Low Vitamin D Level

I had similarly low Vitamin D levels. In my case it turned out that 5,000 IU per day simply wasn’t quite enough for me. I eventually worked out that a dose of about 50,000 IU/week got my level into the normal range. I spread it across the week, taking 5,000 some days and 10,000 a few times during the week. I just take the capsules. My multivitamin also has a little Vitamin D.

You can’t really tell how a dose is working without repeating the test, so this can take some patience. Give any new dose level some time to stabilize before retesting.

Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, and 30 minutes a day is recommended no matter what supplements you take. Not getting enough can lead to other health issues like Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD).

I dated a lady years ago who had SAD. She actually moved from Seattle to CT because she wasn’t getting enough sunlight, and had a major vitamin D deficiency. She told me it caused her to be moody and have significant depression. It’s a health issue in rainy climates. I guess even with supplements she still had issues. She told me the move to a sunnier climate improved her condition substantially.

Thanks for the responses. I will try increasing my dose and perhaps switch from liquid to capsules as well.

Sunlight is an option for me in the summer, but living in NY we don't get much of that in the winter. I suppose if I believed more sunlight it would bring my pouchitis into remission I would consider moving to a sunnier climate but I'm not convinced that's the case. 

Sunlight is a mixed bag. It’s great for Vitamin D, and doesn’t depend on absorption, but that only works if you skip the sunscreen, creating increased risk of melanoma.

30 minutes a day of sunlight is all that is recommended. It’s not a lot. The exposure to melanomas comes from overdoing it, going hours and hours in the sun every day. It’s a very easy thing to do 30 minutes and then either put on the sunscreen, or go inside.

Any recommendation about sun exposure should be adapted to the particular person. People have enormously varying tolerance for the sun.

I had very very low levels of vitamin D, even though I live in tropical region and there's abundance of sunlight yearlong but UC just wouldnt let my body absorb enough sunlight probably. I think same is the case in pouchitis. I used to take 60,000 IU capsule once a week to keep it close to normal. Even with that high a dose I used to supplement vitamin D from other calcium and multivitamin supps. Post takedown and after starting working out regularly Vitamin D is no more an issue for me. Yeah I do go out in sun alot now that I dont have UC, but I think the ability of body to be able to absorb the Vitamin from any source , be it sun, food or medicine needs to be increased. For me exercise did the trick. I dont think it would have gotten any better even if I had taken more capsules or sat in sun all day if my body was just not able to process the amount its supposed to.

Apparently the dosage of Vitamin D in the daily multivitamin I am taking (1500 IU), coupled with the cashew milk I drink, is not cutting it. My blood labs yesterday came back low in Vitamin D. My GI doc said almost everyone in Connecticut is low in vitamin D. Not going out due to Covid and not so much sunlight to begin with. So he wants me to take a supplement. Any suggestions on a chewable supplement?

I just use a softgel, which releases the liquid within when the capsule dissolves. I’d expect it to be as available as a chewable, and better protected (at least briefly) in the stomach. There are lots of brands, including inexpensive store brands.

I stopped at Walgreen's on my way home from work, and noticed that their stored brand, "Finest Nutrition" 100 softgels 5,000 IU each, was on sale, buy one for $11.99, get one free.  So I bought 2 bottles for $11.99.  Problem is I have no idea how much I need to take daily to jack up my Vitamin D level to where it needs to be. 1,500 IU was not getting the job done, so I figure I will take 2 gelcaps or 10,000 IU per day, and see what happens.  I need to get my blood labs rechecked in a month anyway, because my liver chemistries are a little elevated, so we will see where the vitamin D is in a month.

I take about 5000 IU vit. D daily in these products:  Vit. D 2000 IU twice daily + the 500 IU contained in  2 Citracal tablets taken 2x daily + whatever is in a multivitamin.

My vitamin D level prior to taking any Vit. D a few years ago was 16. Began taking Vit. D2  50,000 IU  1x/week and it moved to high 20s. Two years ago switched to D3  2,000 IU 1x/day and it moved to 30. One year ago switched to D3 2000 IU 2x day, which moved my level to 39.  (Still taking Citracal w/D3 during all of these changes.)

