Vitamin D deficiency

[LJMilkTea]

Hello,

I recently had some blood tests as I had been catching every cold and virus going, having joint pain, shooting pains, major tiredness and feeling a bit low. Bloods showed I have ‘very low levels of vitamin d’.

I’ve been put on 20,000 IU every day for 15 days as I presume, a loading dose. Have a GP appointment on Monday to discuss.

Just wondered if anyone has been through similar, what symptoms you had and how long/how much supplementation it took for you to feel better.

In a way I’m so glad there’s a reason for feeling so rubbish, but also wondering what’s to come...

I’d be grateful for any responses! Thanks

[Mumma1984]

I had mine done and it was a bit low- 43 I think it was - I took 3000 spray everyday for nearly 2 months and it tripled then she just told me to continue taking a supplement for winter :)

[honesttogod]

I had the same and low folic acid too. I started to lose my hair. Was put on a high dosage course for 6 weeks, two tablets a week and I feel loads better and stopped losing so much hair. I take a vit d tablet everyday now and a folic acid tablet two to three times a week.

[MoonlightMistletoe]

I am vit D deficient, I think my level were 17 when they was last checked.
My hair falls out, I'm exhausted from the moment I wake up 😳, my nails are rigid, I just feel shit all the time.

I had the loading tablets and tbh I didn't feel much different after taking them. I was also diagnosed with probable lupus so I think it's common to have a deficiency with that.

The doctor may advise you to take a vit d supplement every day after you've finished the loading phase.

[LJMilkTea]

Thanks for the responses. @Mumma1984 and @honesttogod good to hear your levels have bounced up/you’re feeling better. It’s so sneaky.

@MoonlightMistletoe I’m sorry to hear that. It is awful. With no irony, and I know it sounds dramatic but I thought I have never felt so bad.

Did any of you have weight gain/issues losing weight? Also any issues with fertility? May be a strange question but it’s a bad time for it to happen as we were on the cusp of trying for a baby, which will be delayed for a bit now I should think 🙄

[MoonlightMistletoe]

It doesn't sound dramatic at all I completely understand!

For some reason I can't seem to gain weight , my BMI is just in the healthy range but I'd like to have a bit more meat on me tbh! To be completely honest I have no problems with conceiving and also I felt so much better during my pregnancies the only thing was the tiredness I'd be asleep straight after my dinner just completely drained.

There's no reason for you needing to stop ttc, in a way it's good you've found out because now you can add Vit D to your supplements and will be better for when you do conceive. Wish you all the best!

[Roselilly36]

That is a very high dose tbh, I take 10,000 international units a day, as my Vit D level was very low, which is fairly common occurrence with my disability. My levels have improved and are now within the lower level of the normal range, my Vit D level is checked every 3 myths along with my usual DMD screen.

[Bloluks]

I had the same, I was put on a course of 20,000 2x a week for 8 weeks and told to take high strength of 1,000 daily. I have just been to have a blood test to see if my levels are okay now.

[Mumma1984]

I can't lose weight but I think that's more because I love food lol also no issues with conceiving - I got pregnant one month after coming off my depo x

[scared2020]

The good news is that it's treatable and you should feel better soon if that is the cause.,

[loutypips]

I have low vit d levels due to a medical condition. I used to take supplements but have stopped.
My hair is falling out like crazy, feel tired all the time and, no matter how little I eat can not shift weight!
I think I should start taking them again...

[KipperBang]

I had levels of 27, so deficient

I take 4000 mg a day. Was retested 10 weeks later and was at 99 do it worked perfectly for me

@Bettertobehealthy is perfect for advice on this

[Anarchyinateacup]

I have a rare condition called Solar Urticaria, I react to visble light so wear sunscreen and then reflectant sunscreen regularly as well as limiting my sunlight exposure, my levels were 11 and it can be dangerous for me to have too much light exposure.

I often felt tired, well drained more like, and I had brain fog and found it hard to concentrate, joint and muscle pain, generally just felt pretty awful! My mental health took a beating too...and all of it cleared up once my GP started me on supplements!

[aNonnyMouse1511]

Have you had your calcium levels checked?

