Vitamin D 50,000 IU Weekly - side effect?

My G.I. doctor called me today and said my Vitamin D level from blood test is low (17, normal is 30). He prescribed me 50,000 IU of Vitamin D once per week for 8 weeks. Has anyone here taken Vitamin D before? Any side effect from this medicine?

Thanks

Paul

I was on it recently and was unable to take 50,000 all at once. Instead, I used the 2000 unit capsules of d3 and took 7,000 units per day. I felt so much better when I was on it. I am thinking I am low again and welcome the high dose d3! 

I was started on 100,000 IU vitamin D weekly by my endocrinlogist about 2003 or so and was on that dose for maybe 3 years. Then it was dropped to 50,000 IU weekly and a year or so ago we were able to drop the dosage to 50,000 IU every other week which is the dosage I am on now. I sure have never had any side effects that I am aware of.

My belly area would feel a bit rough hours after taking it, but once I quit taking magnesium, it just staying feeling a bit rough, nothing came of it except a tiny bit of discomfort.(small)

My pharmacist says you're better off taking it with a spoonful or two of something fatty, like ice cream or yoghurt, to avoid getting an upset stomach.

Used to be, back in the day, they'd give children 250,000 IU of vitamin D; it would last a year. It's a fat-soluble vitamin, so it's stored and released slowly. 50,000 IU/week is pretty good; I take 5,000 IU/day (the "NOW" brand stuff). The effect is not immediate by any means; it is cumulative and, particularly for those that are deficient, it will take a long time to normalize- probably weeks, months. It's a slow fix, but a good one. Note that the highest no observable effects level is about 10,000 IU/day for healthy individuals; it is difficult to determine how much higher it would be for Crohnies, or others that suffer from diarrhea.

While the discussion on the "hygiene hypothesis" has revolved around germs and worms, it is interesting to note that the developing countries in which Crohn's (and other autoimmune diseases) are so rare are also very sunny; in fact, the development of heavily pigmented skin is a form of protection against hypervitaminosis D, which causes joint pain and other problems. From this, it is conceivable that insufficient vitamin D is a contributing cause to Crohn's disease; we know this is probably the case with multiple sclerosis, as the incidence of the disease increases with the northern latitudes.

50,000 IU of Vitamin D?! Although I support the growing research of Vit. D's benefit to cardiovascular disease, I have to ask -- what are these doctors thinking when they prescribe such an insane amount?!

All the while I've been on high dose vitamin D we've run regular blood draws to ensure that I do maintain an acceptable level of vitamin D w/o deficiency nor overdosing.

I asked my GP about testing my Vitamin D levels and he said that people aren't normally low in Vitamin D. I didn't argue about it, but it did leave me wondering why every person and his or her dog on HW takes Vitamin D supplements :-/

I only have about 2 ft of intestine.... so I don't absorb much of anything.. have been on IV feeding for over 13 years..

green gel pill about a little more than a 1/2 inch long..

It's much cheaper and safer to buy the over-the-counter Vitamin D3 pills that you take daily. The prescription strength pills have no advantage over the smaller ones, and have lots of side effects. If you are prone to asthma, the 50,000 IU pills can precipitate a severe asthma attack. Also, compliance is much better with a daily pill than it is with one that you must remember once each week.

I dunno about 50,000 iu of D causing asthma attacks, but vitamin D has been suggested for Asthma as it has anti inflammatory action and blocking the cascade of inflammation-causing proteins in the lung-

http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20100910/vitamin-d-may-improve-asthma-control

curious as to why someone stopped taking magnesium and Vitamin D together? Was it because of Diarrhea? If so you can make a magnesium rub by melting magnesium chloride flakes (get them from Amazon of health food stores) in hot water- put in a spray bottle, and rub about 10 sprays into skin- Magnesium is well absorbed through the skin and won't cause diarrhea that way or stomach upset- Magnesium is an important mineral for pain in muscles and is usually deficient in crohn's patients and m uch needed usually-