If you take a vitamin D3 supplement, do you notice any changes in how you feel?

My D was VERY low. I took prescription D 50,000 IU’s once a week. Once my numbers got into the bottom of the normal range I stopped taking it and switched to 1000 a day, and I put myself in the sun more than I have in the last 10 years. The last test I had a few weeks ago I was holding at the minimum for the normal range, so I am going to double to 2000 for the winter. I have several health problems, some are better lately, but I also increased my iron intake at the same time as the D, which could be part of it, and my thyroid has been a little more stable in the last 8 months compared to the last 5 years, so that helps me feel better also. So it is diffiuclt for me to say for sure the D helped directly or not. But, I do think there has to be something to the idea that women have so many health problems and we never let ourselves be in the sun anymore. I am very interested in vitamin K and how that affects the absorption of calcium into the bone (I did a question on that).

@JLeslie: Both my Internist and my Dermatologist say, “4000 IU/daily.” That’s what they take, and they are both young…in their early forties. They say that 30 whatevers is low normal and 60–70 whatevers is best.

On the occasional days that I forget, I notice random muscle aches and pains, particularly lower back.

Curious also about K. What did you learn.

@gailcalled part of my problem is muscle pain and weakness, but I see significant differences according to my thyroid numbers being in line, so I was not sure of the affect of the D. Maybe I will take the perscription again in the winter? To get up closer to 60.

It seems vitamin k2 is found in things like eggs and cheese, which I avoid somewhat because of my cholesterol. From what I read k2 helps put calcium into the bone and keeps it from settling in arteries and other soft tissues. My mom had an EBCT and she has calcium deposits in all the wrong places. She think her heart attack, when she has one, God forbid, will be from narrowing and stiffening due to these calcium deposits ore than the cholesterol. Seems some countries think Americans are nuts for focusing on cholesterol so much related to heart disease. Here is the wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_K but if you go to my thread from a few months ago, there was someone who had a lot of good info and links.

@JLeslie (My sister is also Leslie.) I eat no meat, chicken and the rare wild salmon filet, but I do have eggs and cheese in moderations.

I am literally out the door to see my dermatologist. After he removes the latest sun damage from my neck and shoulders, I will ask him about the D3 and K.

Gotta run. Later. Gail

My mother is on it, because of doctor suggestion. She had a lot of blood tests done, because she has pain all over so they’re just trying to pinpoint the issue, and it came up with a vitamin D deficency. I looked in the cabinet and I see 1000 IU tablets, but I know she takes a lot of vitamins on top of that.
I can ask her about it when her flight lands.

@all (two of you); My dermatologist just came from a conference where one of the speakers reiterated the dose as 4000IU daily of Vit. D3.

The optimal amount of D3 in the blood is 50–60 nanomoles/ liter. (Look it up.)

He said that for healthy follks, there is no need for vit K supps.

@JLeslie: From your Wikipedia link; Vitamin K1 is found chiefly in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, swiss chard, and Brassica (e.g. cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts); some fruits such as avocado and kiwifruit are also high in Vitamin K.

That sounds good to me. Those veggies are the magic ones, anyway.

@gailcalled from what i read it is K2 that helps the calcium go to the tight place. K1 is blood clotting I think. I am fairly uneducated on the subject, just learning.

I know there is some research that below 32 for D is when your parathyroid starts to malfunction. They fairly recently raise the normal range for Vitamin D.

I would never trust a doctor to tell me that folks don’t need k supplements. 10 years ago they said that about D. I was talking to a doctor the otehr day who said, “it is very rare anyone in America is actually difficient in any vitamins,” but I was severly dificient in B12 and D and who knows what else, if you tested me. Many of my friends and relatives are dificient also. I find it interesting that many women have hypothyroid problems. There is a belief that it is impossible for anyone in America to be deificient in iodine, which directly affects the thyroid. That is what is aded to “iodized salt.” Well I called Stouffers frozen foods and Campbell’s soups, and both said they do not use iodized salt/sodium, and packaged foods are so salty we rarely add our own table salt. So I think our fast lifestyle and quick prepared meals might be depriving us of iodine, but nobody knows for sure, because no one is looking at that. I think it is worth looking at.