[Esspee]

Sorry to hear you are all suffering from this. I love being out of doors, especially in the sun and haven't had a cold or flu in over 20 years. Apart from Anarchy do the rest of you get enough sunshine?

[Crinkle77]

I had a sever deficiency about 3/4 years ago and my levels were 17. I was put on a loading dose but my levels kept dropping once the treatment stopped so I take a regular maintenance dose to keep them topped up. I do feel better but am still struggling with tiredness and am pushing for further investigations.

[midwestfornow]

I was similar, had three months of high dose and have maintained a standard dose since.
After 3 months my symptoms had gone away and I was back to normal.

[midwestfornow]

I was also told to expose myself to sun for 20 minutes a couple of times a week.
I had over done the sunscreen.

[LJMilkTea]

Thank you so much for your responses. It’s reassuring that a lot of people’s levels went up after higher supplementation.

Still taking the loading dose and waiting to feel slightly better. It’s the bone pain that gets me down. Yep had calcium checked and it was normal.

Saw GP today and I will move to 1000 per day after loading dose and see how I go. Blood test in 3 months.

[Bettertobehealthy]

hi LJmilkTea ,

I would imagine your original blood level would have been below 25 nmol/L , because you have been given a fairly substantial daily dose , ( loading dose) in order to quickly raise your level. The standard loading dose is 300,000 IU , given at a rate commensurate with your level of deficiency. If it was at 25 or below , that could , in certain circumstances result in rickets in children , or other conditions such as osteomalacia in adults.

In general, as an adult of about 75kg , supplemented by 1000 IU per day , in the long term , you can expect the vitamin D blood level to rise by about 25 nmol/L , above the unsupplemented level.

When you take 300,000 over 15 days , your blood level will spike up, to probably over 100 nmol/L . Followed by a gradual decline, depending upon how much you receive subsequently, but also how much vitamin D you absorb from natural sources. It does depend upon your diet and sun exposure. IF you are vegetarian or vegan , you receive almost none from diet. In addition, here in the UK , you cannot make Vitamin D in the skin from sunlight between mid-Oct and mid-April. A 6 month period , when UVB radiation in sunlight is not present at our UK of Latitude 50+ degrees North.
It is the UVB , which stimulates VitD production in exposed skin. This time of year often shows up the declining vitamin D levels in many of us following 4 months of none from sunlight. Also be aware , that suncreams , of Factor 15 or above effectively block UVB , and stop Vit D production in the skin, even in Summer. You should leave them off , for at least 20 mins , to stimulate vitD production.

One of the common problems with VitD , here in the UK , is the decline , often seen after loading dose, when a smallish maintenance dose is administered. You really should make sure you know what your VitD level is, after 3 months , then again , after continuing on your maintenance dose for a further 3 months or so. IF your level is declining , and symptoms come back , you may need more of a maintenance dose.

I have written about this problem several times , here is one quite long thread ....(more like a book , lol.) Have a look ! It may be of interest.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2841497-If-you-are-vitamin-D-deficient-what-have-you-been-prescribed

Best of luck. IF you need any more information , then please do get back to me.

BTBH

[EllenRipley]

Hi OP, I very much recommend a Facebook group called Vitamin D& co-factors UK. The admins can advise on their very effective protocol, based on up to date research, to raise your levels. The use of co-factors like magnesium, vitamin K2 & boron ensures your body is using the D supplementation efficiently and safely (you can run the risk of hypercalcemia when dosing with D). I've yet to see a member of the group for whom it hasn't worked really well.

[LJMilkTea]

@Bettertobehealthy wow, thank you so much for that, I really appreciate it. Yep, it was 24, weirdly not as low as I thought for how bad I was feeling, bone pain in particular was horrible. Starting to feel better but yet again have tonsillitis, I feel like I’m catching every cold/virus going whereas before I felt I had a strong immune system. This may be on the post you mentioned and I will definitely check, but would low vit D cause higher inflammation?

@EllenRipley thank you for this I will definitely check out the FB group. I have started taking magnesium but didn’t know about the others so that’s great, thanks