High dose vit D

[Shoefairy]

Hallo there. I have been given a high dose of vitamin D as my blood test showed it was very low This information was sent by message to my phone so I have not seen or spoken to the doctor I am on heart medication and am asking is there any one out there who takes D 3 20.000 as I read shouldn’t be taken with heart meds Only took 3 and feel dizzy

[swimpro]

Hi.Shoefairy.I take 7000 iu once a week.20..000

[swimpro in reply to swimpro]

I take 7000iu once a week.20.000 is sounds a lot.Do you take it all at once or over a period of time

[Shoefairy in reply to swimpro]

20.000 per day Only been on it 4 days and spent yesterday in bed Told chemist about how I feel with this dizziness but he don’t seemed concerned and said you either take it or you don’t but dizziness is not a side effect and that level is what the doctor wants you on All med are likely to not agree but it’s not dangerous so you can keep taking it Let’s Hope my dizzy head as nothing to do with the vit D then Thanks for getting back

[playsquare in reply to Shoefairy]

Hi,it was decided l needed a transfusion of a medication due to an osteoporosis diagnosis (as l have IBS). However, l had your problem, in that my blood test showed very low Vitamin D. They won’t do the transfusion until the level is up. I was put on the strength 20,000 for 7 weeks, but only to be taken once a week. Due to have another blood test to check the level. I didn’t know how many things are affected by low vitamin D. For one thing I was aching so much and had put it down to getting older, but that has improved a lot! GJP

[playsquare in reply to playsquare]

So I agree with 1234-6. You are probably onlt meant to take it once or twice a week. I have heart failure and other complaints and I’m on a huge number of pills, but the high dose of Vitamin D once a week never affected me, only started to help the aching, Hope you get this sorted.

[Dollywow1999 in reply to Shoefairy]

You definitely should be taking a magnesium supplement as when you take vitamin d3 it will pull down magnesium stores in order to process right....I like magnesium bysglycinate or is that bysglycerate. And citrate is good to a certain extent but it can cause diahrehea in some people

[1234_6]

Hi Shoe Fairy

Are you sure you should be taking it every-day as that seems a very high daily dosage?

Please do re-check the instructions given in the prescription.

Even if the prescription says daily I would still suggest you re-check with your GP & report how you feel based on taking that amount daily.

It is possible that you should be spacing them out more, and that daily at that level is just too much at once so is causing you issues.

Eariler this year i had to take 20,000iu of Vit D twice a week for 7 weeks as my Vit D was very low (& was also told once the prescription was finished to take a daily Vit D Supplement).

[ Also for info... I had no symptoms with taking the 2p,000iu twice a week along with my 10mg Ramipril, 10mg Amlodipine, 4mg Doxazosin, 2.5mg Bendroflumethiazide and 1.25mg Bisoprolol.]

Good luck.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I agree that sounds an incredibly high dose. My Vitamin D levels were found to be a quarter of the recommended minimum when I had been in hospital for ten weeks post amputation. In that period although I had had four beds in three wards in two hospitals I had never been outside or had a a window seat. We produce our own Vitamin D in sunshine.

I am currently on 1000I,U, (0.025mg) per day. However initially I was on a higher dose of three tablets per day to kickstart my Vitamin D levels. 4000 I,U. is the maximum dose to prevent calcium build up (e.g. kidney stones, narrowing of arteries). Heart wise I am on Atorvastain, Lisinopril (an ACE Inhibitor) and Bisoporal. It is not as critical to take on a daily basis as your heart meds so you could skip for a day or two and check with your GP or pharmacist. Let us know how you get on.

[Hidden]

Hi many dosages regimes are use:

D3 solubilized cholecalciferol, dosages

- 50,000 units once a week for 4 months, then a 2,000 units once per day for 3 months.

-25 000 IU every fortnightly for 8 weeks (total dose 100 000 IU), 

- 25 000 IU every week for 6 weeks (total dose 150 000 IU), 

25 000 IU every week for 8 weeks (total dose 200 000 IU).

