Vitamin D deficiency

[SolarSystemmm]

Hello, a blood test has shown I am low in vitamin D but I take a supplement during the winter. My doctor suggested I get a better supplement, but I’ve no idea where to look? I currently take Tesco high strength, is that not good enough? I am outside a lot but obviously this winter has been very long.

25ug in the Tesco one is 1000ui. I take this spray which is 3 times as strong and has k2 https://amzn.eu/d/0dsNiYZP

Thank you, they have this in my local boots so I’ll go grab some

Healthy origins do a vitamin D in cold pressed oil. I would go for a higher dose, perhaps 4000iu but if you go above that you really want to be taking a couple other things. Ideally you take it with something with fats in as its fat soluble and you could also take a K2. There are other things that are ideal alongside but taking a good quality vitamin D should help.

If you look on facebook there are Vitamin D groups with lots of good advice on vitamins. I had issues for years even with the GP prescribed vitamin D, it never improved. I found a Facebook group, followed their advice and within a few months my levels were so much better.

Is there a particular group that you found most helpful? I clearly have a lot to learn as I thought that just an off the shelf would do the trick, I was very surprised to learn I’m deficient. Also, do you take it all year even in the height of summer?

Why on earth did your GP not prescribe you a supplement at the right strength?

I don’t know! I had another health issue and we talked about that for most of the appointment to be honest.

Seriously, just call reception and say the GP didn’t get round to actually prescribing the thing they say you need …

My dc are both deficient. They are on D3 supplements (as apparently thats more effective than D2). Ive attached a photo of their current supplement (but its probably best to check with GP)

How deficient are you?

Recent blood tests I had showed that I was deficient in Vitamin D too. Anything over 15 is classed as normal and my result was 6 which they classed as significantly deficient.

I am now on a 7 week high course of Vit D supplements (each capsule is 20’000 units) and I take two capsules a week and then I have got to have a repeat blood test after the course has been completed.

I will be asking what the plan is for long term management.

Here
this is the max daily dose with k2 in as well. I take them daily all year round

https://amzn.eu/d/07cRrC4g

Get a script from GP. If you like mackerel try to eat a few tins per week on sourdough crackers. Tesco and Marks are very good. Eating the vitamins as real food makes a big difference. Best of luck 🍀 🤞 and keep up the good work during the summer unless you have an outdoor job.

I have had the same. I have finished the 50,000 units a week and was told by my GP to take 1000units a day. I take the BetterYou vitamin D spray.

You MUST take vitamin D with K2 for bone health. And ideally magnesium.

I get one from pureclinica. 5000iu with K2, in oil for better absorption. Vitamin D is oil soluble.

I get a vid d high strength liquid prescription that I have to take fortnightly.

Ask for somthing similar?

The pps are right about taking k2 with it, and that it should either be in a capsule with cold pressed oil or you should take it with some food with fat in it.

Also taking high doses from GP does nothing.
Vitamin D has a half life of two days or something. You can take a high dose for a while and then it will drop again.

There is a vitamin d group on FB. Try joining that.

I take Nutrition Geeks vit D 4000iu with K2. I've previously been significantly deficient.

You wont make vitamin D in your skin between October and March however much you are outdoors - unless it's somewhere further south than Britain. An oil capsule is better than a tablet. If you eat enough green leafy veg, legumes, nuts, seeds you wont need a magnesium supplement.

Took Boots high strength until was prescribed AdCal D3. Also fortified yoghurt, nuts/seeds, mushrooms, oily fish etc

Hi everyone. Thanks for all this. My diet is really good, lots of nuts, seeds, leafy greens etc every day. I will go back to the doctors and see what they recommend alongside doing my own research. because I’m confused by some of the responses!

It's really not hugely complicated. I know I brought mine back from deficient pretty easily, as did, I suspect, a lot of us on this thread. 4000 iu (100 ug) of Solar Vitamin D softgels and 1 full spectrum vitamin K2 capsule per day brought me up to mid-normal in about 1 month. I stop in May and restart in October.

My diet is excellent too, but that doesn't give you the necessary sunlight to synthesise vitamin D.

@user3398721 i agree.

I also disagree that you can get sufficient magnesium from food. I can't. And not only do I eat leafy greens and nuts but 4squares of very dark chocolate and I still take magnesium glycinate 300g elemental each day.

I take magnesium glycinate every night before bed (not that it has ever helped me sleep!)

Well I didn’t think diet was involved which is why I’m confused because people are saying here it is and that the GP dosage won’t be enough. I’ll pick up a higher strength with K2 and see how that goes and if I feel better. I’m equally concerned about overdosing with some of the recommendations!

There really aren't many foods that contain high amounts of vitamin D. Eating foods like nuts, olive oil, eggs, oily fish will be helpful in converting, but beyond that there's not much you can do dietarily.

You won't overdose in a few months. It's true you can't wee out excesses of Vitamin D, but it also takes time for your stores to build up, so if you get tested again in a couple months, you'll be perfectly fine.

The dose I take, by the way, was what my doctor recommended and it worked perfectly.