A few months ago I started adding 120 mg. oral magnesium and 120 magnesium lotion/oil (rubbed onto legs) daily or as often as I could remember. I had to take one loperamide with this  mg. or else I'd get the trots.

Had labs done last week. Vitamin D level is at 52. Go to NIH (Nat'l Institutes of Health) and search "magnesium's effect on Vitamin D absorption." When I saw how my D level zoomed I did the search to discover that magnesium is needed for Vit. D absorption.

Before I began adding mag. I once asked an endocrinologist who is following me for bone health if I should be taking it for bone health. She said no. Not necessary. Well, if you do any reading on magnesium you will quickly find out that mag is critical for a whole bunch of functions, including absorption of calcium into bones and boosting of Vit. D. At this point am wondering how much training doctors have in vitamins & minerals. Someone dealing with bone health should be up on this.

Also note that it was D3 taken daily rather than 50,000 IU D2  taken 1x week that gave me great results. Asked primary & pharmacist whether D2 or D3 was more effective and they both said they are comparable. My reading told me that D3 is more absorbable. ( My D3 brand is Kirkland from Costco. A zillion soft gels = cheap.)

If anyone has anything to add or sees anything needing correction, please jump right in.

Rose

Looks like you are doing everything perfectly!!!! Pills are the best route in my opinion. I take vitamin d supplements quite a bit. 2000 units of vitamin D is pretty common for daily usage. I say keep that up for sure. Endocrinologists/Pediatric Gastros tend to watch Vitamin D closley in my experience.

@roseviolet posted:

I take about 5000 mg. vit. D daily in these products:  Vit. D 2000 mg. twice daily + the 500 mg. contained in  2 Citracal tablets taken 2x daily + whatever is in a multivitamin.

My vitamin D level prior to taking any Vit. D a few years ago was 16. Began taking Vit. D2  50,000 IU  1x/week and it moved to high 20s. Two years ago switched to D3  2,000 mg. 1x/day and it moved to 30. One year ago switched to D3 2000 mg. 2x day, which moved my level to 39.  (Still taking Citracal w/D3 during all of these changes.)

A few months ago I started adding 120 mg. oral magnesium and 120 magnesium lotion/oil (rubbed onto legs) daily or as often as I could remember. I had to take one loperamide with this  mg. or else I'd get the trots.

Had labs done last week. Vitamin D level is at 52. Go to NIH (Nat'l Institutes of Health) and search "magnesium's effect on Vitamin D absorption." When I saw how my D level zoomed I did the search to discover that magnesium is needed for Vit. D absorption.

Rose, thanks for your post, all of this is extremely helpful information.  I have to check my labs and see where my level is at.  I am going to have the blood labs rechecked in a month so we will see where it goes and whether i make increases like you did.  When your vitamin D levels jacked up, did you notice any difference in how you felt generally?  Among other things low vitamin D can cause fatigue and depression.

By the way my vitamin D level is 21. The optimal range is 30-100 according to my lab report.

If you’re winging it until the next lab draw it might be prudent to cap the Vit D dose at no more than 50,000 IU per week. That’s the dose commonly used to restore someone with a very low level. Anything higher than that won’t have much of a research base, and I wouldn’t go higher unless I’d proven that a higher dose was needed. Adding a *small* dose of magnesium might have a bigger impact than increasing the Vit D.

Just realized I wrote "mg" instead of "IU" and have corrected that in my post.

CT: I didn't notice either fatigue or depression when D levels were low. I'd be careful about taking 10,000 IU daily. Too much isn't good and I think I've read that 10,000 is the absolute upper daily limit. Maybe cutting  to 5,000 IU and adding some mg. would offer more safety and effectiveness.

Scott: Question: If I'm taking 5,000 IU of Vit. D3 daily, that would amount to 35,000IU Vit. D3 weekly. Am I correct in thinking that this amount is less than one weekly dose of 50,000 IU or am I somehow comparing apples to oranges? I keep forgetting to ask my doc about this.

In any case, the daily dose does much more for me than one large weekly dose. Maybe taking it daily allows for more absorption. I was on the 50,000 IU dose for a couple of years and it didn't get my levels past 30.

I do believe the 120 mg. of magnesium I try to take daily was the critical factor in boosting my levels, so much so that it would. be worth taking 2 loperamide each morning to thicken the loose stools caused by mg. ingestion.