Afterwards check levels at 6 & 12 weeks if desired level is achieved, maintenance of D3 of 40 ng/mL is usually possible with 2,000 IU per day 

1 IU of vitamin D equals 0.025 mcg, an 1,000 IU vitamin D supplement will now be listed as 25 mcg per serving.

[Hoocher]

I was told to take same dosage of vitvD after I got covid the 1st time as my levels were low. Took it for a few weeks and was absolutely fine . Once levels were at normal I went on to 1000 a day

[JennyRx]

Get that dose checked. It’s a weekly dose not daily. Taken for 6-12 weeks as a front loading dose. And dizziness isn’t a side effect. Pharmacist here.

[cateblanchett]

Last time I was in hospital they noticed my low vit d level and put me on 25,000 iu a day for 10 days. When I left I continued to take this everyday not realising it was a temporary treatment to get my levels up. Last blood test showed I had overdosed on vitamin d. Fortunately it did not not cause calcium buildup. I was lucky. I did not have any symptoms of overdose. I have been advised to wait and watch for the level to go back to normal.

[ILowe]

See this recent commentary by Dr John Campbell. He has recently modified his views and says why he thinks daily doses of 10,000IU + are safe. youtu.be/E3_t-EQIy0s(Not working as expected?)

I think he is referring to:

Patrick J. McCullough, Douglas S. Lehrer, Jeffrey Amend, Daily oral dosing of vitamin D3 using 5000 TO 50,000 international units a day in long-term hospitalized patients: Insights from a seven year experience, The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 189, 2019,Pages 228-239,ISSN 0960-0760, doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.201...

Abstract. ...... During this time, we have admitted over 4700 patients, the vast majority of whom agreed to supplementation with either 5000 or 10,000 IUs/day. Due to disease concerns, a few agreed to larger amounts, ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 IUs/day. There have been no cases of vitamin D3 induced hypercalcemia or any adverse events attributable to vitamin D3 supplementation in any patient..... Analysis of 418 inpatients on D3 long enough to develop 25OHD3 blood levels > 74.4 ng/ml showed a mean 25OHD3 level of 118.9 ng/ml, with a range from 74.4 to 384.8 ng/ml. The average serum calcium level in these 2 groups was 9.5 (no D3) vs 9.6 (D3), with ranges of 8.4 to 10.7 (no D3) vs 8.6 to 10.7 mg/dl (D3), after excluding patients with other causes of hypercalcemia. The average intact parathyroid hormone levels were 24.2 pg/ml (D3) vs. 30.2 pg/ml (no D3). In summary, long-term supplementation with vitamin D3 in doses ranging from 5000 to 50,000 IUs/day appears to be safe.

[Shoefairy in reply to ILowe]

hi and thank you As of most reply’s comments were saying to high for a daily dose so I will try again Still dizzy but wonder now if it’s my A fib On 11 tablets a day for all my ailments and just had my beta blockers doubled Thanks again

[Robinface in reply to Shoefairy]

hi it may be the doubling of your betablockers! Do you check your own BP and heart rate? Have you a check up booked? Good luck, if you cant get appointment write or email drs- I find putting it in black and white gets responses! Take care

[JennyRx in reply to ILowe]

’appears’ to be safe. Also there are current guidelines and until this research is incorporated into those guidelines best not to take it as standard practice.

[ILowe in reply to JennyRx]

The language of "appears to be safe" is what the linguists call "hedging". Basically, they are being cautious. I have started asking, what are the dangers? The dangers in this case are in Calcium and Phosphate levels, which are clearly discussed in the article. If you get a Vitamin D test with these others, then you can see for yourself. This flags up some of the dangers of the home test kits which only test for Vitamin D.

Change of the guidelines can take decades. A middle path might be to accept that the upper end of the current guidelines (4000iu daily) is safe.

