Vitamin D

ajjstwo

My doctor recommended 1500 units of calcium and vitamin D daily.  I have not been able to take it.  It bothers my stomach soooooo bad.  I have indigestion and heartburn so bad when I take it.  Has anyone experienced this reaction?

Husband11

ajjstwo, try a different form of calcium. What kind of calcium supplement were you using? Some forms of calcium are like an antacid.  Perhaps calcium citrate might be better for you.

Pure

@lexislove-I have been taking 2000 ius a day and still came back that low-not to mention I am always in the sun. I wonder the same thing-I must have been really low when I got BC.

I am going to do the perscription but I am beefing it up to 7000 ius of the actually vitmin a day. I am paranoid. I figure my body will get rid of whatever I can't take in.

KerryMac

So, does anyone know if there is a toxic level of Vit D?? Some Vits I know are expelled (like Vit C) but some aren't.

Pure

yeah I have no idea:) lol but i Jus tnoticed my perscrip is for 50000 ius-I should take 1 a week and it reads vit D not vit D-3.

everyminute

My integrative MD told me to up mine to 4000 IU tiwce a day WITH FISH OIL (which helps with absorbtion)

I dont understand the whole low Vit d thing - I never drank milk but have always been a sun worshipper and actually when I was diagnosed was very very tan and had been running outside in noon day sun as well as spending time on beach.  Right before I was diagnosed I had been in Fla and SC twice in Spring and then beach here in Summer - go figure?

kim40

I take 2000 ius each day.  I didn't realize it was supposed to be at a certain level.  I've never been tested to see where I'm at.  I have an appt this afternoon with my family doc. I'll ask for her to check it to see if I'm in the range or not.  Interesting.....  I love this site - it is so full of information that the docs don't even bother to tell us about. 

dlb823

Kerry ~  Vitamin D is fat soluble, so excesses are stored in our bodies.  Technically it is possible to get too much, especially if it's not natural D3, which our bodies use more efficiently than a synthetic version.   However, you'd have to take huge amounts over a long time to ever reach a toxic level.  Here's an explanation I recently posted on another thread:  

http://www.easy-immune-health.com/Overdose-on-Vitamin-D.html

 

karen1956

calcium also aggrevates my heartburn as well as binds me up....I'm bad as I don't take my calcium...but I do take magnesium, D and my Actonel.....My onc hasn't checked my D levels, but said to take 1000iu/day....so if it is low that would not be enough, but I really don't want to know if it is low or not (is that keeping my head in the sand?).  I can try upping the D and see what happens....BTW what are the side effects of too much D or the reverse low D levels (other than rickets which is not a concern for most of us).

Pure

I am totally shocked mine were so low especially since taking 2000 ius per day for about 8 weeks.

I did notice the perscription is for vitamin D not D-3 which is strange.

lexislove

i worry about too much vitamin d. Im sticking to my 4000iu + 400iu in my multi vitamin and thats it...for now.

I do think D vitamin is probably THE most important vitamin to take, but how much?

cp418

I ask to have my blood levels checked at least twice a year and then can adjust my daily dose accordingly.  I do up my dose during winter months with minimal sun exposure.

KerryMac

dlb - thanks for that.

My Onc told me to only take 400iu's a day, I might bring it up with her in April. I am currently taking 4000iu's.

I have read a theory that Vit D deficiency may be caused by the cancer, rather than the other way around, which is why it is common for women with BC to have low levels of Vit D. So hard to know cause and effect.....

Suzanne3131

Not that we can rely on enough sun to keep our levels up, but I read once that our eyes are responsible for most of the Vitamin D production in our bodies.  So when you do go out, don't wear your sunglasses...you need to get some sun in your eyes!

Mamita49

Its so weird....

I was last week in Ottawa, at a shoppers drug mart. All Vit D3 sold out,

came back in Montreal. Our drug mart around the corner, sold out, went a bit further.........Vit-sold out.

Whats this,- so I asked the pharmasist, Oh she said, People buying like crazy vit d, you know, it does saves lives.

Me too, lexislove, I kinda have the feeling, there was a lnk to my diagnosis, I never took before Vitimins, None of them.

I am on 4000iu dayli. 

kimber3006

I finally got my results today.  I asked my onc a couple weeks ago to test me.  It was 19.1!  I spend tons of time in the SC sun without sunglasses or sunscreen and eat lots of cereal with milk, yogurt & cheese.  I was shocked.  Onc said to take 5000 IU per day.  DH picked up some with a 5000 IU dose, but the first inactive ingredient is soybean oil,  so I won't be taking those (I'm ER+ and currently getting Taxol).  The ones I already had are 400 IU, so I guess I'll be taking 13 a day until we get something else - lol!

karen1956

I've never checked the inactive ingrediants in my Vit D...I take a 1000iu tablet...either one or two daily....just went and checked and no soybean oil...they are Natural Factor brand Vit D...the other ingrediants are cellulose, di-calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate...I got them either at Sunflower or Vitamin Cottage. 

lexislove

I wonder if it is even possible to get enough Vitamin D with out supplementing? I would think its impossible and that MOST people are Vitamin D defficient regardless of where they live.

You would have to be an orange in Florida growing in a tree to have normal levels..lol.

mamita,

Thats crazy all the D was sold out! I was at Shoppers the other day and they had a bin full and it was on sale. 1000iu I picked up 4 bottles. It is a good sign though...people are aware of vitmain D and all its wonderful tidbits.

Let-It-Be

My naturo had me loading 5000 in morning and 5000 at dinner.  I did this for 6 months.  I am now doing 5000 D3 (I alter AOR and Biotics brand, whichever I can find).  I get my results tomorrow, so we'll see if this heavy amount worked...

There's a Toronto doctor who is currently saying levels should be up around 125...

lexislove

Let -it- be,

Can you let us know your results ? This is interesting!

Let-It-Be

Absolutely!  I also take a tablespoon of the nutra sea fish oil in the morning.  Someone here posted that it helps the d absorb.  I have read in the alternatives thread that it can take a really long time to bring the levels up, we shall see...

ananda8

There are two types of vitamin D.  D2 is synthetic and is often prescribed in doses of 50,000 IU.  Vitamin D3 is easier for most people to absorb and you can buy it over the counter in pill or gel cap form.  I have been on both.  Vitamin D2 did not improve my levels.  D3 is doing great for me.

There are two ways of measuring blood levels of Vitamin D.  One is ng/ml and the other is nmol/l.  Try to get the doctor to tell you which measurement is used.  Do not just take a report that your levels are normal.  Get the actual number. 

Here is a link to the Vitamin D conference that was sponsored by UCSD in San Diego.  The are videos, charts and lectures on the link.  Take the time to look around the site.  There is a wealth of information.

http://grassrootshealth.net/

lkc

Ladies,  you can take 5000-10,000 Vit D 3 capsules safely daily to uncrease your Vit  D levels.
PLEASE  check it's D3 !

Let-It-Be

Okay, good news, my test result level is at 122!  So, I'll keep going with 5000 D3 now and get it tested again in the Summer to see if it's stable or dropped....

lexislove

122...excellent. Thanks for updating.

I was thinking about bringing up the D2 supplements with my onc on Thursday, but now I think I'll just stick to the 4000iu;s of D3 and re test in 6 months.