Chronic kidney disease and vitamin d deficiency

[meg06]

Ckd 3 has anyone been on vitamin d medication for severe deficiency ? I've been taking 20,000 once a week now for a year but my gfr has gone from 50 to 40 !! Is this the medication , diet or just decline? I also have endometriosis and adymyosis so concerned they may be damaging my kidneys!

[phillen]

vit d needs careful monitoring my husband has to have his dose checked monthly he's had vit d pills for 6 years now

[Celtic]

meg, although I'm not so sure that Vit D itself would directly cause any damage to your kidneys, in fact, probably quite the reverse, ie many people who have severe kidney disease are found to be in need of Vit D supplementation.

However, I do know that when you take Vit D it enables more calcium from your diet to be absorbed into your body, and too much calcium could be harmful to the kidneys.

I have only one kidney and CKD3B (eGFR 39 at present). I am deficient in Vit D (39 at first monitoring), but my renal consultant advises that I only take Vit D for the 3 winter months - he monitored my calcium levels for a base reading via blood test at the start of the first course of Vit D supplementation, and again after 6 weeks to ensure there had been no hike in blood calcium.

Personally, I feel that everyone should have their calcium levels measured occasionally especially if taking high doses of Vit D just to ensure that they aren't experiencing calcium overload, ie hypercalcemia, as not only could this damage the kidneys but also lead to calcium grit forming as happened to a friend of mine.

You haven't said at what level your Vit D was when initially found to be deficient, but 20,000 units weekly for a year sounds quite a lot to me. Have you not been having blood tests to monitor your current Vit D levels to see if you still need that high dose? My reading was originally 39, and 1,000 units daily for 3 months brought the level up to 89 (within normal range of 75 to 150/200 depending on local area Trust). It's true that if someone is found to be severely deficient, they will need a very high Vit D starting dose to return levels to normal for a short time but once that normal level has been reached, the dose should be reduced to much lower levels and continued as a maintenance dose if necessary. I take my 1,000 units of Vit D daily from November to January annually.

[meg06 in reply to Celtic]

Hi thanks for info . My vitamin d level was initially 12 so I was severely deficient ! My renal consultant and my go monitor my calcium and kidney function every three months and check vit d every 6 months I initially went from a vit d level of 12 to 60 but as soon as they try to reduce my medication my levels start falling ! I don't really understand why my consultant needs my levels to be as high as 75+ . I am currently trying 2,000 vitd3 daily !

[Bunkin]

I have been on vitamin d for high PTH. I don't think that would hurt your kidneys. My GFR went up.prayers for you. God can do anything!

[Kurdo in reply to Bunkin]

Hi can you please tell me abit after vitamin d haw your gfr gone up was it related to vitamin d as i have same problem many thanks

[Bunkin in reply to Kurdo]

I don’t think my GFR went up due to vitamin d, it just didn’t lower it. The doctor will check your levels and see what you need to do. Sometimes he puts me on things then takes me off if it’s affecting other values. I was taking meds for High PTH but it increased calcium so he took me off

[kithsirid]

TO my understanding calsium is mot properly absorbed once u have ckd 3 so u have take it along with vit D

vit D does aN IMPORTANT PART IN IMUNITY, I M TAKING ALPHA CALCIUM AND calsium carbonate 500 mg every day,

Do u u test your blood eclectrolytes every month,I only know about ckd 3.

wish u good health.

[meg06 in reply to kithsirid]

I am also stage 3 gfr is 40 ! I'm only given vitamin d never been given calcium ! Only get bloods checked every three months! See consultant every 6 months !

[kithsirid]

you try to maintain your gfr . dring enough water , do u pass albumin while urinating Or is the urine foamy ?

eat less potasium vetables,get a list of potasium free vegies, even banana is bad i have raised my GFR in A MONTH BY EATING AN APPLE A dAY BUT GREEN ONES,

dont eat red meat ,pine apple also good for reducing creatinine eat at least 3 slices of pine apple in a week.

Do some excercices daily untill u sweat, walking 2 km is good enough.

i m presntly trying that Indian Ayurvedic ginger treatment for kidney failure , camn tell u the results in a week.

go to you tube n type GINGER TREATMENT FOR KIDNEY FAILURE , u will get a vdo explaining the treatment its very simple.

wish u good health