Vitamin D severely deficient

[Arobins18]

Hello,

I have a possible diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and during the diagnostic tests I was found to have Vitamin D level of 6.
I've been on 50,000 units of Vit D3 for a month and still feel horrible.

My legs feel like lead weights, insomnia, aches that can't be discribed and even worse depression symptoms then ever before. I workout 6 days a week (step aerobics and running (sometimes))
But I get to the point where my legs are so heavy that I can hardly get through a workout. This is not normal because I have been exercising on a regular basis for 7 years plus.
When will I feel better? Will I ever truly feel normal again?

Can a vitamin deficency cause long term problems if not caught soon enough?
I can't say how long I've been deficient and wish my doctor (GP) would have checked. It was a back specialist I was sent to that checked.

Thanks in advance!

[Arobins18]

I noticed there were no T3 & T4 levels, I guess I didn't pay so much attention to them not bring there as I gave to my Vit D levels being so low.

I will be back at docs in a month to retest D levels so I will have them check T3 & 4  as well.

Guess I should look for some foods that are high in B Vit or maybe I need to invest in supplements.  Seems the older we get the harder it gets to maintain healthy levels.

You never appreciate good health until it's gone!

Thanks for your answers!

[Barb135]

There aren't any thyroid tests.  Ask for Free T3, Free T4 and TSH.  Free T3 and Free T4 are actual thyroid hormones and should be at least mid range or higher to rule out a thyroid issue.

Your vitamin B12 is "in range", but too low in the range.  Most of us have to keep B12 at the very top of the range in order to keep symptoms at bay. Too low B12 causes fatigue, brain fog and some other symptoms shared by hypothyroidism and fibro.  Some countries consider anything under 500 as being deficient; my lab puts a note on the report that anything under 500 may cause symptoms of deficiency.

[Arobins18]

Tests.                             Levels
WBC 4.8.                        K/ul 4.6-10.2
RBC 4.35.                       M/ul 3.80-5.10
HGB 13.4.                       G/dl. 12.0-16.0
HCT 40.1.                        % 35.0-45.0
MCV 92.2.                       FL 80.0-97.0
MHC 30.8.                        Pg 27.0-34.0
MCHC 33.4.                     G/DL 32.0-36.0
RWD 13.8.                        % 11.0-14.8
PLT 162.                           K/ul. 142-424
MPV 9.7.                           FL 6.2-12.1

Sodium 138.                     MMOL/L 136-145
Potas 4.4.                                         3.6-5.1
Chloride 105.                                     98-107
CO2 27.                                             22-32
Anion Gap 6.0f.                                  6.0-18.0
Glucose 84.                           MG/dl.   70-110
BUN 18.                                              8-20
eGFR nonafr-am 60.                        No levels listed
TSH 2.94.                                   uIU/ML 0.34-5.60
B12 475.                                     180-914
Vit D 6.23L.                               30.00-100.00
Creatinine 0.77.                       MG/DL 0.60-1.30

Well that's everything on the list...

[Barb135]

Thank you for clarifying the Vitamin D issue.  I pretty much figured that's what it was and you'd be getting it via script.

I totally agree with you about doctors putting symptoms together and getting a diagnosis a lot quicker... there are a lot of who would like for that to happen.

Because of fibro having the same symptoms as hypothyroidism and the fact that thyroid hormone medication alleviates the symptoms, you really might want to push on that as well, even if your levels are "fine".  Just being in range usually isn't fine for most of us.  If you don't have copies of your labs, we always recommend getting them and if you care to post them, with reference ranges, we'd be happy to help interpret them.  Not all doctors interpret them the same and many will put hypo patients on pain med or anti-depressants for fibro when they really need thyroid hormones, which are much less expensive and have fewer side effects.  

[Arobins18]

All my blood work was normal but Vit D,
Thyroid, Vit B, Mag, pot, blood counts plus everything else all normal.

I'm taking 50,000 iu 1x a wk for 8 wks which was a script from my back doctor. I am starting week 6 of d3.

If my doc would have put all my symptoms together instead of alone I would have been diagnosed sooner and not felt so crazy. All my tests were normal, always! I felt like a hypochondriac going in for all of these symptoms not knowing they were all connected to one problem.

Due to the overuse of sun screen and working inside, and kids not playing outside like before video games became so popular, people are becoming more Vit D deficient. Almost should be the first instinct for a doctor to start asking a patient that comes in feeling tired and achy how much time they spend outside, if they use sunscreen etc, they'd probably catch it before levels get too low.  Nothing against doctors, I know they are busy and work hard and are human too, God bless them! I wouldn't want their job!

Anyway, it was my back problems that got me to a doctor that got the ball rolling. She still thinks my problems are fibromyalgia but we will see once my vitamin D levels are within normal range.

Thanks for the responses!

[Red_Star]

Scratch the 350mg lol.  Female RDA for Magnesium is 320 mg and for males 420mg. :)

[Red_Star]

True about the toxicity of an overdose of fat soluble with the exception for vitamin E which has no known toxicity.

RDA for elemental magnesium is 350mg with no UTL - states loose stools taken at max dose; however magnesium glycinate should prevent that symptom. Certain types of magnesium do not absorb well. The bioavailability of magnesium oxide is 4% for instance. Doctor's supervision is needed if taking magnesium with kidney disease or severe heart disease.

[23chris]

That's interesting redstar. Thanks for the info. What is the suggested dose of Mg supplementation?

