Does anyone know if it’s safe to take Vitamin D if you have AF ? Have just seen a fascinating video about recent research which suggests that Vit D can reduce the severity of COVID. Seems pretty compelling.
Vitamin D: Does anyone know if it’s... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Vitamin D
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MartinoH
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BobDVolunteer
I have been taking it for about a year. No problems but please check with your doctor or pharamacist for any contra indications for drugs you may be taking as we are not medically trained and should not so advise.
I have been taking 1000iu of vitamin D3 since
Christmas with no problems and am about to up that dose. Take a look at the videos of Dr John Campbell on YouTube.
However, after watching another video by another doctor, which said that you should also take vitamin K and Vitamin C, I have done some more investigating. Vitamin K is contra indicated obviously if you take Warfarin, but I am on Apixaban so I am not sure about that, but probably won’t go there. As for calcium, I take Verapamil, which is a calcium channel blocker. I am in the early stages of checking this out, but would welcome any information anyone else might have. I will check and see if Dr Sanjay Gupta of York Cardiology has anything to say on the topic.
I am convinced of the value of vitamin D3 but not so sure that my GP will be so up to date on recent research, or be interested in my questions. It seems the worst that might happen by supplementing vitamin D without Vitamin K or calcium is that it might not be so well absorbed.
You need vitamin D to absorb calcium, not the other way round. This is why people with osteoporosis are prescribed calcium with vitamin D.
My routine bloods done by my oncologist, showed that my Vitamin D levels were low, which means that my immunity was low. Not dangerously so, but in the current times with Covid needed to be addressed. Oncologist wrote to my GP asking him to prescribe 1000iu daily, which I have been taking for a couple of months now.
Val
This is not so. Vit D increases absorption of calcium . If you have a low calcium diet there will be none to be absorbed. The job of vit K2 is that it directs the calcium where it is meant to go - bones and teeth and not where it can do damage- arteries. VitK2 can be taken with Warfarin - see Mark S posts on this.
Thank you so much for responding. I am still not clear of the situation with calcium channel blockers. Everything I read just says talk to your GP but I am pretty sure I will get a standard “book” response. Do you have any further information on this?
I have found all your posts really helpful. My head is now spinning from all the stuff I have read!
I don't know if calcium channel blockers are a contraindication. Are you advised to not eat dairy?
No. In fact I have never been given any advice. I was prescribed them after trip to A and E with my first A Fib event with a heart rate of 170bpm, and this was continued by GP who just said that was what they suggested. I had an echo which was normal. I have had a few AF episodes since, mostly when I forgot my middle of the day dose of verapamil, and another when I had more than one glass of alcohol . I manage them by just sitting it out. eating a banana and drinking cold water helps. I have never seen a cardiologist and guess I am not bad enough. I eat quite a lot of natural yogurt and have milk only in coffee. I don’t have high blood pressure at all, and never have had. Most people on this forum seem to be on beta blockers ( I am more than happy not to be, as I don’t have any side effects with verapamil) but I can’t find anyone in a similar situation.
I have waiting for the results of a Vitamin D test from the nhs lab, but expecting it to not be high enough.
A quick search showed that large amounts of calcium or vit D supplements might intefere with calcium channel blockers but nothing very concrete. Maybe ask your pharmacist if your doc does not know.
Yes, of course it's safe. It's like going out in the sun with AF. Vit D whether you get it through the skin or through supplements, it's all the same. I am taking 3000IU a day because I am deficient in spite of taking a 500IU tablet for some years. I will probably drop it down to 1000IU a day.
And it protects people from COVID-19 so anyone with any sense will be taking a supplement
dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...
It's only "safe" if needed, should really have D and Calcium levels tested before supplementing in case that shows high calcium, low D and high calcium are indicators of a parathyroid problem in which case adding more D is a very bad idea.
I can understand that when it comes to supplements in general. Earlier this year I had a few days without AF and I wondered if it was because of the four bananas I had eaten. Went out and bought some potassium tablets. Then I looked at my blood test result and found that my potassium level was fine. Dr Sanjay Gupta has advocated that we should all take magnesium tablets. I bought some but haven't taken them because I have my doubts.
But Vitamin D is not like that. It's natural, you get it from going out in the sun or even just outside. You don't check on your D and Calcium levels before you sunbathe.
Vitamin K is contra indicated for people who are on Warfarin. It is fine for apixaban and those newer drugs.
Please do watch Dr John Campbell's videos on this. He is very annoyed that the government is not recommending Vit D supplements for everyone and especially for the BAME people who need it more than the rest of the population. And I am too!
