# Vitamin D question



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I can't find the previous post on this!! I decided to start taking Mult's again (Trader Joes Women's one-a-day) and extra D. THe multis have 800iu, the d capsules are 400iu and I'm taking two. So that's 1600 total. Probably should take more? Pete says Dr. TImothy Johnson recommends 4000iu for people that live in my part of the country (northeast) this time of year.

May be too soon for this BUT I get restless leg symdrome and aches in my legs (unrelated to running) something terrible EVERY night and last night they felt SO relaxed. It was wonderful. I wonder if there's a connection...


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## bellapuppy (Dec 1, 2008)

I have been hearing to take Vitamin D3. Hey, if it helps with the restless leg go for it. I had also heard calcium was good for that.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

It might be the D or another mineral that helps your restless leg. My husband has it and so far nothing has helped him, but he always forgets to take his supplements. I take minimum 5000 i.u. of Vitamin D3, and I would take more if there was a virus going around locally. I personally wouldn't take any less than 5000. A doctor can test your levels and let you know how much to take. I'm thinking of getting that done very soon when I have the time/money.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Blood tests showed that I was low in Vitamin D ... so, I was on 50,000 units, once a week, for a few months. Now I am taking D3 ... 800 I.U. on my own. I am going to repeat blood tests to make sure I am getting enough Vitamin D now. 

As for the restless leg syndrome, my doctor put me on Folic Acid, and it really helped with restless leg syndrome. However, when my vitamin D level was low, the restless leg syndrome did return. Now, with the additional Vitamin D, I don't seem to get the restless leg syndrome. 

I do know that a deficiency in Vitamin D can cause serious problems with all the muscles in our body. And, without enough Vitamin D, we cannot absorb enough calcium that our bodies need. However, I don't know how much is enough for each of us individually. It's a good question to ask your doctor, who knows your health history best.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Dr. Oz says at least 1000 but no more than 2000. I heard this the other day, but not sure of why no more than 2000. Of course another doctor may state a different range of IU's. I would assume he meant for the general population with no particular health concerns that would be affected by that.

that's interesting about the 4000 iu bec I certainly don't see much sunlight either.


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

I take D3 2000 units this is not the same as D. Helps your body use calcium the correct way. We have plenty of sun but of course we protect ourselves with sunscreen. So we are not getting enough D from the sun either.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

QUOTE (Maglily @ Nov 29 2009, 03:56 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=855870


> Dr. Oz says at least 1000 but no more than 2000. I heard this the other day, but not sure of why no more than 2000. Of course another doctor may state a different range of IU's. I would assume he meant for the general population with no particular health concerns that would be affected by that.
> 
> that's interesting about the 4000 iu bec I certainly don't see much sunlight either.[/B]



IMO most people who aren't outside all the time can easily go up to 5000 iu D3 but that is my opinion, I am not a doctor. My own MD takes 5000. My husband, who works outside, takes 3000. I don't think it costs too much to have your levels tested. Most people who work in an office or inside all day could use D3.

(Don't use D2 as it is synthetic.)


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Hey, I found this info for you from the Vitamin D council: 

*Treating Disease With Vitamin D*
We predict the future recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D, for otherwise healthy people, will be at least 1000 IU/day _(in the new official units for vitamins, this translates to 25 ug/day). _This amount is already the consensus of nutrition experts in the field of osteoporosis and vitamin D. Such recommendations only apply to healthy people. If you have vitamin D deficiency, or the diseases of vitamin D deficiency, you need to be under the care of a physician.

*Monitoring 25(OH)D Levels*
We predict that treatment with physiological doses of vitamin D3 _(between 4,000–10,000 IU/day from all sources, including sun, food and supplements)_ along with periodic monitoring of blood calcidiol and calcium levels will become routine. 

*Research indicates it will help several vitamin D deficiency-associated diseases such as:* autism, autoimmune illness, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, influenza, myopathy (neuromuscular disorders), and osteoporosis.

At this time, we advise even healthy people _(those without the diseases of vitamin D deficiency)_ to seek a knowledgeable physician and have your 25(OH)D level measured. If your levels are below 50 ng/mL you need enough sun, artificial light, oral vitamin D3 supplements, or some combination of the three, to maintain your 25(OH)D levels between 50–80 ng/mL year-round.

*How Much Vitamin D?*If you refuse to see a physician, or can't find a knowledgeable one, purchase the 1000 IU/day vitamin D3 cholecalciferol pills that are available over-the-counter in North America or a 5,000 IU capsule. Take an average of 5,000 IU a day, year-round, if you have some sun exposure. If you have little, or no, sun exposure you will need to take at least 5,000 IU per day. How much more depends on your latitude of residence, skin pigmentation, and body weight. Generally speaking, the further you live away from the equator, the darker your skin, and/or the more you weigh, the more you will have to take to maintain healthy blood levels.

For example, Dr. Cannell lives at latitude 32 degrees, weighs 220 pounds, and has fair skin. In the late fall and winter he takes 5,000 IU per day. In the early fall and spring he takes 2,000 IU per day. In the summer he regularly sunbathes for a few minutes most days and thus takes no vitamin D on those days in the summer. The only way you can know how much you vitamin D you need to take is by repeatedly getting your blood tested—known as a 25(OH)D test—and seeing what you need to do to keep your level around 50 ng/mL.

