Vitamin D: Total Vitamin D : 14.8 nmol/L Your... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

137,936 members161,765 posts

Vitamin D

24 Replies

Total Vitamin D : 14.8 nmol/L

Your Vitamin D status is SEVERE DEFICIENCY

Severe Deficiency Below 15 nmol/L

Deficiency 15 to 30 nmol/L

Insufficiency 30.1 to 50 nmol/L

Adequate 50.1 to 220 nmol/L

Risk Of Toxicity Above 220 nmol/L

This was done privately as recommended on here. Have never had it done on NHS and clearly I don't take Vitamin D lol.

I spoke to a different GP yesterday who has actually requested Vitamin D to be done on NHS with my routine thyroid bloods on Thursday. So will they prescribe something then or do I need to buy something myself? Does this answer why my bones hurt as if I'm 90 lol

Read more about...
24 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Take this result to GP

You should be prescribed a LOADING dose of 300,000iu in total of vitamin D over 6-8 weeks and vitamin D will need retesting at end of course

NHS Guidelines on dose vitamin D required

ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/use...

Will need ongoing vitamin D supplements as maintenance dose

Trial and error what dose you will need….likely to be something between 2000-4000iu daily, possibly higher

GP will often only prescribe to bring vitamin D levels to 50nmol. Some CCG areas will prescribe to bring levels to 75nmol or even 80nmol

leedsformulary.nhs.uk/docs/...

GP should advise on self supplementing if over 50nmol, but under 75nmol (but they rarely do)

mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_u...

But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol by self supplementing may be better

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly via NHS private testing service when supplementing

vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function. There’s a version made that also contains vitamin K2 Mk7. One spray = 1000iu

amazon.co.uk/BetterYou-Dlux...

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with hashimoto’s we frequently need higher dose than average

Vitamin D and thyroid disease

grassrootshealth.net/blog/t...

Government recommends everyone should supplement vitamin D at least October to April every year

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54

You really are severely deficient. If they don't prescribe then you need a new GP as well as a supplement. I'm going to tag SeasideSusie for you because she's a wizz at vitamins and how to raise them successfully.

Are you having thyroid bloods done on Thursday? Do you know to get a test before 9am and not to take any thyroid meds until after the blood test? Nothing to eat or drink before the test other than water, but do drink water or it can be hard for them to find a vein.

in reply to FancyPants54

Yes thank you. I had no idea about vitamin D until I posted on here. Scary really.

Yes have a 9:15 appt. I follow everything advised on here since finally being diagnosed. Lol

bajmon profile image
bajmon in reply to

Hi, I suffered a lot from bone, joint, muscle aches in the last year's before I even knew I have thyroid issues. A friend of mine suggested to take vit D from Solgar and after a few days I felt a difference. I wasn't really good in keeping up with it so went back again to have low levels and mine were even lower than yours. Get some straight away even before GP prescribes you any and I'm sure they will with such low levels! My last test result showed 47.2 nmol/l and my Edo told me I need to take 4000iu daily and I'll be retested in 4 weeks. Anyone in this climate should suplement vit D and is with thyroid problems even more. It's so new to me as well. Good you feel better soon!

Roadrunnergreg profile image
Roadrunnergreg in reply to

When mine was at 23 years ago, doctor prescribed 20,000iu a day for two months to get it up to about 60. Another thing to consider is that vitamin D us magnesium dependent to convert it to the active form , plus vitamin k2 to help get it in the bones. What level do you need ideally, although they say over 50 nmol, that's the minimum, but if you want the full benefits of vitamin D/D3 it needs to be about 100-125 at that level you get enough to create cathelicidins that clean up bacteria and viruses like packman, or clean up the terrain depending on your beliefs, reap the protection it offers from several cancers. It has a lot of benefits and a lot to do, that's why you need to look after the levels inc cofactor nutrients like magnesium and vitamin K2.

In addition how much you need depends on your/our weight too, if your trim you'll likely only need 4000-5000iu to keep it over 75, if your obese you may need 2-3x that to keep it there... hope this helps also

youtu.be/NuWC2d0mTbo

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

You also need folate, ferritin and B12 tested at least once a year

Have you had these tested yet

in reply to SlowDragon

Yes. Results are in a previous post somewhere lol. I am on iron tablets and ferritin is also being retested Thursday. I'm on a B complex which I've stopped til after had bloods done. They contain folate too. I'll sort out getting my B12 and folate retested soon. Only started supplementing them in November.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Plus coeliac blood test as well, if not tested

in reply to SlowDragon

I did the blood spot test at home for coeliac and was negative but I am going to raise this with GP too after reading about it on here.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to

Good plan

bantam12 profile image
bantam12

You should have calcium and parathyroid tested before starting any VitD supplements particularly a high loading dose.

Shellian profile image
Shellian in reply to bantam12

Just what I was going to say. Really important to get this done to rule out hyperparathyroidism Good luck.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree

Hi Eternity84,

I experienced bone pain and muscle weakness, particularly in my arms and daily headaches when I was diagnosed with a severe deficiency (7 or 8nmol/L) some years back caused by a combination of my diet and agoraphobia. So your pain could well be caused by your deficiency.

Also once you begin loading doses and supplementing you could possibly start getting more bone pain which is a bit confusing but I think others on the forum have said that's the bones re-mineralising.

Hope your gp's helpful? Mine wasn't and I kept getting fobbed off for many months with headache tablets but when I saw a new temporary GP she did blood tests and then they identified what was causing my problems. Hope you get sorted soon.