[JennyRx in reply to ILowe]

Does it add anything to general wellness and healthy longevity

[ILowe in reply to JennyRx]

Good question. Our interest on this forum is heart problems. The article mentions benefits for psoriasis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, rickets and tuberculosis. Also Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, several autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, many cancers including breast, colon, prostate, sarcomas and skin cancer, chronic pain, dementia, depression, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, falls, fractures and muscle weakness, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, Parkinson’s disease, pregnancy complications including premature birth and death, rickets, schizophrenia and seasonal affective disorder.

I think in general doctors are getting quicker to measure the Vitamin D level, and to correct it quickly if low, confidant that higher doses are safe.

[Boxroad]

I take 50.000 units once a week got to take it for 6 weeks then it will be 1000 units a day after that

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Shoefairy,

I take 8,000 IU weekly for my osteopenia, which, hopefully, will slow my progress into osteoporosis. I take four 2,000 IU tablets each week spread over four days.

The amount that you are taking does seem like a lot. Perhaps your doctor only intends that you take this amount for a short period of time???

I would suggest asking your doctor about this again. I hope that you can get this sorted quickly as vitamin D does tend to be stored up in the body over time.

[Arty56]

Hi, I don't know much about it firstly, hopefully someone else will know alot more I take vit d as prescribed from the doc as I had low vit d 1000mg per day. She did say I could take more if I wanted too!.20000mg is an awful lot, is this once or twice a week? I know they do give large amounts at first sometimes.

I take heart meds with mine ok. Hope u feel better x

[Shoefairy in reply to Arty56]

thank you for your thoughts Got back to doc rechecked my meds and told me 20.000 u n I is the correct dose and shouldn’t make me dizzy My daughter in Birmingham phoned and after a chat told me she had been put on the same dosage last year for a short time and carried on after with a maintenance dose My vit D must be very low as Iv to do the same

[ILowe]

I agree with you: consult your medical professional, who hopefully knows you and your case history. Of course, that is, if you can find one these days! I am fortunate: I have a pharmacist friend who is willing to discuss Research Articles and videos like this with me.

[ILowe]

It is a very interesting article. Thanks for drawing attention to it.

Permit me to make a few comments.

The article said: "Through ongoing research, Manson has found that adults who take either moderate or high-dose daily vitamin D supplements of at least 1,000 IU haven’t had a reduced risk for having a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular-related death compared to adults taking a placebo without vitamin D. "

By today's standards, 1,000IU is considered low. I would be interested in research into patients taking 10.000IU daily, or even 50,000IU daily. Sadly, it is a common research method, to use small doses of a supplement then say they do not work.

The article said: "Consuming more than 4,000 IU daily, the upper daily limit, is considered mega-dosing and could lead to adverse effects, including high calcium levels in the blood or kidney stones. "

The danger of kidney stones is an old question that I think was dealt with long ago. The more recent question of Calcium levels was addressed in detail in the article by McCullough. It is easy enough to monitor, and levels revert to normal when in the rare cases of Vitamin D toxicity are corrected.

In Britain, sunlight is insufficient most of the year. There is little Vit D in food.

Quote: "But when it comes to vitamin D and the prevention of heart disease, Manson said “all you need is to get into that middle range where you’re not deficient.”

He does not say what the middle range is. We do know it is rising.

He mentions personalised Vitamin D requirements. I agree to that.

I am fortunate in that my GP offers me an annual bloods check followed by a review of medicines. They were happy enough to add Vitamin D levels to the list, which means I get an automatic Calcium level check. I was much higher than expected for the dose.

[Dollywow1999]

And also take dome vitamin k2 to help the vitamin d

[bluedolphin2]

I was given high dose beginning of year, but it was only once a week . As my vitamin D was low too.

[Rico166]

This daily amount should be fine. It’s a therapeutic dose to get your levels up. The RDA is far too low and out of date. People with auto-immune skin conditions like mine have been prescribed over double this daily dose without issue. However, also take vitamin K2 and magnesium to ensure it goes to the right place and doesn’t deposit calcium in your tissues. As another post said, magnesium can cause diarrhoea in some people.

[Hearthrob]

800 a day...

[Hidden]

Yes I have been taking 20000 iu capsules total 10 in one go three times a year for last several years and eversince my vit d level has stayed within the normal range