Vitamin D

[Yulia2010]

Hi Guys,

I've been taking vitamin D for almost 2 years and only recently started taking K2 with it (I didn't know it is to be taken only with K2). Previously I was taking 10,000 units and now 20, 000. My vit D levels - 94nmol/L.

Recently, I started having pain in the lower back and had an ultrasound. I was told that there seem to be some "concrements" in my kidneys now which could turn into stones in the future. A urologist told me to stop taking vitamin D as "it could lead to stone formation". My endo says this is total rubbish, however I found some more information about this on the Internet. What is your opinion? Should I continue taking vit D?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Yulia

It sounds very much like that when taking the Vit D without K2-MK7 then the extra calcium which is absorbed from food was going to your kidneys and maybe other soft tissue and arteries. This is why we need the K2-MK7, it directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from the areas where it gets deposited and cause problems.

As your level is now 94nmol/L and the Vit D Council recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L, you are almost there.

Is your 20,000iu once a week? And why has it increased form 10,000iu?

[Yulia2010 in reply to SeasideSusie]

My endo told me to increase it now as she did not consider my levels adequate as yet. I now only take it with vit D but it seems the damage is done.... (((

[Yulia2010 in reply to Yulia2010]

I meant to say I take vit d with vit k2.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Yulia2010]

Yulia

My endo told me to increase it now as she did not consider my levels adequate as yet

What level is she aiming for? You're almost at the level recommended by the Vit D Council.

Are you taking 20,000iu daily or weekly?

[Yulia2010 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Daily ( my endo said that ideally she would like me to be at 250nmol/L.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Yulia2010]

OMG Yulia, 250nmol is way too high.

See this from the Vit D Council

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

Scroll down to

What do the results mean?

and check out the table where they say

Sufficient 40-80 ng/ml

The Vitamin D Council suggests that a level of 50 ng/ml is the ideal level to aim for. This is why the Council recommends that adults take 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D supplement in order to reach and stay at this level.

As their unit of measurement is ng/ml we have to multiply that by 2.5 to get nmol/L, so 50ng/ml is 125nmol/L

With your level of 94nmol/L you really only need to take about 2000-3000iu daily. If you like being out in the sun, then 20 minutes outside with some skin uncovered and no sunscreen will keep your Vit D levels topped up during the summer without supplementing (longer if dark skinned). If you don't like being in the sun then you'd need to supplement. You'd need to supplement in the winter to maintain your level.

I think your endo hasn't got a clue about this. I would ask where where she gets the level of 250nmol/L from.

[Yulia2010 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Yes, I thought 250 was way too high ( will only be taking 3000 from now on, snd only with vit k. I take it in the form of spray Better You. Many thanks for your help!

[Nanaedake]

Your vitamin D levels aren't particularly high considering the large amount of vitamin D you are taking. I thought it was calcium that caused kidney stones, not vitamin D but your Endo should know as vitamin D is a hormone. and he/she is a specialist. If you have pain in the lower back and are female of postmenopausal age you might consider getting a DEXA scan to check bone density.

[Yulia2010 in reply to Nanaedake]

Not yet postmenopausal, I am 42.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Nanaedake]

It is calcium that's caused it Nana (nice to see you posting again, I noticed you hadn't been around much ) but as Yulia wasn't taking K2-MK7 for 2 years when she started taking D3 then the resulting extra uptake of calcium from food would appear to have been going to her kidneys. But as we know, doctors aren't taught nutrition so they are probably unaware that this happens and don't know the importance of K2-MK7 being taken alongside D3.

[Nanaedake in reply to SeasideSusie]

Good point about the K2 SeasideSusie

[Summer64]

Not heard of K2 but as my Vitamin D was 7 when first tested I got put on Calcichew tablets which contain Vit D and Calcium. Once up in the 60's I was reduced to just a low maintenance dose but I do suffer with kidney stones and did before I was on these.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Summer64]

Summer

Have you read the Patient Information Leaflet? The one online says

Do not take Calcichew-D3 Once Daily:

.......

if you have kidney stones

.......

I should imagine that even if it's not the "Once Daily" one then the warning would be the same.

There is far more calcium than D3 in Calchichew.

Has your GP tested your calcium level? If not then he should.

Personally I would buy my own D3 (it's very cheap) at the appropriate dose and take it's very important cofactors K2-MK7 and magnesium.

[Summer64 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for that. I don't get a PIL any more, they just come in a brown bottle. I've suffered with kidney stones since I was 16, now 66, so you'd think the doctor would have checked that. I see the endo Monday so I will ask him about this.

[Bonniejo in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi. I had an appointment with my pharmacist on Saturday to get the correct way for taking all my tablets. Been taking levothyroxine and d3 together for years🙈. I asked her about k2 and magnesium and she said definitely not to take it?! So confused right now ☹️

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Bonniejo]

I imagine, like doctors, pharmacists aren't taught nutrition. We have to do a lot of our own research.

Vit D Council's recommendations of cofactors when taking D3 (and personally I would trust the Vit D Council over a pharmacist)

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

And when they say not to take K2 because it's used for blood clotting, mixed research as in my thread from some time ago

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Yulia2010]

Very confusing. I am amazed the people who are meant to enlighten us know so little