It is almost impossible to overdose VitD from the sun or food, taking supplements is a different matter and high doses over time can be toxic. Without knowing how deficient you are you cannot know what dose to safely take. My Vitd levels were extremely low so my GP sensibly tested my calcium before prescribing high doses of VitD, my calcium came back high ( hypercalcemia) which after further testing proved I had hyperparathyroidism, had I blindly taken supplements I would have ended up in hospital and in a very bad way. I needed surgery to remove the rumour but am left with chronically low VitD which I am unable to increase due to intolerance of supplements in any form.
In the case of hyperparathyroidism a low VitD is like a safety mechanism to prevent calcium increasing more, a consequence of increasing VitD level. People should be aware that VitD is not necessarily a safe and totally harmless supplement. This is discussed extensively on the thyroid uk forum and indeed on the parathyroid forum my late husband started, he also had hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroidism.
Were you not tested for thyroid problems when you developed AFib, I was?
The point I was making that the Vit D you get from supplements or from the sunlight is exactly the same. I believe this to be true.
I have had thyroid disease since I was 12 years old, now 65 ! Parathyroid is not in any way connected to thyroid function, parathyroid glands control calcium levels which in turn is tightly controlled by VitD so attempting to increase VitD when there is a parathyroid dysfunction is dangerous, this is why in an ideal world both should be tested before supplementing. There is a difference between natural sunlight and supplements, your body can't overdose on VitD from sunlight but it can with high doses of supplements.
I'm just putting out information, it's up to individuals whether they want to stop and think about it or not, VitD toxicity and hypercalcemia does happen and it's something people should be aware of. I'll leave it there 😊
Ok, we'll just have to agree to differ.
Bantam is correct. You cannot get an overdose of vit D from sunlight as the body has a mechanism to prevent that. But this does not happen with oral supplementation However parathyroid tumors are not that common. Ideally calcium levels should be tested along with vit D levels but vit D toxicity without parathyroid dysfunction is extremely rare.
I got told by a locum GP that Parathyroidism isn’t common, but I’ve had 2 patients and a friend has it.
My sister had a parathyroid adenoma and very low vit D. She was prescribed loading vit D supplements by her consultant and this greatly helped her fatigue, leg pains and brain fog whilst waiting for the op.
Not a great idea if she had high calcium pre op, both my Endo and surgeon would have preferred my Vitd was higher pre op but due to very high calcium they couldn't prescribe. Many Endos don't understand parathyroid disease so on our pth forum we frequently came across members who were given loading doses and ended up in an emergency situation !
Well it helped my sister a lot . She had got to the point where she could barely function mentally and was terrified she was getting dementia and felt the difference after a couple of weeks.
If you are taking vit D you should take the magnesium as well as the two work in tandem.
That is the best advice for all of us who are taking VitD and Mg supplements.
They should be taken together 1 hr before bed for best absorption.
2000 to 3000IU of Vit D is a normal dose.
Hi Martin 😊 I have VD3 on prescription from my GP because of a deficiency.
If you look to the right of this page at the top you will see a list of threads discussing Vitamin D ....
I've been taking vitamin D3 (liquid) every day for a few years now. Since then the recurrent yearly winter colds, chesty cough and a bad bout of flu I'd suffered with have all ceased. I swear by it, also take vitamin C-1000mg (time released), Magnesium Glycinate capsules and vitamin B12.
I have muesli for breakfast which I make myself with organic products, snack on fresh fruit and nuts and only eat a small amount of red meat occasionally in my main meal.
Before you think what a smug goody two shoes I am, I must also confess that this week I've eaten a pack of those chocolate digestive caramel biscuits and a bag of butter-mint sweets.😔
Jean
Those caramel digestives and a cuppa are the devil's biscuit Jean 😂, how hard it sit not to eat half a packet then feel sick haha. I've taken the same stuff as you more or less a year now since I had my bad spell after ablation, and touch wood don't seem to get cold no where near as much.
Honestly, those biscuits get smaller and smaller. They shouldn't be allowed to put them on special offer and entice us to stray!!!
I've just been watching Dr John Campbells YouTube presentation of 3 days ago. My dose has been 1000iu, but I think I may need to up it.
youtube.com/watch?v=B01ZlRf...
They are terrible Jean, I just get them now and again as its like putting a penny in the slot when I get a packet.
The Vit D ones i take are 4000iu high strength, gel tablets, bit expensive I suppose for what they and getting even more so now it's highly publicised about the benefits of Vit D .
