Megadoses of Vitamin D

My Vitamin D level is shockingly low—13—and my doctor told me to take 2,000 IU a day. But I keep forgetting, and I don't want to die of cancer. I understand that some people take 50,000 IU once a week. Anyone here try that regimen? Did you have terrible side effects? Any doctors in the house?

I take 50K IU of D twice per week to aid calcium absorption. (I had weight loss surgery and now only absorb 1/3 of the calories and 20% of the fat I eat, so I am at risk of malnutrition if I'm not diligent with supplements.). I have not felt any ill effects from the D.
I recently started taking D for the same reason, OP. Unfortunately, this is a year after I had to stop going to a GREAT Molecular/Naturopathic MD for financial reasons. He would have had some great pointers. Anyway, I take 4K IU daily, splitting am/pm. I've felt better, though you probably need more. Someone I know suggested that I dissolve the gel capsules under my tongue. I tried it a couple times, and it seems to make me feel jumpy, which is weird. But that's the only questionable thing I've experienced.
I'm considering trying fermented cod liver oil, which has a lot of Vitamin D and A in it. I'm gonna try and choke down the fermented kind because all the other kinds are refined and have the natural vitamins removed and replaced with artificial ones to standardize the amounts.
Go outside and get some sun on your face, arm, and legs. Vitamin D is made by your body when exposed to sunlight.
[quote]Go outside and get some sun on your face, arm, and legs. Vitamin D is made by your body when exposed to sunlight. Not OP but what a great idea! Let me see, here somewhere in Central Europe the sun was out for the first time in weeks for about 8 hours. While I was working in the office. What other wonderful ideas do you have? Swim in the ocean every day?
I'm also thinking about fermented cod liver oil (right now I take Carlson's lemon which is just fine). If you are taking cod liver oil, make sure to take Vitamin K2 at the same time or mix in some high vitamin butter oil (re: Weston Price's research on "Activator X"). But really if you are Vitamin D deficient, more sun.
My doctor, an MD who specializes in nutrition, recommends 5,000 IU a day of D3 (not plain D) taken with largest meal.
[quote]What other wonderful ideas do you have? Swim in the ocean every day? Yes, you could take a swim in the ocean, right after you take a long walk off a short pier.
My Vitamin D was low as well. I did a regime of 50,000 initially to boost it. Now I take 2000 mg at night. I've not had any side effects that I'm aware of.
[quote] here somewhere in Central Europe the sun was out for the first time in weeks for about 8 hours. While I was working in the office. You don't get a lunch hour?
OP, it's terrible. But this - the crash of vitamin D - almost always is associated with pancreatic cancer, and the doctor probably was just trying to buy a moment of time as he set up additional testing and referrals. They don't rush, usually, because the cases are hopeless, but they work on the immediate issues, such as vitamin and nutritional deficiencies. It's just rearranging the deck chairs on your Titanic, but some secondary infections can be avoided, at times. The fact that you "forget" to take the vitamins is a sign of disengagement and lack of focus. Are you having some troubles there? Or, since pancreatic issues sometimes are associated with alcohol and drug use, are you in denial about the substance problems that led you to this sad situation. Try to make the most of the 6-7 months you have left. For heaven's sake, ask the doctor when he is making the oncology referral. Good luck.
[quote] Not OP but what a great idea! Let me see, here somewhere in Central Europe the sun was out for the first time in weeks for about 8 hours. While I was working in the office. All the more reason for you to have to made sure that you got outdoors during those 8 hours.
My number was in the single digits. I've been on 50,000 IU twice per week for a long time. I notice nothing all. I've read things that claim it's just another fad/scam by the medical industry. Who knows?
If it was a scam, it wouldn't have such an inexpensive fix. You can get D3 anywhere, any brand, pretty cheaply. And sunshine is free, if you're lucky enough to have any. I think the seeming "uptick" in D deficiency is just the natural progression of our culture's increasingly indoor lifestyle.
