium absorption. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) can be assayed with a blood test.

 If you can get a 25(OH)D test once or twice a year, you may want to consider taking higher doses of Vitamin D for a while, then get checked. A doctor can prescribe 50,000 units of D per week for about 8 weeks to help correct a deficiency. Your doctor would then do a recheck at the end of that time.