That's a high dose you're taking. Until recently I was only taking 500iu. Every week I do eat food that's high in vitamin D though, salmon, mushrooms and eggs. Will start taking more now, but do it gradually. I've just bought a DIY kit to test my level.
Didn't know you could Jean at home, you got a link handy?
Found one Jean, on order 👍
Yes, someone on here said they'd bought one off Amazon , so that's what I did. Haven't tried it yet. Been rushing around lately.
Chocolate caramel digestives? Oh my..... good thing I don’t live in the UK! 😂
Yes, once you eat one there's little will to stop. I did eat them gradually over 3 days, which I'm quite proud of. I won't buy them again. 🙄
What brand? Will be on the lookout next trip to UK. Someday......
I don't know the brand, they're in a yellow pack, round, smaller than an ordinary digestive biscuit, are coated with chocolate over the caramel just on one side. Take care because they do marmalade ones in a similar pack. The biscuits look very much like ordinary chocolate ones and you wouldn't guess they were caramel too. They seem to be in most supermarkets.
Jean
Will be in the lookout next visit! 😂❤️
They are a once you start you can't stop 😂
I thought that after taking 500IU a day for years I would be ok but when I did a test I was only at about 25 which is lower than the 30 which is considered sufficient. With all the evidence now pointing to the higher the better, I am taking 3000IU a day.
I read the other day “What's more, those with particularly high vitamin D levels - 40 ng/mL - were at the lowest risk of death, with just 6.3 percent of that group dying.”
I've said this before but I think the problem is that we evolved to get enough vitamin D through sunlight. In the past we spent much more time out of doors, didn't have glass in windows, didn't have computers, offices, video games, TV. We used to walk more, didn't have cars, trains, buses. Then you get an abrupt change and our bodies haven't had time to adapt to it. That's why we need supplements. The safe upper limit is considered to be 4000IU a day.
I think you are mixing up the two systems of measurement for vit D. If your test was measured in nmol/l (usually used in UK) and the result was 25 then this is very low. The 30 cut off for adequate levels is ng/mL not nmol/l. You need to divide the nmol/l figure by 2 and1/2 to get the equivalent ng/mL. So the minimum for adequate levels is 30 × 2 and 1/2 ie 75nmol/l. You need to look at the test instructions to see which system of measurement it uses.
I am not quite sure what you are saying but I will read this later and then look at your post again. It looks as if it will be a very useful read
medscape.com/viewarticle/58...
The 40 ng/mL didn't come from me but, as far as I can see, 20 ng/mL is considered insufficient in this country, 30 ng/mL sufficient and 40 ng/mL is high for the simple reason very few people are at that level.
What I have tried to explain is that there are two systems of measurement for levels of vitamin D - nmol/ l and ng/mL. The numbers are not interchangeable. To go from one to the other requires a simple calculation. The level of 30 for adequacy is for ng/mL. Expressed in nmol/l it is 75 . Here in France the upper limit of the sufficient range is 100ng/mL ( 250nmol/l). As you can see this is way above 40ng/mL. Unless the UK has changed it's classification for sufficiency , insufficiency and deficiency very recently 20 ng/mL +is considered sufficient. In most of Europe sufficiency starts at 30ng/mL. I will read the Medscape article.
I've thrown the test kit away but looking online at the picture it says
Deficient 10 ng/mL
Insufficient 10/30 ng/mL
30 ng/mL
But it's difficult to be certain with just the small pictures on the website.
It was also compromised by my ability to get as much blood out as the test required. My blood simply clotted too quickly.
In the UK I think they now consider 30 ng/ml sufficient and therefore the report of people with 40 ng/mL doing better makes sense to me.
It is possible given the measurement in ng/mL and the levels for sufficiency and insufficiency that the test was manufactured outside the uk. I personally try to maintain my level between 45 and 60 ng/mL. My GP is quite happy with this. If using this test your level was 25ng/mL then your dosing regime of 3000iu a day should get you above 30ng/mL fairly soon. If you want to get up to 40ng/mL you should not drop the dose too quickly
Thanks I'm really glad this has come up and I do think I will benefit from it. I tried to convince my daughter but she says that she takes multivitamins and gets 100% of recommended daily dose and goes outside. One of my sons says all the family, even his mother-in-law who lives with them have been tested and they are ok. Not quite sure what ok means! It was only Luke who has the PoTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) or something like it who was deficient and now he is taking Vit D. I will have to ask what he is taking.
