I have been taking 20 mcg Vit D in 1 dose for some time now
Latest D results are 92 (50-160)
As it’s a water soluble vitamin, which clears out of the body quickly with water, is it better to split the 20 mcg dose into quarters and take 5 mcg 4 times a day?
Thanks for your tips
Persevere
Hi there, I am sorry but I don't understand. Are you saying you take 20 vit D tablets all at one go every single day? May I ask what strength the pills are?
hey Momo, I think it means 20mg 4 times a day, and you take 5, each dose??, am I right Persevere99 ?
I take 20 mcg once a day
Hi dizzy two
The strength is 20 mcg
I take this 20 dose once a day
Now, I’m considering splitting the 20 into quarters and taking a quarter 4 times a day
Trust that’s clearer
Thanks
Persevere
Hi, thanks for the clarification. Why would you think of cutting up the pill when one pill is the recommended dose and thats the way to take it. The pills I'm taking are so tiny it would be impossible to even cut it in half never. mind quarters.
Also we are told some pills should never be cut.
Isn't that 800 iu? I take 6,000 iu a day with magnesium glycinate but I'm very low in vit d and taking it relieves symptoms for me a little bit. Unless you have something similar I would say once a day is fine. Magnesium glycinate is the only thing that makes vit d work for me. I used to take 20,000 iu of vit d alone and it did nothing.
Vitd isn’t a water soluble vitamin.
Thats correct, thats why Vit D should be taken with food. I take mine with breakfast 1 pill a day.Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. In contrast to water-soluble vitamins, your body has no easy way to get rid of fat-soluble vitamins. For this reason, excessive amounts may build up in your body. The exact mechanism behind vitamin D toxicity is complicated and isn't fully understood at this point
thanks, I thought it was
3 Hi, from what I have read, getting too much vitamin D can be harmful. Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood (greater than 375 nmol/L or 150 ng/mL) can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones.
I think you are taking too much to be honest.
I take one 10pug a day which is a safe recommended dose.
May I just add. Yes you can flush excess out of the body. But to do that would mean stopping the use of vit D because to continue taking it while drinking water would I believe not make any difference. I may be wrong but the large amount you are taking does not feel right to me.
Dizzytwo is correct - too much is dangerous. My GP insists on regular blood tests to keep a check on it. This was in the notes I was given, and indeed I did have high calcium!
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
I take a 5000iu of D3 a day (125mcg). It’s one capsule. It also has 100g vitK. It’s best taken in the morning after 14g of good fats for absorption. I take mine with Magnesium Malate. Magnesium helps activate VitD and vitK2 helps to capture the released calcium through taking D3 and direct it to the bones and teeth and not the soft tissues, blood and arteries.
Hi Persevere99,
It all depends on what medical conditions you have, I for one have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome plus osteoarthritis and osteopenia so I take a bigger amount. I have enclosed a photo of what the average person would take so hope this helps.
Because vitamin D is not water-soluble it is stored in the body's adipose (fat) tissue like other fat-soluble vitamins (K, E and A). That means your body can mobilize its own reserves if your daily intake falters temporarily — but it also means that excessive doses of vitamin D can build up to toxic levels. 20mcg is not a very high dose and your vitamin D levels are about 38% through the range, so you could potentially take a higher dose. Either way, whether it is split or not the body will store what it does not use which makes it unnecessary, really, to go through the trouble of splitting it. In addition, splitting a vitamin D pill will most likely give you uneven doses from 0 to who knows what with the same results at the end of the day. So, no, I would not split it. It just gives you the same result with additional work.
thanks for a good explanation buddy99
You're welcome. 
Hi buddy99
Reading on here that some people take up to 100 mcg a day, yesterday morning I tried doubling my 20 mcg dose to 40 mcg, taken at breakfast.
4 hours later, on my usual Saturday run with my mate, I couldn’t keep up.
As my legs were very achy. Now that definitely tells me that 40 mcg is too much for me.
So, back to 20 mcg for sure - no aches at all.
Q. How does excess Vit D cause muscle aches?
And, how long for the body to get rid of the excess please? Thanks.
Persevere99
I'm really glad you asked that question, because so far I was only familiar with LOW vitamin D causing muscle and bone pain. So I was intrigued and looked it up. Here is the link I found, which has quite a bit of information on vitamin D overall plus further links: ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/V....
I have to admit, that your situation baffles me. Your vitamin D test showed a relatively low level of vitamin D (not abnormally low, but not up there either). So what would cause the pain you describe with just a one time increase of D beats me. I have no idea what happened there. I would try again some other time and see whether it happens again or whether it was just a fluke. Or, maybe, try to take 20mcg as you usually do with breakfast and 20mcg later in the afternoon to see whether the result is the same (I always like to experiment 
). D needs to be taken with fat for the body to utilize it, but even if you did not take it with fat, I have no idea why it would cause pain. Yep, I'm definitely stumped! I'm sorry, I don't have more to offer you. Could you ask a pharmacist? I would not ask a doctor. They are usually not well versed when it comes to vitamins (or sometimes even pharmaceuticals). That's not their specialty. I have had very good experience seeking advice from a pharmacist. I hope you find out what is going on. If you do, I would really be interested to hear about it.