35 years ago they said Chlamydia is normal flora for women, now it is considered an STD. Arthritis in Children in Lyme, CT was an unfortunate occurance, now we know it is a bateria carried by a tick. People were told, “you have to learn how to reduce your stress, you’re type A, that is why you have ulcers.” Now we know over 80% of stomach ulcers are caused by a bacteria. Normal range for you TSH (a thyroid test) is .35 – 5.5, most endocrinologust would not be happy if you are above 3.4. Medicine is wrong all of the time.

Sorry for the rant. :).

Interesting; since I eat no meat, I take a B12 sub-lingual (under tongue) daily. My sister and I try to stay abreast of the news. But we also eat huge amounts of vegetables and fruits and have normal thyroids. And neither of us ever eats pre-prepared foods except for cereal from the Health food store.

D3 is apparently chemically a hormone. Anyway, good luck with your issues.

I really like the question, hopefully more people will chime in with success stories from taking D :).

I have noticed positive effects from taking D3 as well.

@Marina; Details and dosage, please, if you don’t mind.

@gailcalled @Marina I think the most important thing is to get the blood test done every 3–6 months to see how you are feeling and where your numbers are at. For you 3000 IU’s might be enough to get you to a range that you feel good, but as you probably know it might vary in the summer versus the winter if you regularly expose yourself to sun, and it is a fat soluble vitamin to it builds up in your system. I would not just take a high dose for years without knowing my actual blood serum level. I would take a megadose for 6 months to get it up to a therapeutic level. That is what I meant by not trusting a doctor to GUESS if I am deficient in a vitamin or mineral, I want the test. The old way of thinking was 400 IU’s a day and be careful, because you can overdose on D. Now, they are saying, minimum 1000 IU’s a day and everyone is dificient. Lot’s of people are taking 2000–3000 IU’s daily.

My hip young doctor includes it in his pre-visit blood work. Hard, however, to overdose on D3 unless you are taking over 10,000IU/daily.

I also have it checked at my annual visit to oncologist. He too does blood work for cancer markers and will throw in the D3 check.

I never expose myself to the sun without sunblock, long sleeves and a hat. You should see what the dermatologist zapped off yesterday.

@gailcalled I had assumed you were getting tested, just when Marina asked about dose, I think the dose depends on the individual.

JLes. Almost everyone is testing low, it seems,, if they are stuck at the old dosages. But I take no iron supps., being post-menopausal.

There is no question that my fibromyalgia, lower back ache and general muscular stuff feels dramatically better on the D3. And apparently it is the miracle elixir for many other serious conditions, also.

@gailcalled I will definetly up my dose again. You have inspired me. I was thinking about it anyway.

Yoicks. I am no Doctor, but a reporter.

Ok, I’ve been lurking here following this discussion. You guys have completely convinced me to be tested (I have never been, to my knowledge). Anything that might help with my Fibromyalgia is worth looking into! Thanks!

@augustlan and B12 while you’re at it.

JLeslie; You and my sister Leslie are on the same page. When I finish the B complex, I have a B12 that I take sub-lingually.

@augustlan: One of dozens of articles listing reliable medical research references.

“Good for depression, chronic back pain, bone health, cognitive enhancement, “a number of studies have strongly suggested that Vitamin D3 deficiency is associated with an increased risk of developing many forms of cancer including breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancer ” (same link), and immunity.

“Multi-Talented Nutrient
Vitamin D3 deficiency has been linked to a host of other conditions such as high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and an increased risk of pre-eclampsia and insulin resistance during pregnancy.11,15–16 Most recently, low Vitamin D3 levels have been linked to an increased prevalence of early age-related macular degeneration.”

Auggie; I cannot believe that you have not had a routine test of D3 levels. It’s like not having your b/p tested.

By the way there are two measurments of D, get them both initially:
– D (1,25-OH)
– D (25-OH)

And about the B12. My neighbor started taking her mothers leftover injections of B12, because her daughter, who is studying to be a nurse, thought it was a good idea, and that you can’t overdose because it is water soluble. When she was having a lot of health problems her doctor tested her B12 (the doc doesn not know she is taking the shots remember) and her B12 was EXTREMELY high, well outside of normal range. I am not saying her illness was related to the B12, who knows, but it was good se hhad the test done. So, like I said, I believe in getting things checked, not guessing.

@gailcalled Very interesting. I have always been anemic, and had to take extra iron while pregnant. But, no one has ever mentioned D (or B) to me. I had both pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes in separate pregnancies. I also test positive for RA, but not high enough to actually carry the diagnosis. Sheesh.

