help with vit D levels

another link..

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

and from the above link...

Vitamin D's Co-factors

Vitamin D has co-factors that the body needs in order to utilize vitamin D properly. They are:

• magnesium
• zinc
• vitamin K2
• boron
• genestein
• a tiny amount of vitamin A

Magnesium is the most important of these co-factors. In fact, it is common for rising vitamin D levels to exacerbate an underlying magnesium deficiency. If one is having problems supplementing with vitamin D, a magnesium deficiency could be the reason why.

Read more about vitamin D's co-fac

You asked about continued D3 supplementation after normal or optimal levels are reached - it seems to be an "it depends" sort of situation (don't you hate that?! ) . I believe the goal is to keep your vitamin D levels in a "normal" range, but as you can see, we all seem to have different inherent abilities to make or store vitamin D in our bodies, so the only way to know is to monitor your levels via blood work and supplement as indicated.

I personally think it's unwise and likely dangerous to decide on your own to take huge doses of *any* supplement without careful research and monitoring. 

Nan - I'd love to read more about the hormone/vitamin D link too.  Would your daughter maybe have some further information about it?  I'm interested in sources showing the connection, since I'm triple negative like she is. 

I'm still very unconvinced about the whole "hormone balance" concept, especially with regard to BC.  Most of the information I find is from supplement manufacturers/sellers, and so is hardly considered unbiased.  Conspiracy theories aside, I'd really like to see some objective evidence. 

 PS - Gogo_xago - extra magnesium supplementation should be monitored, and dosages depend on your magnesium levels.  Like everything, too much of a good thing isn't necessarily healthy or beneficial.

I just got a call from my doctor.  My vitamin D levels are now at 54 ng/ml after five months on 4000IU per day of D3.  I will retest in another six months.  Yes, I am taking 1200 mg of Calcium and 350 mg of Magnesium.

gogo_xago, The short version of an answer to your question is take your calcium and magnesium supplements in a 2:1 ratio.  (RDA is listed as 350mg. for adult women.)

The longer version is that you will find recommendations ranging from 1:1 to 4:1.  Well, the thing is that if we all could be tested on how well are intestines are capable of absorbing those minerals, we'd have a better idea.  Age, as well as medical factors, and various medicines, can decrease an individual's absorption.  That goes for both minerals whether found in diets or supplements.

The longest version of an answer is Google keywords magnesium, calcium, ratio, absorption, balance, etc., etc., etc. and there is so much out there that you will have endless reading on the subject.

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I have a calcium tablet with 600mg. (the max. you should take at one time) and a magnesium that is formulated at 250mg.  I take both of them twice a day.  That's not quite 2:1.  Close enough for me not to worry too much about it.

It should not be necessary to take magnesium supplements to achieve high levels. A well-balanced diet should provide all the magnesium you need. Green vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and cereals are all good sources of Mg. For example, one cup of cooked spinach will provide 157mg of magesium. Unfortunately, most of us don't eat balanced diets so supplementation may be necessary but keep in mind that you are also getting magnesium from your food, so you shouldn't need to take 500mg/day as a supplement.

Elimar, I see the NIH lists the RDA for adult women as 320mg/day (higher for pregnant women). RDA levels are established by the IOM and they also list the RDA for Mg as 320 for adult women (31+ years). Also they set the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) at 350mg. They say "UL = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements." Source.

Makraz,

My original Vitamin D level was 22.  After a year on and off 50,000 IU of D2, my level was 30.  When I switched to D3 I had a retest after 6 months and my level was 30D2 and 30 D3 for a total of 60ng/ml.

Now that the D2 is out of my system and after another 5 months on D3 my Vitamin D3 levels are 54 and I expect my level to continue to rise until I hit 70ng/ml and will then probably level off.  I will continue to have a test every six months just to make sure that what I have read works for me. 

I think taking D2 was a complete waste of time.

I live in the South but because I am prone to skin cancer, I don't garden without a hat and long sleeves in the summer.  I might as well be in Canada for all the sun I get.

I think 4000IU a day is a reasonable and safe dose for me.

Thanks notself.  Your story is similiar to mine, except I LOVE the sun and beach, but because of where I live, I don't get to enjoy it that much.   I hope your levels continue to rise!  I am going to be tested again next week or so, I will let you know what my level is then.  I was 20, then 35 after the RX (useless) and 4,000 daily.  I know take 5,000 daily.  I hope it's working.