Take care.

in reply to Hedgeree

I was only diagnosed with hasimotos in Sept after having to switch GP surgeries to even be listened to. My new GP seemed good and did loads and loads of tests and a thyroid scan. But now I'm on 75mcg thyroxine and she's reluctant to raise my dose. I spoke to a different GP at the surgery yesterday who said I should of also had Vitamin D tested and has requested it on Thursday's bloods with thyroid and iron.It's such hard work and if wasn't for researching and asking on here I'd just still be being fobbed off. I'm so much better than I was but still feel horrific most days.

My bones hurt lol. And the cold doesn't help at all. I'm exhausted and can't wait to just feel like I'm on the path to actually recovering.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply to

Hi Eternity84,

It sounds like changing gp's has been a good thing for you. Having all those tests and a thyroid scan done is really positive and has obviously been helpful for you in getting your diagnosis.

I understand about that bone pain, it is really awful but at least now things are going in the right direction for you. Once you get your loading doses and start supplementing the bone pain will lessen.

This forum I discovered by accident; the collective knowledge and lived experience of the people on here is fantastic. I'm hopeful that I'll at last be getting a diagnosis but I wouldn't have got this far without the guidance from here. I also had no idea how much influence our thyroid glands had over our bodily systems; there is so much to learn.

Take care.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Eternity84

As SlowDragon has said, your GP should provide loading doses. Once these have finished you need to retest. If GP wont do it then please do it yourself then come back with new result for further suggestion of what follow on dose you will need and suggestions of supplement to buy yourself.

The Vit D Society and Grassroots Health both recommend a level of 100-150nmol with Grassroots Health's recent blog post recommending at least 125nmol.

Doctors don't know, because they aren't taught much about nutrition, that when taking D3 we also need it's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-mk7.

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 tissue where it can be deposited and cause problems such as calcification of arteries, kidney stones, etc.

Magnesium is needed to help the body convert D3 into it's usable form.

With iron tests it's best to leave off iron tablets for a week before and the test should be done after a 12 hour fast, water allowed.

in reply to SeasideSusie

I have thyroid, iron and D being tested on Thursday and I stopped iron tablets and my B complex which contains biotin last week to be on safe side. Will update once I have spoken to GP after the results.

Sparklyjenson profile image
Sparklyjenson

Hi eternity84, I hope you get the right treatment soon. My bone pain went away after I started taking vitamin D supplements so hopefully the same will happen for you. I take 4000 iu a day which is sufficient to keep me at 100. As others have said, everyone is different. Good luck.

AppleOrchard profile image
AppleOrchard

My GP yesterday said that vitamin D levels in the winter would be much lower than in the summer. He said that everyone should supplement during the winter. But yours is very low indeed! You need something more than a supplement over the counter and hopefully your GP will give you that.

Partner20 profile image
Partner20

Your bone pain can definitely be attributed to Vit.D deficiency! Personally I feel my best when my level is at the top of the range, maintaining it there with 5,000 iu D3 daily, after a period of taking 10,000iu daily to get to my optimal level. If my level drops, my bones tell me!

birkie profile image
birkie

Hi Eternity84❤️

My vitamin D was checked in 2019 it was 70 so OK.. (thyroidectomy in May 2019 due to thyrotoxicosis) I started to feel ill again in 2020 with similar symptoms to overactivity but I was urnating constantly and drinking way more than normal had server bone/joint pain still ongoing, I had my thyroid bloods done but all OK.. Then I noticed 2 over range calciums on my thyroid bloods, then 2 over range parathyroid hormone blood tests, endo did vitamin D it was 29..so mine went from 70 in 2019 to 29 in 2020..i never put my low vitamin D with parathyroid problems, endo wrote saying I probably have primary hyperparathyroidism so eventho low vitamin D can be linked to thyroid problems it can also be linked to parathyroid problems also.. 👍

mountainice profile image
mountainice

I was also diagnosed at 15nmol Vit D about 8 years ago. I had the GP loading doses. I then carried on with high dose D at 10,000iu a day, with K2 and magnesium, which I still do. I tried to stop taking D as often but have found my levels gradually dropped over time so I am back on daily atm. A nurse at the time told me there are no symptoms from low Vitamin D. There are! I was extremely tired and that is why I went back to the doctor, as I was already on B12 injections so didn't know why I had to drag myself off the sofa to do anything. Also I had muscle aches. My GP didn't give me loading to start with, I was just told to go and buy over the counter, but I decided to find out my level (I didn't know it at the time). When I found it was only 15 I asked the pharmacist and he said you must go back to your GP. I did and she admitted she didn't know much about it at that time, but would read up, she was very good like that. I hope you get your prescription. Best wishes.

in reply to mountainice

Your GP sounds more reasonable than mine. I was just diagnosed with levels of 13 and was told to buy over the counter. GP won't budge on prescribing anything so just buying it myself based on the loading doses I've read on here. Constant battle lol

mountainice profile image
mountainice in reply to

She had retired now. It is hard to find a good gp who listens. They should be following guidelines. Mind you, I've been battling the B12 guidelines since I had a new gp.

You may also like...

Vitamin D advice please.

reference limit Comment Severe Vitamin D deficiency (25 OH Vitamin D <15 nmol/L) I will attach a...

Vitamin D Blood Results

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

Severe Vitamin D deficiency

got them back and it said severe deficiency, 11.7 nmol/L. How did I get that? I can't just be bad...

Sunshine and Vitamin D testing

acquired Vitamin D stays in your system. My last result in September 2018 was. D3 28.2 nmol/L D2...

Vitamin d result back.

(story of my life lol).....it was done by cityassays. Vitamin D :88.2nmol/L Status adequate got the...