@rosevioletrose violet 5,000 IU/day is indeed less than 50,000 IU/week. It’s fine to take a smaller dose daily (instead of a single large weekly dose), particularly for maintenance. The key is to take no more than necessary. For most people 50,000 IU/week is a temporary dose intended to facilitate recovery from a substantial deficiency. Some of us need doses as high as that on a continuous basis, but I think anyone taking that much Vitamin D ought to be monitoring the level periodically.

Rose and Scott, thanks for your replies.

I took 10,000 IU yesterday and will take 10,000 IU again today. I will then take 5,000 IU daily the rest of the week which will get me to 45,000 IUs for the week. After that I will take 5,000 IU daily/35,000 IU per week until rechecked in a month.

I have to stop at the local Walmart on my way home from work to buy light bulbs, so while I am there I will also pick up some magnesium to boost up the Vitamin D absorption, even if it's a minor boost. I just have to get it up right now.

CT: Try to get a mg. tablet that 's on the lower side in terms of strength. One type I use has 120 mg. mg. glycerinate in one tablet. Another has about 50 mg. of magnesium threonate. If the dose is too large, bathroom trips increase. Also, don't get mg. oxide. It's cheap but it doesn't absorb well and causes the trots big time.

Another little fact I picked up re. Vit. D is that for every 1000 IU ingested, blood levels rise 10 points (at least in coloned people), so if you're up to 21 with 1500 IU Vit. D and dietary amounts, you're absorbing well.

One more: The pros are thinking that D is a hormone rather than a vitamin. don't know where that leads us.

Thank you for your reply, Scott. And to anyone supplementing with D, it is important to monitor blood levels periodically via doctor's lab order or a self-test which lots of labs are now offering. Mine is checked every 4-6 months.

My vitamin D level went from 21 on the February 8 blood labs to 34 on the March 9 blood labs, this from taking 1 5000 mg Vitamin D gel cap per day. My doctor was very pleased with the increased level and told me to keep it up. I wonder how high it will go if I use 5000 mg as a maintenance dosage? My understanding is 30-100 is the acceptable range so I am still on the low end of what is acceptable. I assume at some point I will plateau? Where will that plateau be?

My dad takes close to 4000 units of Vitamin D per day and is doing fine. I think it depends on what your body needs though, definitely go in for check-ups to monitor everything

You go boy!! That's terrific progress in only one month.

I have fair skin and psoriasis. My dermatologist recommended 15 minutes of sun exposure before 10AM or after 5PM with no sunscreen for psoriasis. I guess that is safe enough while getting some Vit D

@Former Member posted:

I have fair skin psoriasis. My dermatologist recommended 15 minutes of sun exposure before 10AM or after 5PM with no sunscreen for psoriasis. I guess that is safe enough while getting some Vit D

I would much rather you take vitamin D pills and be safe. I would probably get a second opinion if I heard my dermatologist say that, just be careful dear.

I also had a very low vit. D level 12 years ago, when it was checked for the first time. I started with much too low doses of 500...1000 mg per day, changed to a spray with 3000 later which already showed some improvement, and now I ended up with pills of 10,000 units (combined with vit. K2) that I take every second day. Seems like 5000 units / day is a good dosage for some people here.

My current vit. D level is about 50 and I'm quite happy I reached it.

I also take half a fizzy tablet of Mg which is 125 mg per day, while I abandoned Ca.

Yeah, low vitamin D is common for people with IBD and other illnesses.

Low vitamin D is very common in the general population as a whole. From 40%-80% of people, depending upon race, have low levels. It's no wonder with the rec. daily allowances being 400-800 IU, depending upon age. Way too low.

Lauren: Elif is getting sun in off-peak hours as a treatment for psoriasis, not to increase his vitamin D level. Actual exposure to UVB sunlight can be helpful for this skin condition.

@roseviolet posted:

Low vitamin D is very common in the general population as a whole. From 40%-80% of people, depending upon race, have low levels. It's no wonder with the rec. daily allowances being 400-800 IU, depending upon age. Way too low.

