Vitamin D question

[Frith2013]

In May, I had several tests and my vitamin D came back at 34.4 nmol/L (between 25 and 50 is insufficiency). It had never been low before.

I got a text from the Dr to take 25mcg daily and have been doing this from May onwards.

My question is - should I continue taking a high dose? Does it stabilise then you can take more of a maintenance dose?

It's an absolute ballache to make an appointment and hardly something life threatening.

Hi @Frith2013

When this happened to me, my GP asked me to have a repeat blood test 3 months later. It was just into the normal range then, so I was advised to always take a multi-vit in the winter months and to get outside in the sunshine whenever possible (I'd been using factor 50 sun protection as I'm pale).

I walk for about an hour a day and/or garden. No sun protection as I'm olive skinned and don't burn.

Does your GP practice answer emails? You could query this or ask for a repeat blood test to be done without having to see a GP first? Are nurse appointments easier to get rather than a GP appt?

Or buy a test from city assays. This is only 1000iu and for low results we recommend up to 4000 iu a day so you should defo check again and up it if it still isn't in range.

Mine was 9 in 2020
I took a high dose course (20,000 weekly) and now take 4000IU most days (I don't remember daily!)
My level is 66 at the minute
So I think it's pretty hard to get the levels up, there was a poster on here who did the calculations, if I find it I'll post it
4000IU daily is fine

This was the thread with a lot of info

If you are vitamin D deficient, what have you been prescribed? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2841497-If-you-are-vitamin-D-deficient-what-have-you-been-prescribed

Hi. Doctor told me I was slightly low in Vit D, need to take 1000iu daily. Saw another doctor and told me to take Vit D always, forever? 'm not sure what she means.. maybe it is an essential vitamin we need to take daily.

I am always low in winter as I don't get one with supplements, but when summer comes in I sit out with arms and legs bare for 20 minutes a day and my level shoot up in a few weeks. Uncovered skin makes vitamin D in huge quantities very rapidly between April and October.

My doctor told me that everyone in the uk is Vitamin D deficient and they routinely do not even check this now 🤷‍♀️

NHS says everyone in the UK should take daily vitamins D.

Don't forget that you need to take vit K with D, and I believe,we should be taking daily, year round living in the northern hemisphere

I just found out my vitamin d level is 33. A drop from 49 this time last year. I live in Australia lol, and walk outside at least an hour a day. Only wear sunscreen on my face. Thank you for linking the info to the other vit d thread. There is some fantastic info on there. I am going to start taking 4000 iu a day instead of the 1000 my dr advised. Am hoping the aches and pains in my bones will start to disappear, I never realised the connection until now.

No! Not everyone needs vit k!!!!! Are you mixing it up with vit c?

They might mean you need MK7 form of K2, because otherwise you can get a build up of calcium in the arteries. K2 helps D3 so that it helps your bones and doesn't bring health risks.

That is a tiny amount of vitamin d. I take 4000iu a day and check my levels regularly and that just about keeps my vitamin d up where it needs to be.

You are about to go into winter. I'd continue taking and retest in March/April and see where you are at. That's assuming you are asymptomatic. You want to be aiming for optimal levels.

If you are symptomatic I'd retest sooner to see if 1000iu is enough.

If you are happy with your levels at the end of winter you probably want to start again next autumn and take over winter, as we don't have enough sunlight in the U.K. during winter months to people to generate enough vitamin d.

Just keep taking the higher dose, it’s fine

25mcg is 1000 IU - it's a standard maintenance dose. Every adult in the UK should be taking this every single day.

High dose vitamin D3 is 5000 IU a day.

Get your levels rechecked and dosage adjusted. Once stabilised, continue taking c. 1000 a day for the foreseeable future.

@Sparrowsname - it can have serious consequences for people who take things like warfarin as well as interacting with other prescribed medications

In May your levels will be lowest as they will reflect the lack of sun over the winter.

However if you have olive skin you will have a harder job getting your levels up from the UK sun that someone with paler skin so they may not increase that much over the summer.

If you don't want to use supplements diet is possible. I keep my levels at 70+ year round by eating oily fish 4 x a week but appreciate this is not what most people like to do.

I'm going to up my Vit D as I'm definitely feeling a difference in joint pain.

Does anyone experience a vast difference in joint pain, summer versus winter?

Does anyone note a difference in joint pain when it's damp, wet, stormy weather?

That's exactly what I was referring to, just did it very quickly and not very clearly!

We had this with one of my sons - no one ever followed up !

@Munchyseeds2 it can bring health risks as there can be interactions with prescribed drugs

www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/multivitamin,k2-plus-d3.html

Good input. I'm gonna take my Vit D daily. x