How much vitamin D?: When tested in March I was... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

137,812 members161,640 posts

How much vitamin D?

AnneEvo profile image
11 Replies

When tested in March I was deficient - total vitamin D was 18.4 nmol/L, range for deficiency 15-30.

I'm currently supplementing 25,000iu once a week (3 months supply from doc). Recent test a week ago shows 91.5 nmol/L range 50-175.

Is it likely to keep improving at the same rate? Can anyone recommend a dose for when I've finished the 3 months supply?

Written by
AnneEvo profile image
AnneEvo
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
11 Replies
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

AnneEvo

You are quite close to the level recommended by the Vit D Council who recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml).

When does your 3 month supply finish? You really should test at the end of the loading doses and base your new dose on that level. You've actually done really well to raise your level so much in just a couple of months.

With your current level of 91.5nmol/L (36.6ng/ml), the Vit D Council recommends supplementing with 2,500iu D3 daily.

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Once you've reached the recommended dose mentioned then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Your GP won't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray

Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

AnneEvo profile image
AnneEvo in reply to SeasideSusie

Thanks Susie, it's because it had gone up so much I wanted to check. I am taking K2 and also magnesium. Supply runs out in 5 and half weeks.

in reply to AnneEvo

My Vitamin D was low too, take about 3000mcg a day for three months and then recheck. I aim for 100 level which seems reasonable. You can get a Vitamin D online through the NHS. I take softgels which I purchase on A.

The biggest research study ever done of what works for those with low d shows that the only thing that works is to do 50,000 iu's in one week x 4 weeks via sublingual. iherb has liquid sublingual 10,000 iu one. I tried injections, pills, sun etc and nothing worked. My GP was very worried as I was so low. I finally got levels up with the way Ive mentioned.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to stillcuteinmyhead

I got my severely deficient level of 15nmol/L up to 202nmol/L in 2.5 months just by taking Doctor's Best oil based softgels. We're all different.

AnneEvo profile image
AnneEvo in reply to stillcuteinmyhead

Do you mean the one that worked was the sublingual one?

stillcuteinmyhead profile image
stillcuteinmyhead in reply to AnneEvo

yes the 10000 iu sublingual. I took 5 times in a month so 50,000 iu. All else failed. A study (largest ever done) found this was only way most who were low could get their levels up.

LittleGrey profile image
LittleGrey

Your GP should supply you with the appropriate maintenance dose once your loading dose has come to an end.

I am also “deficient”. My GP has given me a 50,000 IU weekly dose for 6 weeks. She then intends to give me a lower daily dose when that has finished.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to LittleGrey

She then intends to give me a lower daily dose when that has finished.

Which is likely to be 800iu or maybe 1000iu, which may or may not be enough.

You need your level testing when the loading doses finish, if your GP wont do it then do a private test, then base your new dose on your new level, the Vit D Council has a page showing how you work out what you need

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

You divide your nmol/L result by 2.5 to give your ng/ml result then look at the tables on that page.

Remember that testing should be done once or twice a year when supplementing, so that we can adjust our dose if necessary, plus we need the important cofactors as mentioned in my reply to your previous thread about this

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

AnneEvo profile image
AnneEvo in reply to LittleGrey

My GP doesn't intend to do that. He told me to take 1,000iu once I've finished the course he prescribed.

Sharoosz profile image
Sharoosz

My endo recommended 1000 iu/day from April-October and 2000 iu rest of the year. I've been doing this for several years and it seems okay for me. As Seaside Suzie put it, we're all different, so probably best to keep an eye on things until they stabilize and see what works for you.

You may also like...

How much vitamin D in summer?

and 2000IU. *I take vitamin D since 2013 because of a deficiency, last time tested I took 2000IU...

VITAMIN D INSUFFICIENT any idea on how much to take

managed to get my gp to test my vitamin d levels and it is 40.9 nmol/L range 50-175 so...

How much Vit D supplement to take?

problem showing has been Vitamin D, ranging from 50-74 so I have decided to take a supplement. My...

Vitamin D Blood Results

Total Vitamin D : Status: 24.3 nmol/L DEFICIENT Interpretive Guide: (25-hydroxyvitamin D3 : 21.5...

Gabapentin and Vitamin D

cause Vitamin D deficiency!...