Unfortunately the recommended daily dose in the uk is too low and only takes account of bone health. If they have been told they are ok it is likely that their levels are above 20ng/mL but not necessarily above 30ng/mL. I have seen no evidence that the UK levels have changed but would be pleased if someone could provide this. If they have been tested recently then the level would reflect a maximum as levels in late summer/early autumn are the highest . As the winter progresses without adequate supplementation this level will fall as the body uses it's stores and by next March will be very low. It is no coincidence that mortality rates in Europe were much higher for the first wave of covid than they were in the southern hemisphere. I would never accept any doctor telling me I was ok without seeing the numbers for myself. Once bitten twice shy! You can only do your best in trying to persuade people. As for going outside there will be no vitD to be made from the sun in the UK till April. A UVB lamp would be a good idea.
Edit - I have asked DrGrimes if he knows whether the UK level for sufficiency has been raised to 30ng/l recently.
Edit2 - just read an interesting article in Daily Mail about how Hancock was pulled up in Parliament for "misspeaking" ie lying about vit D having been trialled for covid and found no good- turns out there has been no such trial. It also gives deficiency levels for UK as below 10ng/mL whereas here in France and in the US they are below 20ng/mL. So I think sufficiency level will still be at 20ng/ mL. I am useless at doing links but article is linked to in Dr Grimes latest blog post.
The safe level is 4000IU a day according to the NHS. However, the Mayo Clinic says "Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. " and I read on the healthline website that "Vitamin D intoxication occurs when blood levels rise above 150 ng/ml (375 nmol/l) that can cause unpleasant and potentially dangerous symptoms."
Those are much higher levels than my 3000IU a day and aimed for 40 ng/ml. I don't think you've got a lot to worry about.
There may be other conditions like bantam12's which may make taking supplements inadvisable but for the majority of people they are, I'm sure, very beneficial.
I took too much and got afib and palpitations lasting 3 days at a time. I finally found the link to vit D and stopped taking it. That was several years ago. There seems to be more on it now. As it is fat soluble it took a few weeks to stop. The amount your body retains varies. I thought my wife said to take 5,000 a day when she had said a week. So self inflicted. Search vit. D toxicity.
nbcnews.com/id/45325473/ns/...
I can understand how this is done. 5 - 1000IU drops looks like hardly anything.
Mine was pill form. 5k each. I was out side a lot as well, in what used to be sunny California, so I got natural dosing every day. I'm still out 3-7 hrs a day just huffing through a N95. If AQ is LT 200 you can still get burn't easily. I don't know if I am making Fit. D.
Did you take magnesium along with it?
I would like to read the ORIGINAL article, and study the research. But suspiciously, there is no link to the ACTUAL research. E.g. there is no reference to the article in the PubMed research tool.
As I see it, the heart of the Vitamin D debate is that our ancestors must have got Vitamin D from sunlight, or by eating (lots of) fish. As most of us don't go out in the sun every mid-day, we don't get much Vitamin D.
Another question how did our great, great grandmothers raise healthy children without Vitamin D supplements? Note that 95% of modern mothers MUST have vitamin D supplements to produce healthy babies.
My reading of the situation is we need Vitamin D to compensate for living indoors. The only question is how much? As others have mentioned in Northern latitudes there is no UVB light from now until March, so for months we cannot make any more vitamin D no matter how much we are outside in the winter. The inference being our ancestors built up a 90 days store of Vitamin D in their fat. And how did Inuits manage? Whale blubber is one of the few foods very rich sources in Vitamin D.
As for me, I take 5,000 IU a day.
I just found this article: [Note: vitamin D deficiency]
The relationship between vitamin D and risk of atrial fibrillation: a dose-response analysis of observational studies
Published in Nutr J. 2019 Nov 14;18(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s12937-019-0485-8.
Conclusion: Our dose-response meta-analysis suggested serum vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk of AF in the general population and POAF in patients after CABG. Further studies are needed to explore the age difference in the association between serum vitamin D level and the risk of AF and whether vitamin D supplements will prevent AF.
Thanks everyone, looks like there’s quite a bit of disagreement on this ! I think I might Consult my GP, and if ok, start taking a low dose. And take the dog out for lots of walks !
If you are living in UK and expecting to get vit D from any sun now - forget it. Too late in the year. You will have to wait till mid April.
I take vitamin D as I’m deficient have no issues with it, do find not as tired but best to have a blood test first to check as a precaution.
