Your D3 is severely deficient. I was at 19ng/mL in September and will retest my blood in a few weeks.
US lab range is 30-100ng/mL. You need to be above 50ng/mL. Anything below should be considered deficient.
UK should be 150-250nmoL
D and magnesium deficiency can cause depression, fatigue, anxiety, pain, brain fog, headache, eye sensitivity, etc.
You need Vitamin D3 supplements, magnesium and Vitamin K2 (as long as you aren't taking medications that would conflict with K2).
If you don't want to take a pill they have D3 liquid drops. My daughter takes those.
You could start at 5,000iu D3 daily for a few days to see how you feel, then work your way up to 10,000iu daily. Even when you get to corrected levels, you need to supplement daily. D3 does not stay in your body.
5,000iu is more like maintenence dose. You must retest your blood after 3 months to see where your levels are at.
The only blood test that can diagnose vitamin D deficiency is a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25 OH vitamin D). Unfortunately, some doctors are still ordering the wrong test, 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D.
Magnesium is essential, you need to take it with your D3. Take D3 with some sort of fat (like coconut oil, avocado, peanut butter, etc. it helps D3 & K2 absorb). Take D3 in morning or afternoon. Not at night. It may keep you up.
Health risks are completely insignificant. the 50,000 unit pills are provided to non-compliant patients, to be taken once a week.
Normal levels are 30 or above. Take the capsules/pills. You will not bring your levels to the norm by diet alone.
Hello there!
I never realized how important Vit D is to our body and health until my mom who has MS was diagnosed as deficient. Even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following:
Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Cognitive impairment in older adults
Severe asthma in children
Cancer
Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis.
In our diet, we can get more vit D in the following foods:
Wild-caught fish (425 IU in 3 oz salmon, 547 IU in 3 oz mackerel)
Beef or calf liver (42 IU in 3 oz)
Egg yolks (41 IU per egg)
Canned fish (154 IU in 3 oz tuna, 270 IU in 3.5 oz sardines)
Shiitake mushrooms (40 IU in 1 cup)
Fortified Sources (Note: Not all brands are vitamin-D fortified, so read labels carefully.)
Milk: whole, nonfat or reduced fat (100 IU in 8 oz)
Yogurt (80–100 IUs in 6 oz)
Almond milk (100 IU in 8 oz)
Pudding made with milk (49-60 IUs in ½ cup)
Orange juice (137 IU in 1 cup)
Breakfast cereals (50–100 IUs in 0.75–1 cup)
Fortified tofu (80 IU in 3 oz)
Oatmeal (150 IU in 1 packet)
Cheese (40 IU in 1 slice)
Eggnog (123 IU in 8 oz
Margarine (25 IU in 1 teaspoon)
But it does sound like you are critically deficient, so may I suggest that you take a supplement until you get it much closer to normal values. Due to the nature of Vit D, you won't find it in a pill form that you can crush. However,
chemically known as "cholecalciferol," vitamin D3, is also available in liquid drops. You may be able to get your Dr to prescribe the liquid for you (if you explain your anxiety and inability to take pills/gel caps). If MD won't work with you to get you liquid, you can get it at a health food store.
Hope this helps and that you feel better soon!