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Vitamin D levels

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Posted 10/25/2011 2:58 PM (GMT 0)
Had my vitamin D levels checked recently and there are at 25 which is apparently bit on low side. How much I.U (international units) do people take per day to up their vitamin D levels.
Posted 10/25/2011 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
2,000IU per day. Didn't your doctor tell you what to take?

Sue
Posted 10/25/2011 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
Go sit in the sun for a little bit.  10 min outside on a sunny day is enough to make your body produce 10,000 IU of vitamin D.  Don't use sunscreen, because that will block the rays you need, and you won't burn in such a short time.  10 minutes a couple of times a week should be plenty to build you back up in no time.
Posted 10/25/2011 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Sun may or may not work. I live in sunny California, am outdoors hiking weekly, and I have been D deficient for two years running. I do not wear sunscreen or wear a hat.

Sue
Posted 10/25/2011 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
I was vit D deficient about two years ago -- started taking 2,000 IU a day, and my last few tests have been within normal range (including when I was still very sick).

I try to go outside w/out sunscreen too, but the reality is that if you live in a Northern climate you can't get enough from the sun for about half the year.

Also having IBD, using prednisone, lactose intolerance and other health issues people on this list are likely to have make it harder to process vitamin D, so the sun time doesn't necessarily work as well as it would for a healthy person (same for the supplements)
Posted 10/25/2011 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
Sun, chance would be a fine thing. The British weather system is a very fickle thing indeed and trying to find the sun can be like playing hide and seek, especially this time of year. I only asked as really need it to bump up quickly and read on here some people were taking huge doses of vitamin D, like 50000 I.U per week. For maintainence docs recommended 2000 I.U per day and that will be fine once I get my levels up to 50. So those who have taken huge doses did you have any problems?
Posted 10/25/2011 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
4000iu/day in winter, 2000iu in summer
Posted 10/26/2011 2:22 AM (GMT 0)
4000 IU per day. My doc wants my Vit D around 50. Rosemary
Posted 10/26/2011 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
On the 'go sit out in the sun' advice, before doing that, make sure you actually can do that. I know some medications call for staying out of the sun. I could be wrong but, for example, I think 6MP may be one of them. Another example, I can't spend that much time outside with or without sunscreen because of the scar on my throat from my thyroid surgery.
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