Lauren: Elif is getting sun in off-peak hours as a treatment for psoriasis, not to increase his vitamin D level. Actual exposure to UVB sunlight can be helpful for this skin condition.

https://www.cancerfightersthri...op-sun-safety-myths/

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/sunscreen

https://ldchealth.org/424/Sun-damage

You can get the same effect using sunscreen too.

Are we beating a dead horse here? We all know about sun damage. Elif's doctor gave him the least harmful times to be exposed to the sun yet get beneficial UVB rays for his skin condition. The greater good here is exposure to 15 min. of rays as his treatment.

This dermatologist went to Harvard Med school, and is currently holds a faculty position at Mt Sinai university. I tend to trust his judgement. My psoriasis has improved drastically with his treatment, which was unlike the typical “here is your corticosteroid cream, bye!” and included more than just the sun exposure recommendation. My psoriasis usually gets worse during winters , but this winter it did not, I have a few tiny spots, just like the beginning of the winter season. I am hoping they will go away once I get to have some sun exposure this spring and summer.

I assume I got some vit D as well. It is 15 mins before 10am and 15 mins after 5pm, so total 30 mins a day. If it seems too risky, one can always make it before 9am and after 6 or even 7 pm, as there is still sunlight after 7pm during the summer. I had a subtle tan by the end of the summer, but never hurt or had skin flaking. It was a very slow and gradually increasing tan. I had not had a tan for more than 20 years before last summer. I sometimes think maybe avoiding sun contributed to the deterioration of my autoimmune disorders.

Avoiding sun can also lead to Season Affective Disorder.  Which stems from lack of sunlight.  As I may have mentioned I dated a woman who moved away from Seattle because of it, as she was not getting enough sunlight. It's at the root of many depression diagnoses:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...l_affective_disorder

Measured doses of the sun are good for psoriasis and boosting Vitamin D. And also help avoid SAD diagnosis/depression.

Just a little clarification here. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is not about lack of sun exposure (UV light exposure), but about exposure to the light and its effect on the brain. So, you do not need to be “in the sun,” but just exposed to the light, as you would from windows or being outside in bright daylight, but in the shade.

Vitamin D that we make does require sun exposure.

How much we need sun protection depends a lot on our individual risks, time and length of exposure, and regional differences. I wear sunscreen all the time when in Hawaii or the mountains, but seldom in my local, sea level, mild climate area. I just am not out for long periods, but generally about 30 minutes a day on my walks.

Still, my vitamin D levels are low without supplements. I have been taking 5000IU twice a day for years (softgels), and my blood levels stay in the 40-50 range. Build up has not been a problem for me. But, I do not recommend that others take this amount without being monitored.

Jan

@Jan Dollar posted:

Just a little clarification here. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is not about lack of sun exposure (UV light exposure), but about exposure to the light and its effect on the brain. So, you do not need to be “in the sun,” but just exposed to the light, as you would from windows or being outside in bright daylight, but in the shade.

Vitamin D that we make does require sun exposure.

How much we need sun protection depends a lot on our individual risks, time and length of exposure, and regional differences. I wear sunscreen all the time when in Hawaii or the mountains, but seldom in my local, sea level, mild climate area. I just am not out for long periods, but generally about 30 minutes a day on my walks.

Still, my vitamin D levels are low without supplements. I have been taking 5000IU twice a day for years (softgels), and my blood levels stay in the 40-50 range. Build up has not been a problem for me. But, I do not recommend that others take this amount without being monitored.

Jan

5,000IU twice a day for 2 years??? Wow! I never heard of that much before for maintenance! I am glad you are doing better though!!! Thank-you for sharing that, I never knew some people needed that much.

Do you know where your low vitamin D came from in the past? My pediatric nurse at the time said its common in people with diseases.

Oh, it has been way more than 2 years. Deficiency is associated with IBD, and also with age. Everyone in our household has a vitamin D deficiency. We all also have UC.

My primary point is that there is no generalized solution. We are all individuals and should be treated as such.

Jan

@Jan Dollar posted:

Oh, it has been way more than 2 years. Deficiency is associated with IBD, and also with age. Everyone in our household has a vitamin D deficiency. We all also have UC.

My primary point is that there is no generalized solution. We are all individuals and should be treated as such.

Jan

Oh your kids have the same deficiency too?!?! I am sorry to hear that. I am glad you guys are doing good though!