How much vitamin D do you take?

So I finally got my D levels checked and they are low. My tests showed my D level is 21.3. The more research I have been doing it is recommended to keep your level at a minimum of 50 especially in the winter. It kind of made me mad that it hasn't been checked before. Especially since the last year I have had such a hard time with flares.

My question is how much D3 do you take daily? If you have tested deficient has anyone on here taken a 50,000 IU dose prescribed by their doctor?

My doctor thinks I should take a 50,000 IU pill once weekly for 2 months and then see if a maintenance dose of 1,000 - 2,000 would keep my levels steady. 1,000 IU is considered a maintenance dose and not enough if you tested deficient.

I guess it just freaks me out to take a dose of 50,000 all at once even though I know that is usually what is prescribed to someone who really needs to raise their levels. I probably should add to my first post about the 50,000, I guess I was really wondering if anyone of Crohn's or UC has been prescribed the 50,000 and taken it.

I've been taking a 10,000 dose once a week for about a year. My levels rose but still on the low side. My doctor wants to also raise it to 5,000 a day for 2 months as well.

For some people, 1,000IU D3, daily, is enough to raise their vit D level - that said, the 50,000 weekly dose has traditionally been used by many docs to initially bump up vitamin D, especially when they are afraid the patient might not remember to take vitamin D every day. I don't have Crohn's, but my vitamin D was only about 8, so I took the 50,000 IU D2 weekly with no problems.

But my daughter took the 50,000 IU D2 and two things happened: increased abdominal rumbling (which worried her doc) and low iron. So she preferred to use high daily doses of D3 instead, which did not cause these side effects - about 4400 daily. (Her ability to absorb vitamin D depends on how well her Crohn's is managed.) 

Monkiray, you mean 10,000 IU D3? Susan, you are talking about D3, too, right? Not D2?

Post Edited (njmom) : 11/1/2010 9:51:13 PM (GMT-6)

I take 4400 units per day. My last numbers were 45, which is right in the middle of the scale.

For those of you that are on a high dose or have taken a high dose was it D2 or D3? I know a lot of the D prescriptions are D2, but that isn't as beneficial. The supplement I was instructed to take is 50,000 D3 once a week.

Wait, let's back up and hear the doses AND if it's d2 or d3. I'm especially interested in the weeklies, myself!

Suzanne, what is the name of the 50,000 IU prescription? What does it say on the bottle - cholecalciferol? So even with the weekly and daily your vitamin D is still low? What number is it? 

Btw, a 5,000 daily dose D3 is not unusual or worrisome. My daughter tried it - the problem is, too high a dose of vit D can be counterproductive. She actually did better on 4,400 than 5,000+.

Post Edited (njmom) : 11/3/2010 1:47:38 PM (GMT-6)

It just says D3 not specific as to what type. Even my paper work for the Rx is not specific as to the type.

Suzanne, thx. It's quite possible that if Crohn's is not brought under control enough by meds or diet, no amount of supplementation will work for a Crohn's patient. Dr. Abreu did groundbreaking research in vitamin D that suggested it's the disease, itself, which interferes (and I'm not talking about malabsorption).     

Cupcakes, Yep, I've seen 10,000 IU daily is fine, too. Of course, a daily dose is not the same as an all-at-once dose...that said, there didn't seem to be any evidence from the clinical trial that the 50,000 IU vit D3 is not safe. Your post did suprise me because while I'm used to seeing numbers like 5,000 and 10,000 for vitamin D3, I'm not used to seeing 50,000 taken as D3. This is not routine in the States. 

At least you are in the low 20s. My daughter has to take 4,400 daily just to manage to stay higher than the teens. At 5,000+ she actually measured lower, back in the teens.

Nanners, thx for the reminder.  

Post Edited (njmom) : 11/3/2010 2:15:56 PM (GMT-6)

FYI, Vitamin D overdose from eating his own supplements that he sells:

NEW YORK, April 28 (UPI) -- Alternative-medicine advocate Gary Null has sued the New Jersey manufacturer of his Ultimate Power Meal, saying he almost died from a Vitamin D overdose.

Null filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court seeking $10 million from Triarco Industries Inc. of Wayne, N.J., the New York Post reported.

In legal papers, Null's lawyers say he suffered from fatigue, pain and cracked and bleeding feet while taking Gary Null's Ultimate Power Meal. He continued to eat the power meal,, "thinking that it would help him and relieve his condition."

After a visit to his doctor, Null discovered he had been ingesting 2 million international units of Vitamin D every day, 2,000 times the recommended dose and 1,000 times what the power meal was supposed to contain, his lawyers said. Clearing the excess from his system took 3 months.

"Six consumers were hospitalized with severe kidney damage, and Null, in the midst of all this, while he was suffering in bed, had dozens of his customers calling him, along with condemning and threatening him," Null's lawyers said.

I get an RX from my PCP to take 50,000 IU once a week. Honestly haven't noticed it helping me at all I'm always still tired all the time. It brings it up but not that much same with my B12 bring it up but not too much where I would like it.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127104904.htm

I started taking 10,000IU of vitamin D3 a day after reading the above article at the end of January. I don't think I missed more than 1 or 2 doses over 5 months and when I got tested at the end of May my blood level was 38ng/ml. At that point I switched to 5000IU a day and when I got tested at the end of August I was at 30ng/ml. So I upped my dose to 20,000IU a day and last week my blood test was at 54ng/ml. I am down to 10,000IU a day and will get tested in 5-6 months again.

It's very important to take at least 100mcg (that's micrograms) of vitamin K2 every day when you're supplementing with vitamin D. It's a co-factor. The other co-factors are 1mg of boron, 250mg of magnesium, 40mg of zinc.

It's important to adjust your vitamin D level to raise it to at elast 50ng/ml over a period of a few months. If you're still below 50ng/ml then you're not taking enough.