That said, and just as further clarification,  I again think it's important to mention the danger of fat soluble vitamin overdose. Attributed side effects is far different from lab levels in the toxic range and concommitant hypercalcemia

[Red_Star]

Excerpts from - Know the Importance of Taking Enough Magnesium with Your Vitamin D...

"Vitamin D, just like all other nutrients, works in harmony with several other nutrients to perform its many functions. Most importantly, vitamin D requires and 'uses up' magnesium to convert from supplements or sun into its active form in the blood. As such, it is a big mistake to simply take large doses of Vitamin D without taking the need for magnesium into consideration. Yet this is exactly what is happening in most cases and it is causing a lot of people to have problems that they believe are due to side effects of Vitamin D- or even worse they believe they are experiencing an overdose.

Such a huge number of people have subtle magnesium deficiency that some researchers and doctors are calling magnesium deficiency an epidemic, and anyone with even a mild or 'subclinical' magnesium deficiency will have this deficiency amplified when Vitamin D is taken. This is creating some uncomfortable 'Side Effects of Vitamin D' that are actually symptoms of an induced magnesium deficiency! Some of the magnesium deficiency symptoms being attributed to Vitamin D are:

Headaches
Insomnia
Jitteriness
Muscle Cramps
Anxiety
Heart Palpitations
Constipation"

[23chris]

I think I was clear about the units sold. If you are familiar with the gel caps then you know they are small. Taking 10 would not be difficult though perhaps not in one swallow. From my own experience, I would never assume no one would take large amounts without the supervision of a doctor especially with the abundance of medication info and misinfo available on the internet.  I have seen worse medication mishaps. There's a person on this forum in another thread that wants to skew blood work with non prescribed Rx meds. You can't seriously tell me what I'm suggesting is unlikely.

Self medication and especially self vitamin therapy is big business. Articles about Vitamin D deficiency are becoming more and more prevalent in the general media especially in the age of sunscreen and recent medical attention based on research that supports growing deficiency rates and its health effects.

Whether or not the OP comes back I still believe it important to highlight the risks of fat soluble vitamin over dosage. That would include Vits A and E in addition to D. Vitamins are not considered drugs in the US and as such are not regulated by the FDA in the same manner nor is an Rx required. Thus OTC vitamin mania

[Barb135]

You can buy 50,000 IU capsules at Walmart?  I sure can't buy them at my Walmart - haven't even seen the 5000 IU.

You'd have to take 10 - 5000 IU capsules to equal Arobins 50,000 IU, if they were taken all at once, daily.  I can't imagine anyone taking 10 at one time or even taking that high a dose daily for a month.  I guess she could take 2/day for 5 days to get 50,000 IU/week.  I'm guessing that anyone taking that much, would be doing it on doctor's orders because most people don't even think about taking vitamin D, let alone dosages that high.

Unfortunately, we might never know, since she hasn't reposted; hopefully, she will clarify.

[23chris]

You'd think doses that high would be regulated but they are not. I was quite surprised to find them sold everywhere OTC in large botlles. Even Wally World sells the same 5000 iu capsules  that I get filled at the pharmacy as an Rx and sells them OTC in bottles as large as 150 gel caps  That would be a 5 month supply for me. And there is no warning on the OTC product.

[Barb135]

Of course, the frequency is quite relevant and I'm sure, now that it's been questioned, Arobins will clarify that when she responds to some of the other comments. Vitamin D3, in that high a dosage only comes in prescription form, so I don't see how she could take it for a longer time than that specified by her doctor.  

[23chris]

Thanks Barb. You are correct.  Still, knowing the exact frequency of dosage is important. 50000iu/week for a few weeks is definitely within guidelines. 50000 iu/day for the same amount of time could get someone in trouble. Either way, very high doses should not be continued for more than the time advised by a doctor. Retesting may be in order to see if high dose replacement therapy is successful and to determine the correct maintenance dose if indicated.

[Barb135]

Common dosage for Vitamin D3 is 50,000 IU per week for approximately 8 weeks when one has severe deficiency.

[23chris]

How long it will take to feel better is impossible to answer. Though vit D deficiency can cause fibromyalgia-like symptoms, that's not to say correcting the deficiency will fix your aches and pains from another coexisting condition.

I am also D deficient but not quite as severely as your own case and am also on 5,000 iu (which I hope you really meant you are taking, not 50,000 iu). The dose we are on is many times above the daily RDA. Since Vit D is fat soluble, excess intake is stored long term in the  body. With high dose supplements, toxic levels are possible and doses of 5000iu/daily should not be taken for more than a few months without rechecking levels.

Once your levels are in the normal range, many of the conditions the deficiency causes should correct themselves assuming there are no other coexisting conditions that also affect calcium utilization.

That said, have you had thyroids levels checked? Hypothyroid Sx may be similar to fibromyalgia and low Vit D levels are associated with autoimmune induced thyroid problems

[Barb135]

Have your thyroid hormone (Free T3 and Free T4) and TSH levels been tested?  Symptoms of Fibromyalgia are the same as those of hypothyroidism and many doctors who prescribe thyroid hormones find that the symptoms are alleviated, even if thyroid hormone levels are in the normal ranges, particularly, if they are in the lower half of the ranges.

Many people with hypothyroidism also have Vitamin D deficiency.  Vitamin D deficiency causes many hypo-like symptoms.  Some studies have shown a link between Vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).  You might ask to get thyroid antibodies tested, as well.  Those tests are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) to determine whether or not you have Hashimoto's which is an autoimmune thyroid disorder.