Your question made me check how much vitamin D I was taking an my tablets contain 2.5 ug taken twice a day. This is 100 ui twice a day So is 200 ui a day enough given that I'm 76 so don't absorb vitamins as well as a younger person?
I'm older than you and I was taking the Vit D tablets from Tesco and had been for years. When I looked it up I could see that they were 500IU, 12.5 mcg. The test I did last month showed I was deficient so I am now taking 3000IU a day to try to catch up and to help protect myself if I catch the virus. From now on I will always take 1000IU a day. It's very cheap, I bought the drops from Amazon and it cost about £16 for 2000 doses so it will last for years.
No . It's not enough for an infant!
Hi MartinoH,
Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons supplements are rarely needed if one's diet contains a wide range of foods especially leafy, colourful fruit and vegetables with small amounts of protein such as fish and white meats.
The reason I'm sceptical about vitamin D is that the testing is not great, so for example as soon as the blood is taken it should be wrapped to keep out the light and must be analysed within a short time frame. Of all the patients I used to see with infections a good and varied diet was the most important.
Over doing supplements can be toxic so chat to your GP don't listen to me as they know your clinical history, especially with our range of medicines such as anticoagulants.
I would agree, diet is king. Best advice I can give is firstly check out westonaprice.org on food and other stuff and secondly spend twice as much on food as you currently do; not fancy processed stuff or eating out more but on the very best food you can find direct from the 'super farms/other quality sources that do exist' e.g. in SE England one example for meat/dairy/veg tablehurstandplawhatch.co.uk Having said that I still do take some daily supplements Mg compound, CoQ10, Krill oil & garlic and once a week Vit D3 and VitC.
I have followed this regime for 10+ years rarely get any flu/cold and with the full fat diet from quality sources and a healthy appetite the weight just falls off, at 65 I am now the weight I was when 18!
There is no vit D at in fruit or veg except small amounts of D2 i mushrooms. The only significant vit D in food is in oily fish, egg yolks and liver. If you do not get your vit D from the sun ( impossible in UK from mid September to mid April ) you will likely be deficient unless you eat lots of oily fish.
Yes I know ,however the studies from Australia does not support the use of supplements in most situations. All im saying is im happy to be proved wrong but get the diet right. Be careful because with the range of medication we are taking over doing other drugs can be counterproductive
I think they have a lot more sun in Australia than in Northern Europe! We evolved to get vit D from the sun not diet.
They still have issues with low levels of vitamin D,
My main issue is with the analysis of vit D not being carried out correctly.
I never saw an improvement in any of my patients despite supplement.
There are situations where supplements are important when taking certain drugs such as SSRI
That said I take lots of vit C ☺☺☺
That is because of their anti sun campaigns. Sunscreen stops vit D production. Sensible sun exposure with consideration of skin type should produce sufficient vit D where the UVB is available. Maybe you did not supplement your patients adequately.
You are quite right this is only my opinion and one should discuss with ones medical health care professional not someone on a support page
When I was in Australia I asked my cousin how she coped with the summer heat and she said that they went indoors and turned the air conditioner on.
I thought it was like us going indoors in the winter and turning the central heating on.
You say that you never saw an improvement in any of your patients despite supplement but you wouldn't. You can't look at their immune systems, see on the surface if they will do better if they catch the virus or flu. You could only do that by checking all your patients Vit D and seeing which of them did best when they were ill.
I don't look any different than I did but looking at the evidence from trials I expect I will fare better than those with lower levels if I catch covid-19.
Maybe you should eat lots of oranges and take 1000IU a day of vit D.
And Donald Trump was given vit D. I wonder how much.
I have taken vit D since March this year and don't seem to suffer sniffles or cold as I used to, also take magnesium which I've done for a couple of years, helps sleep and definitely did help with ectopics when I had afib before my ablation and it helps me sleep sound now I take it every night religiously . I take a vit C daily and a zinc as well . I've Read plenty research that vit d is used to ease symptoms of covid so will continue taking what I do happily. Personally I don't see how taking it in moderation will hurt, and if it helps then great, no dramas.
Due to covid19 and self isolation I don't think any of us are suffering sniffles or colds very much this year. I used to pick up all my nasties from the gym and I haven't been there since March, never been so healthy!
I have to work no choice, with a business to run and mixing with people to a point , and there is plenty of cold "sniffles" kicking about unless your wrapped in cotton wool indoors all the time, so that's a matter of opinion tbh, I'd rather just stick to what works for me.
My doc prescribes 80.000 ui of vit d every 3 months for me. Its a small glass vial (its a french thing) & I have paroxysmal afib. So yes its safe.