RDA means, as you all know, Recommended Dietary Allowance.  What you may not know is that it is only the amount needed to avoid deficiency.  The RDA of calcium is the amount needed to avoid rickets and osteomalacia.  There is another measure called Daily Reference Intake (DRI) which lists the amount required for optimal health.  Unfortunately there has not been research done on most vitamins and mineral to determine DRI. 

The RDA for magnesium for women is 320mg.   Here is a pdf file that explains the things that affect magnesium.  Scroll down for the heading "Intake of Magnesium" for the DRI.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Calcium/190-249.pdf

The information above is from the USDA and the section on calcium is extremely dated.  I suggest that this information be used as a base line for review of other research from other reputable organizations.

Another thing to consider, ladies, is that chemo depletes the body of magnesium.  The oncs I used to work with routinely prescribed 500 to 1000mg of magnesium daily to patients getting chemo and for several months afterward.  While you are getting chemo magnesium levels should be checked regularly. 

You ladies were so right...I had my Vit. D levels drawn initially seven weeks ago.  It was 21.8

My family doc told me to take 1000 IU's daily.  You all told me that wouldn't do a thing, so I was taking 3000 a day, and also 1500 mg of magnesium (it's a calcium/mag/zinc supplement).

Just had levels redrawn this week.  After seven weeks of 3000, the level had gone up to a whopping 30.2   Oh my goodness....at this rate, it will take a year to get to where it needs to be. 

good grief...

thanks for all your advice, ladies...you're the best

blessings..robin

CS, great news!  I'm glad your level went up.  I am anxiously awaiting my test results.  Will share with you all next week.

Soak up some sunshine!

I take one calcium in the morning and one in the evening.  I split my Vitamin D3 into morning and evening.  I take the magnesium (one pill) in the morning.

Four months after a terribly bad reaction to chemo, I was still feeling fatigued BEYOND fatigue and I am a healthy (was a healthy) woman. Never felt so awful. I went to my PCP and he did blood draws on me. I have never had a problem with Vit because I am a fanatic BUT, he found that because of chemo, my body was no longer producing Vit D (processing it). I am now on prescription of 50,000 Units a week. I also had perniscious anemia (despite iron supplements) and put on higher iron dosage and my thyroid was burned out by the chemo-so on large dose of synthroid to try to jump start things and last, on B-12 shots per week. Cemo messed me up in ways i could not anticipate and needed a docs help to sort it out. Two weeks into the new med program I am finally starting to feel like I can get out of bed and feeling like human being!! Vit D so important but correct dosage so important-and i found out other things were going on that I thought I had under control-like iron. And I was told by my Doc that there are vitamins one can overdose on-this is news to this old hippy chick! Prayers and good luck my dear, but get checked out for real! XXOOO, SV 

Makraz, can you say what the dose of your RX D2 was and how frequently you took it?  And, are you saying that you were taking the RX D2 simultaneously with the 3000 IUs D3 (I assume that was 3000 IU/day)?  Note that the blood test is measuring the TOTAL of D2 + D3 in your blood (in the forms of 25-OH-D2 adn 25-OH-D3). 

Hi Laura, I'm going to assume the D2 that you took was 50,000 IU dosage.  So there are a couple of things to think about WRT your #s.  The straightforward thinking is that you went from 71,000 IU/wk (50,000 D2 + 7x3000 D3) to 35,000 IU/wk (7x5000 D3), which is about half, and the latter was just enough to about maintain you at the same level and not build you up further.  That's not unreasonable.  Since it was D2 that you took the huge doses of, that muddies the thinking somewhat, since it's not clear that D2 builds up as much or sticks around as long as D3.  So that might also contribute to your #s not building up more than they did and also not maintaining better.  

From what I've read, it seems that the 50,000 IU doses of D2 just don't seem to "fill the tank" the way that D3 does, and my recommendation would be to repeat your weekly high dose regimen using the D3 that you just ordered.  That is, 50,000 IU D3 1x/wk for 8-12 wks, then a daily maintenance dose of a few thousand IU/day.  If you really want to get aggressive, you could do 50,000 IU 2x/wk, which I have seen only very rarely talked about in the medical lit, but I personally wouldn't take more than that.  Picking a maintenance dose is tough.  Standard docs almost always say no more than 2000 IU/day; personally I take around 5000 IU/day based on a lot of reading I did that made me comfortable with that. 

Regarding sunshine, remember that you make NO vit D3 in your skin during quite a long stretch in the winter & early spring because there's not enough UVB in the sun to stimulate it.  I see you .live in Massachussets, so you're probably only now starting to make D3 in your skin, after not any from approx Nov-Apr.  Sunscreen completely blocks it UVB, so if you use sunscreen, then you won't make your own D3 either.

Good luck to you!

CS