Vitamins - dosage. A possibly silly Q sorry.

[dobblevit]

My vitamin D levels are low and so I take Vitamin D - 1000UI or something it says on the box. The box also says DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT.

However they also sell 2000 UI and an even stronger one. So can I ignore the warning and take 2 1000UI safely? If so, why the large shouty warning??

Some thoughts:

Vitamins are manufactured and sold to make money for the producer and retailer, not necessarily to make us healthier. Not everything on sale meets UK guidelines. The big shouty message is to cover themselves.

I think its possible to take larger doses less often. So someone could take 2000IU every other day, or 10000 every ten days or something.

I have been taking 1000IU every day for years and it keeps me in the normal range.

If your vitamin D levels are deficient, you need to follow the high potency dosing protocol for vitamin D. It means you end up taking much, much more than the recommended amounts for a normal person who isn’t deficient. I think it’s like 20,000 IUs once a week (don’t quote me on that, look it up). Yes, you just ignore what it says on the box.

Thank you. Yes I was thinking if it's low I need more than maintenance dose

Don't take it for too long. Causes increased blood calcium levels, problems with kidneys and heart and weakens bones.

Vitamin D - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Very handy thank you.

Looks like you could take up to 4000IU safely.

If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.

Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years.

Children aged 1 to 10 years should not have more than 50 micrograms (2,000 IU) a day.

Infants under 12 months should not have more than 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) a day.

Go into the chemists, speak to a qualified pharmacist, and take their advice.