*Infants and Children*
Infants and children under the age of one should obtain a total of 1,000 IU (25 mcg) per day from their formula, sun exposure, or supplements. As most breast milk contains little or no vitamin D, breast-fed babies should take 1,000 IU per day as a supplement unless they are exposed to sunlight. The only exception to this are lactating mothers who either get enough sun exposure or take enough vitamin D (usually 4,000–6,000 IU per day) to produce breast milk that is rich in vitamin D. Formula fed babies should take an extra 600 IU per day until they are weaned and then take 1,000 IU a day, as advised below.

Children over the age of 1 year should take 1,000 IU per every 25 pounds of body weight per day, depending on latitude of residence, skin pigmentation, and sun exposure. On the days they are outside in the summer sun, they do not need to take any; in the winter they will need to supplement accordingly.

Children over the age of 10 years old should follow instructions for adults detailed above.

*Vitamin D Upper Limit*
If you absolutely avoid the sun, you should have your 25(OH)D level measured and remember that a maximum of two pills a day (50 ug or 2,000 IU) is the upper limit (UL) currently listed by the Food and Nutrition Board as the amount not to exceed unless under the care of a physician. When it comes to vitamin D, the right amount is good—a lot is not better and can be dangerous. However, 2,000 IU a day is simply not enough for many people to get the full benefit of vitamin D, nor is it enough to keep vitamin D levels around 50 ng/mL, especially in the winter.

*Maintaining 25(OH)D Levels*
If you are suffering from any of the diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency you need to be under the care of a knowledgeable physician. Your physician needs to replete your vitamin D system with sunlight, artificial light, oral vitamin D, or a combination of the three, while treating your vitamin D deficiency illnesses using conventional means. Regardless of the method used, we believe your physician should be certain your 25(OH)D levels are maintained between 50–80 ng/mL.

For those who do not fear the sun, judiciously expose as much skin as possible to direct midday sunlight for 1/4 the time it takes for one's skin to turn red during those months when the proper ultraviolet light occurs at one's latitude (usually late spring, summer and early fall). Do not get sunburned. Vitamin D production is already maximized before your skin turns pink and further exposure does not increase levels of vitamin D but may increase your risk of skin cancer. Black patients may need 5–10 times longer in the sun than white patients, depending on skin type. After several months of judicious sun exposure, a 25(OH)D level should again be obtained to ensure levels between 50–80 ng/mL.

Several artificial light sources are commercially available that provide the proper wavelength for vitamin D production, such as the D-Lite, Renew, & SunSplash UV/Tanning Systems offered on Mercola.com. The D-Lite System is the first of its kind in the country. It is a 12-lamp system that produces only UVB rays. It is designed for those who want the vitamin D benefits of the sun without tanning.

As far as vitamin D supplements are concerned, we believe cholecalciferol is the preferred oral form of vitamin D, as it is the compound your skin makes naturally when you go in the sun. It is more potent and perhaps even safer than the synthetic analog, ergocalciferol, in more common use. Cholecalciferol is 1.7 times more efficient at raising 25(OH)D levels than is ergocalciferol. 

Evidence that vitamin D3 increases serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D more efficiently than does vitamin D2. 

*Calcitriol Contraindicated in Vitamin D Deficiency*
Ergocalciferol has been used safely by physicians for years for a variety of indications. Unfortunately, when doctors don't prescribe ergocalciferol, they sometimes prescribe calcitriol or newer analogs of calcitriol, costing thousands of times more than cholecalciferol. Calcitriol, and its analogs, are contraindicated in vitamin D deficiency because they may cause hypercalcemia and they fail to address the real problem: low stores of 25(OH)D. Cholecalciferol repletes the vitamin D system by filling up your vitamin D tank with 25(OH)D, the vitamin D fuel. 

Giving calcitriol, or its analogs, for vitamin D deficiency is like shooting ether into your engine to keep your car running. In addition, they pose a significant risk of hypercalcemia (high blood calcium). If you have a simple vitamin D deficiency and your doctor insists on prescribing calcitriol or an expensive analog of vitamin D (other than cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol), find another doctor.

*Hypersensitivity Not Toxicity*
Vitamin D hypersensitivity syndromes are often mistaken for vitamin D toxicity. This rare syndrome occurs when abnormal tissue subvert the kidney's normal regulation of endocrine 1,25(OH)2D3 (calcitriol) production. Aberrant tissues, usually granulomatous in nature, convert 25(OH)D into 1,25(OH)2D3 causing high blood calcium. The most common of such conditions are sarcoidosis, oat cell carcinoma of the lung, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma although other illness, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, can cause the syndrome. Periodic measurements of 25(OH)D levels and serum calcium will alert the physician to the need to do more tests, such as 1,25(OH)2D3 or PTH.

Toxicity is simply not a concern in doses below 10,000 units a day. Restoring physiological serum levels of 25(OH)D will help many more patients than it will hurt.


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