For R11: Quite the opposite has been suggested... [quote] A recent editorial in the American Journal of Epidemiology discussing the issue of anti-cancer claims for various vitamins over the years notes that an analysis of existing research found no association between levels of vitamin D in the blood and several cancers. But it did find that “the risk of pancreatic cancer was doubled for those in the highest quintile of circulating vitamin D levels.” The editorialist, Tim Byers of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Colorado School of Public Health, continues: This observation is disconcerting both because pancreatic cancer is now the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and because the proponents of the vitamin D hypothesis are now arguing that substantially elevating circulating blood concentrations into that range should be a nutritional policy objective for the general population.
Between R11 and R15, I'm so confused. Is there any measure of truth in what R11 is saying?
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My doctor told me to take 2000 mg of Vitamin D, because I don't get enough sun.
[quote]Go outside and get some sun on your face, arm, and legs. Vitamin D is made by your body when exposed to sunlight. ...Except that severely D-deficient people frequently have trouble producing it anyway.
[quote] think the seeming "uptick" in D deficiency is just the natural progression of our culture's increasingly indoor lifestyle. Or people being more conscientious in their sunscreen use.
Most of the people with viamin D deficiency are the results of statin drugs like lipitor. Satins taken over a period of time will deplete a lot of one's vitamins. Statins are BAD.
My vitamin D was low so the doctor told me to start taking it. I take 2000 mg a day and last time I had my blood panel done I was fine. So I take it. I also take 200 mg of CoQ10 every other day. I take Bcomplex, D &E too along with a multiple. YOu gotta do it. I feel better. More energetic, optimistic, chilled.
Anyone take Ubiquinol? I'm taking 200 mg for 3 or 5 weeks to raise blood levels, and then taking it down to 100 a day. It better be good, it's expensive.
I take 50,000 once a week. It's fine, no side effects. Also that is prescription strength and covered by most insurance companies, even Medicaid. It's much easier to take it once a week. Also take it with a calcium rich meal. It makes it work better.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Listen to R7 and make sure it's D3.
My vitamin D level was 6 so I started taking Raw D3 for a year and when I was checked again my level was 3. So I have stopped bothering. I have Fluoroquinolone Poisoning and my body no longer functions correctly in any way whatsoever.
Damn, R25! What's that and how did you get it?
If your D level is fucking 3, how are you even typing coherent sentences?
[quote] If your D level is fucking 3, how are you even typing coherent sentences? With his teeth that have already fallen out serving as fingernails.
I've been taking 5,000u daily for a couple of years, per my doctor's instructions. No bad side effects noted, but as it happens I was able to stop taking blood pressure medicine within a year of starting. Did you know that one possible symptom of a Vit D deficiency is hypertension? Of course the timing of those two things might be conindidental, but maybe not.
Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Syndrome or Toxicity is a constellation of adverse reactions to a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (cipro, levaquin, avelox, etc.). The most common symptoms are full body tendonosis, neuropathy, muscle spasms, insomnia, photo-sensitivity, skin and hair abnormalities, food and medication intolerances and there are many more. I took 3.5 pills of cipro for a UTI and April 2nd/3rd of 2011 and have pretty much been bed ridden in nonstop agonizing pain ever since. There is no known cure and no research being done because Bayer and J&J have no intention of funding any as that would be admission of guilt on their parts. Never take a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.
R25
I feel terrible for you R25. My mother died of it. She was in her 80s.
r20 my doctor told me two years ago that the horror stories with Vioxx will be repeated with Statins. It's easier for Docs to write scripts than educate patients on how to control cholesterol.
Also r25, do yuu find the medical profession to be unsympathetic?
[quote] It's easier for Docs to write scripts than educate patients on how to control cholesterol. And some of us patients just don't care. Give me drugs. I'm gonna eat what I want to.
OP/R16: No. Jesus Christ, Mary. (And I'm on prescription D supplements myself.)
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Holy shit, R25. I don't know what to say except that I'm really sorry. My Vitamin D score was 11, and I did the 50K regimen with no side effects whatever. After that I was told to take 5000 units a day, but to not take more than that. I haven't noticed any blood pressure improvement, but my BP has always been normal. Maybe it would beneficially affect those with hypertension.