Just a late thought: How is your magnesium intake? As far as I know, when D and K is taken, magnesium should also be. And magnesium deficiency can also cause muscle weakness and pain. From what I understand D and magnesium work together and support each other. So if they are off balance the symptoms you had could occur. The body is very complex
That was a long one!!!
thanks buddy for very informative link
I have taken mag citrate 100 for many years now
I did not take any D today and the aches are much improved
I’ll take 10 mcg Monday, see how it goes and take it from there
Thanks
Have you had your electrolytes checked with a blood test recently, as although magnesium can be helpful for the pain , nerves and restless legs it can also cause a reduction in sodium and potassium levels in some people which could cause this fatigue during cardio activity.As others have said 4000iu daily in one dose taken after your fattiest meal for better absorption is a good dose while coping with a chronic illness which depletes our Vitamin D levels . You are still under what is considered a good normal Vitamin D level of 100 so it would be unlikely that you have reached a toxic level of Vitamin D especially after one dose.
One other thing your symptom while running made me consider is have you had your Vitamin B 12 , Folates and Ferritin tested in the last three months?
Low Borderline and Deficiency of Vitamin B 12 and Folates can be the cause of Fatigue and Muscle weakness , heavy limbs , breathlessness and parathesia in upper arms and thighs, especially during exercise, Low levels of these vitamins also cause increased pain , various neurological symptoms, reduction in muscle mass, fat distribution in unusual places , palpitations and chest pain , brain fog, thyroid and autonomic nerve dysfunction and can cause a reduction in how well we absorb other nutrients , especially iron and vitamin D .
You can have Vitamin B 12 Deficiency Anaemia or Folate deficiency anaemia.
I have Vitamin B 12 deficiency anaemia and I struggled to get over Vitamin D deficiency over many years because of it. Although low levels had been seen a few times over a decade nobody had spotted it or just assumed it was mild dehydration or general malnutrition. It was only found when I was suffering with numbness of muscles and other neurological symptoms especially during exercise. It may be worth you getting the blood tests done , and even if you levels aren't deficient but low starting oral supplements for these.
I now have B 12 injections and oral Folates, within weeks my pain and fatigue reduced and more scale weakness and numbness reversed and my vitamin D remains stable with my 4000iu daily dose.
mag, B12, potassium, sodium all tested yearly and all in range
Re the Vit D, for the last 2 days I have split the 20 mcg dose and taken 5 mcg, four times a day. Which, I think, helps. So will continue
not sure how you can tolerate 4000iu, that would be poison from me
Thanks
Persevere
Have you also had your Folates and Ferritin tested , I notice you didn't mention them in the reply?When you split the dose are you taking it after some level of fat consumption ?
If not ,at that split dose, the amount of Vitamin D you are converting and absorbing will be very small , and may not continue to help you improve your low Vitamin D level. 20mcg ( 800iu) is the lowest dose recommended for adults and the dose given to under 12 year olds, so taking it in one dose is safe and unlikely to cause you side effects , unless, you have an issue with oral vitamin D itself , or with ingredients in the particular brand you are using.
I take the 4000iu in one dose after a fattier meal because that is the way to consume it to have the best chance of maximum absorption, it is the highest dose recommended by nutritionists , doctors , the NHS for adults.
I was Vitamin D deficient with a blood result of 11 when it was discovered and it took nearly two years to increase it over 100 on that dose , and the addition of B 12 injections and Folates to get it over 100. When I got to 115 I did reduce to just my dose of oral spray with K2 ( 3000iu) in Summer , and returned to 4000iu in the Winter because of the lack of opportunity to benefit from Vitamin D outdoors. My Vitamin D level tested after the reduction had gone back down to 97 so I returned to the original dose,
That highest dose isn't advisable daily for people long term with normal vitamin D ranges as eventually without having regular blood tests it could become toxic , anything between 1000iu-3000iu us considered safe daily in healthy adults, but, for people with deficiency it is often the only way that people can increase to a normal level and reduce the symptoms of pain caused or made worse by low Vitamin D.
thanks, I wasn’t aware that D should be taken with fat
So this morning I’ve taken my usual 20 mcg dose with two omega 3 algae oil caps
Unable to take fish oil as I’m vegan
Will report back if that helps
Thanks
Persevere
Is vit d water soluble or not? So many different opinions?!
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/V....
"Vitamin D (also referred to as “calciferol”) is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis."
thanks for the link but posting links without accompanying text can be frustrating for readers and it may not make the point you are trying to make. If you can please edit your post and add its relevance.
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