Should I be taking Vit D3 or Vit D2?

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Sunflower64
Sunflower64 Member Posts: 166
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

Hello,

I have been taking 3000 iu of Vit D3 for 6 months and my level didn't go up. It is now 39.5. My dr called in a rx for me to take the Vit D2 pill which is 50,000 iu once a week. I did not realize it would be Vit D2. I have always read that you should take Vit D3 if you are a breast cancer patient. What should I be doing? I'm confused. My dr said he would like to see my level at 80. Is that where it should be?  Any advice would be appreciated!

 Thank You,

Diane

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  • Husband11
    Husband11 Member Posts: 2,264
    edited June 2011

    D2 appears to be the most frequently described high dose form of vitamin D.  From what I've read, and from my GP, it has a lower conversion rate to the biological form, so the dose is effectively lower than it would appear.  I don't want to quote some equivalency ratio for it to D3, but it is some fraction.

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  • Thatgirl
    Thatgirl Member Posts: 276
    edited June 2011

    D2 is prescribed. D3 is over the counter. I am on the same dose using D3. I don't think one is better than the other, what matters is getting that number up. I was at a 17 now I'm at 50. Call and ask your Dr. If you can buy the D3, it's cheaper.

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited June 2011

    Diane, here's some research that might be helpful to you and others who are wondering the same thing:   http://www.ajcn.org/content/84/4/694.full

    (Sorry, I can't seem to do a clickable link with my new Mac, so you'll have to cut & paste.)

    Anyway, if you don't want to read the entire link, the conclusion paragraph summarizes the research.  

    I personally use D3, and even without research, I would always opt for the natural version of a supplement (assuming there's a choice between natural and chemically produced), because I believe the natural supplements (in this case D3) contain all the micronutrients that are found along with Vitamins D itself -- not just the extracted, singular nutrient the chemical or synthetic version is basically recreating.  It's not that D2 doesn't work to raise our levels of D; it does.  But research has shown that it doesn't do everything natural D does -- so then the question becomes, what else might it not be doing that's necessary to keep us in balance.

    Hope this helps.   Deanna 

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