@both of you Thanks for the additional info.

@augustlan: Do your own research and then talk to your doctor about the test. About 25% of Docs. are uninformed. I heard an MD. on our local NPR today. He talked about the advantages of D3 and also mentioned that he and his young family will get both flu and “swine” flu vaccines this fall. He said to get the 25-hydroxy rather than the 1.25 HO. “25-hydroxyvitamin D

25-hydroxyvitamin D usually is ordered to identify a possible deficiency in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be much more common than previously believed. Some studies have shown that as many of 50% of the elderly and women being treated for osteoporosis may be Vitamin D deficient. 25-hydroxyvitamin D is often ordered before an individual begins drug therapy for osteoporosis. Some osteoporosis medications now include the recommended Vitamin D dose.

My sis and I take the B12 because we no longer eat meat, chicken and rarely fish…the common sources of B12.

I asked my mother’s Doc. about giving her B12 shots for her energy and memory loss. He nixed the idea, but okayed a multi-vitamin with no A and no iron (bad for very old women.)

D is being touted as helping to guard against cancer, and directly affecting the parathyroid. It is also suspected in diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, and I would guess others like Parkinson’s, but I have not scene that metioned specifically. Interestingly, MS tends to cluster in the upper midwest, where there is a lack of sunlight. Countries that have low sunlight have focused on D forever. English mothers gave cod liver oil to their chidlren back in the day. Norway is sure to eat fish high in D. Our medical doctors have ignored it for years. Now it is very trendy I guess.

If you protect your skin with SPF, and otherwise are covered in clothing, you aren’t getting any D from the sun. SPF blocks the absorption of D.

I tend to be iron dificient, and I feel MUCH better, stronger, when my iron gets up into normal levels. People talk about fatigue, but for me the iron makes me feel healthier and able to exercise longer. I never try to get it high normal though. I think one of the reasons women have fewer heart attacks younger in life is because we have less iron (my own theory).

You guys are making me think my mother is pretty normal with her vitamins. She takes a ton of them now, she never used to.
I know she takes a B-Complex, Vit D, Tri Calcium, two other vitamins..one to get the daily amount of vegetables and one for fruits (she just can’t eat them, she dislikes them) And she takes a giant black fish oil pill.

The question in my mind, that is a little off subject, is why are we having so much trouble getting all of our vitamins and minerals from food. I eat fairly well, and I have friends who eat much better than me even, and they still have dificiencies. Something is wrong.

@JL. My personal guess on your question would be that large agribusiness doesn’t much care how much their practices ( and pesticide use) deplete the soil year after year as long as the are making their profits.

I’ve also been lurking about this quest. for awhile and will be getting a blood test in about a month when I return from my trip. As long as I have to go through that agony, does anyone have other suggestins about what else I should request other from the standard stuff. I am post menopausal. Any suggestions gratefully considered. Thanks

By the way. If you are on megadoses of D (prescription stregnth, probably over 5,000 IU’s a day, but I am making that number up, I am not a doctor, I just know how much I took on prescription and my mother too, and it came out to be more than that, I took 50,000 once a week) your doc is supposed to check your calcium in your blood, it is dangerous for your levels to be high. My mom had to lower her dose of D because her calcium went up.

Those of you taking D3 supplements watch out….I was taking 1000 IU of D3 per day which I found out later though a another blood test caused my calcium lever to become too high. I was taking D3 after having a blood test done showing my D3 level to be at 33ng/ml. My advice is to be sure to have both vitamin D and calcium levels tested before and after being on D supplements.

@bick Not sure if I mentioned your point above, I have talked about D on so many threads, but of course you are right, and thank goodness your doctor thought to check. I had to tell mine to check my calcium, if you look up the prescription D in the PDR it is clear to say you much check for calcium levels, which can be very dangerous. My mother wound up with high calcium after being on perscription D for a while, so she lowered her D dose, or took it less frequently. Dr’s on TV keep talking about taking D, including Dr. Oz, and I have never heard them say be sure to get your calcium tested and I think it is horrible, because lots of doctors don’t test for it, and it is up to use to take care of ourselves—which is a dissappointing fact I have learned oer time.

By the way you might want to check the info on vitamin k2 which helps calcium go into the bone rather than settling in arteries and soft tissue, because my mom has calcium deposits all over her body (she had an EBCT) and she also had her calcium levels go up, so maybe you are prone to the same thing?