help with vit D levels

Sounds like you figured it all out JO.  I'll be waiting to hear about your next results!  Best of luck to you!

Does anyone know if you can take 2,000 of D3 per day in ADDITION to 50,000 per week of D2?  Just looked at my blood test results again - D3=26 and D2=<4 !!   So that would make sense to take mega dose of D2 as onc prescribed.  But, I have not as yet been able to find a good basic overall discussion about Vitamin D and its various elements, how D2 and D3 interact together, the role of each in bone health, what constitutes the danger limit of Vitamin D supplements, etc.  Most of what I find dumbs it down to just "Vitamin D."  I'm going to see if I can get any clarity from the pharmacist too.

JO:  Yes, that makes sense!  And this time I also did NOT stop taking the D3 before testing (but didn't take it day of:  it was a fasting one for other tests, just took my Aromasin).   I still have the 1,000ius to go thru, they are small pills, and I just take them all with a small glass of milk and snack....up to 6,000ius now a day. 

Janet:  I hope you get some good info from your pharmacist, I did not, none had any clue.  Even FOUR endocrinologists I have seen HAVE NO CLUE.  It can get REAL frustrating...but we do the best we can, right?   Good Luck on your D journey as well...:)    ~juli

*Seeing as the D2 is different than the D3, I'd also think (as Linda put into practice) taking D3 would be beneficial.  But, I know I'll NOT take the D2's anymore...they hindered rather than helped...NOT to discourage anyone from taking what their doc orders!!!   :O   Lord No....that's just me and my own opinion (test results too).   BEST to everyone on this weird journey that DOES affect bc and other diseases as well.  *ARRRGHHHH*      

Jo - I heard that recently too about calcium supplements causing heart problems.  I've tried taking them but they really bother me for some reason.  I wonder if once the D levels get back up to speed if the calcium we get from regular food is all we will need.   Bones can't absorb calcium (from food or supplements) without Vit D.  Given I have about zeroVit D, I'm hoping with the D supplements alone, that bone strength will go back up too.  That's my uneducated theory anyway  

It just seems to me that the College of Oncologists (or whatever that board is called) should develop some overall guidelines for ALL supplements (not just the RDAs).  This is ridiculous trying to figure it out.  My next mission is to find out how much Glucosomine & Chondrotin (sp?) to take.

JO:  Your calcium levels should be checked along with a regular CMP (Complete Metabolic Panel) that your oncologist orders.  I get the PTH Calcium test taken, and it's not a bad idea to ask for a parathyroid (PTH) test as well...the parathyroid glands kinda control the calcium.  In my case, my parathyroid level is HIGH but calcium is normal.  If calcium is HIGH, it means that calcium is being leeched (again for me, parathyroidectomy in 2002 to remove benign tumor) from your bones into your blood.  It'd be good to have the total calcium picture I guess is what I'm saying?   This just gets more and more involved, doesn't it???   I have GOT to keep up with all of this, all affects everything else.  EEEESH...good luck everyone...with all issues~!   ~juli

JO - Thank you.  It is very confusing isn't it.  Wish our medical experts could figure it out and not have us in such limbo.

gogo -- A level of 73 sounds optimum.

I was first tested in July after taking approx. 1,800iu daily for the past year.  My level was 28.  I upped the dosage to 5,000iu and my October test went up to 45.  I'm going to stay on 5,000iu and see if I can get it up to 50 or over.  (My tests were in nm/l so I just converted them to ng/ml, BTW)

After reading all the stories here about 50,000iu of D2 and how ineffective it seems to be, I can't understand why U.S. docs are still prescribing it.

Just got my Vit D level results back 39.2, I'll keep working on it....

Samsue - that's a great improvement!!  Yay!  I know it's probably back a few pages, but I'm assuming you were on the 'mega' dose of 50,000 per week.   Were you taking - D2 or D3?

And, I'm confused.  If Vit D level is supposed to be at least 60 (is that right?) -- is that D3, D2 or the sum of both?  Or is there a target level individually for  D3 and D2 ? 

I don't know Jo - but I remember reading recently they are thinking of upping Vit D recommended daily allowance to 2000/day vs. the 400/day now.  So you might try the 2000 level - also be sure you're counting what you get in a multivitamin (if you take those).  You can get too much Vit D (according to my PCP) but not sure how it all plays when there is a Vit D deficiency.   I have more questions than answers at this point.

Dear Jo,

Try cutting down the D3 and see what happens. You should be able to bring the dose back up to 5,000 daily in 2-3 weeks.

Make you wonder if the docs are really just interested in making money by having patients get cancer or genuinely in your well being?

That's interesting Janet.  I've only be taking VitD3 and within 3 months (after upping the dosage from 1,800 to 5000) my levels increased from 73 nm/l to 115 nm/l.  Perhaps Canadian labs test for D3.

(BTW, converting into ng/ml, that's a jump from 28 to 45 approx.)

I think it's going to take a few years of really good clinical studies to determine the effects of VitD.

The IOM report released today provides new reference values for Calcium and Vitamin

The science on calcium's role in bone health shows that ...For practically all adults ages 19 through 50 and for men until age 71, 1,000 milligrams covers daily calcium needs. Women starting at age 51 and both men and women age 71 and older need no more than 1,200 milligrams per day.

As for vitamin D, 600 IUs daily meets the needs of almost everyone in the United States and Canada, although people 71 and older may require as much as 800 IUs per day because of potential physical and behavioral changes related to aging.

The report also cautions about taking excessive amounts of Vitamin D and Calcium supplements:

Getting too much calcium from dietary supplements has been associated with kidney stones, while excessive vitamin D can damage the kidneys and heart. Evidence about other possible risks associated with routine vitamin D supplementation is still tentative, and most studies have focused on very high doses taken short term rather than on routine, long-term consumption of large amounts. However, some signals suggest there are greater risks of death and chronic disease associated with long-term high vitamin D intake, which informed the committee's conclusions about levels that consumers should not exceed.

Upper intake levels represent the upper safe boundary and should not be misunderstood as amounts people need or should strive to consume. The upper intake levels for vitamin D are 2,500 IUs per day for children ages 1 through 3; 3,000 IUs daily for children 4 through 8 years old; and 4,000 IUs daily for all others.

The upper intake levels for calcium are 2,500 milligrams per day from age 1 through 8; 3,000 milligrams daily from age 9 through 18; 2,500 milligrams daily from age 19 through 50; and 2,000 milligrams per day for all other age groups.  

This is from LIfe Extension Foundation, and I am sure the vitamin D council will respond also.

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=10478&Section=VITAMINS&source=DHB_101201&key=Top+ContinueReading