I’ve been taking 2000iu vitamin d on a regular basis since I lived in the states, my doctor there advised taking it. I was tested every six months and the level was always ok. Not too high or low. So on that basis I’ve carried on.
I've been taking Vitamin D for a long time....it's a spray that goes under the tongue and is 3000 IU.....It's never been a problem.
I’ve taken Vit D for about twenty years now. Initially my GP advised it, on the grounds that it’s important to get enough, especially during the winter. (Unusually...GPs don’t often recommended dietary supplements😉).
My levels still were low, taking a quality supplement, eating a good diet, and getting outside daily. I’ve heard there’s current research pointing to the fact over seventies are less able to obtain it from the sun. Also there are several studies stating it’s helping protect against Covid.
It is safe . If in doubt take a vit D test and see where your levels are. If you cannot get one prescribed they are available commercially.
I would ask the sceptics here ( and those who opine mistakenly that all that is needed is lot of fruit and veg in the diet -vitD is not a vitamin it is a hormone) to actually take the trouble to read some of the research done by leading scientific researchers into the benefits of having an adequate level of vit D and how to achieve this. Look up vit D - Cannell , Holick , Grant. Visit vitamindwiki or grassrootshealth. Read Holick's book - The Vitamin D Solution.
Some foods are fortified with it but not many. Maybe the government should think about adding it as they do in some countries.
I've looked at vit K and I think I get enough from the foods I eat.
I am going to take my magnesium tablets. Last time I tried I got a bit of a headache but the magnesium may have had nothing to do with it.
Try spreading the dose out. I take 300mg of mag taurate a day in 3 doses of 100mg. I also eat unsalted nuts like walnuts and brazils and at the moment lots of rocket salad as it grows like a weed in the potager. Taking Epsom salt baths also gets it into your body but they make cleaning the bath harder!
I suggest you first check to see if you are deficient in Vit D. You can ask your GP for a blood test or you can check it yourself with a simple home blood test, I use One Step, it costs £7.45 on Amazon.
If you take a D3 supplement K2 is also recommended to prevent possible calcification of the arteries, however additional K2 will certainly affect your INR number if you are on anti-coagulant medication.
Good luck and stay informed.
I heard a doctor on you tube saying that submariners where tested before going under the water for prolonged periods didn't affect their d levels when retested on coming up again just a thought
Unless you have parathyroid problems the risk is practically non existent. You would have to take enormous amounts daily for months to reach toxic levels. By enormous amounts upwards of 20,000 ju a day. Taking 1000/2000iu a day would pose no risk . The UK safe upper level is set at 4000iu a day.
I’ve taken vit d supplements for decades. My levels have always been low and osteopenia has set in w “old” age and rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium, vit d, weight bearing exercise. Have to admit, I never thought about its affect on afib though.
I have had AFib for 15 years, about three years ago, in routine blood tests, they found I was low in Vit D and so I was prescribed very high dose for 3 months and now have to take a maintenance dose of 1000iu every day, along with all my other drugs. So in my case, I am taking them on doctor's instructions and certainly don't think I have had any side effects at all.
I've been taking D3 5-7000 iu/day since my cryo a year ago, no problems. I told Cardio last May, he's taking D3 also. Check with the right people 2 B sure.
The cheap home tests only seem to cover up to 30ng/ml and the ones I have seen are rather limited in that the results are divided into three zones, up to 10, to 20 and to 30. This is better than nothing, but there is growing evidence that a higher target is safe and desirable. The more sophisticated tests give you an actual number (with an unstated margin of error). My doctor a year ago gave me the test on the NHS with the annual bloods done because I am on warfarin. Private tests you can do at home which give you a number and will deal with higher figures, though check first. Here is one vitamindtest.org.uk starting at 29 pounds for one test, or ten tests for 240 pounds.
This site has a fascinating Vit D calculator which allows you to punch in your current level, your desired level, and the dosage done as a daily dose, or with an initial booster dose. grassrootshealth.net/projec...
The usual caveats apply. it is easy to go overboard on supplements. I also found this helpful even though I often do not necessarily like all that this medic says articles.mercola.com/sites/...
Maybe I should just buy them each a bottle of 2000 1000IU for £16.
Hi,
I use an app called "Dminder" which allows you to set your location, altitude, weather, dress and skin type. It then estimates your Vit D production and tracks it. It also gives you the hours of the day where you can produce Vit D based on lat. and time of year. It gives a sun burn time and notice ie. Turn over or 20 min before burn.
Its free.
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