anyone have allergic reaction to Vitamin D?

[TamraW]

Hi! I switched to a new Vitamin D, a liquid 1,000 mg with no soy or gluten. I took it yesterday along with my new B12. My face swelled up. Today I decided not to take the B12, thinking that had caused a reaction.

I took the D today and my face swelled again, so I guess it is the D that is making me sick. I had a terrible reaction when my first endo gave me the 50,000 unit gel caps. I thought it was the soy in the gel, but now I wonder if I'm allergic to D.

Anyone ever heard of that? How do you treat this?

:) Tamra

[TBird53]

I have been taking supplements containing vitamin D for two years, not realising the chronic depression, runny nose, chronic joint and bone pain was related to this. I have been back and fore the doctors for the last few months , but nothing will get through to them that my symptoms are related to vit D supplements. My face started to change when I began to take the supplements but I couldn't pin point that this was the cause. In two years my skin has aged significantly. I now think I am allergic to Vit D . I am also very concerned that I was pregnant and breastfeeding while taking the supplements . Although they only contained 100 IU of vit D and were recommended for during the second and third trimester and nursing, the baby stopped growing in my womb at around 8 months - It is only now that I am putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
It is more than frustrating as everyone thinks that I am crazy for thinking vit D could do this to me and I have been treated for ;mental health' issues instead of addressing the fact that I have all the symptoms of Vitamin D allergy/overdose.

[jstce]

P.S. Forgot to mention - the vitamin D's from fish liver oil don't generally use cod liver, but one or a combo of other fish liver oils in which the amount of vit D is more concentrated, e.g. halibut. Essentially it's been concentrated and the vitamin A removed - that process may also lead to something being left behind.

R

[jstce]

Hi into_the_mystic - have you contacted Solgar to ask? I've found them to be good at responding to queries about their products. Bluebonnet also make a 1000iu fish liver oil vitamin D using soy oil instead of safflower.

Have you tried piercing the softgel and mixing the oil into food or something to take it, thereby avoiding the softgel?

Depending on what the reaction is, maybe it's something else altogether (e.g. vitamin D needs other synergists - are these also being supplemented in sufficient amounts if taking high amounts of vit D?).

Another possibility is that the vit D is stimulating an already over-stimulated immune system and any other allergens in the formulation are also causing a reaction (e.g. safflower can be a problem for hayfever, asthma, allergic rhinitis, etc).

Sorry, perhaps not that helpful...

R

[jstce]

Hi all - reading the above, the symptoms many describe, such as palpitations, frequent urination, breathlessness, anxiety, lethargy, depression etc - are signs of vitamin D/calcium toxicity. Remember that vitamin D increases calcium absorption. Some people with low vitamin D may test low because the body is actually protecting itself from absorbing too much calcium. Calcium can be high for different reasons but is never normal - please make sure your calcium levels are tested at the same time, every time.

Additionally, some oils used in softgels are known allergens - e.g. safflower and sunflower oils are both related to daisy/ragweed, and highly likely to cause a reaction in people who suffer hayfever or allergic rhinitis. Reactions can include swelling in face or mouth, asthma or difficulty breathing, etc etc.

Glycerin is another ingredient to be wary of, and another possibility is the gelatin capsule (dry vitamins) and/or other fillers such as magnesium stearate - these can contain traces of the potentially allergenic sources they were derived from. Magnesium stearate is generally derived from "vegetable" sources though it's never specified what.

Many manufacturers label products hypoallergenic, gluten free etc - however, unless they've made the entire supplement from scratch themselves, it's doubtful they'd know the origins of all ingredients. Unless the label states something like "formulated to be free from..." or similar, I'd ask the manufacturer (though more often than not they won't reply or may answer evasively).

One more thing to bear in mind - many things state they're free from yeast and wheat, but seldom mention bacteria or mold - these can also be problematic to people with compromised immune systems, and are used to make many supplements.

If you are taking any vitamin D - whatever you do, be careful taking supplemental calcium as well (including calcium fortified food). Lethargy, frequent urination, headaches, muscle aches and pains, tight chest feeling - none of these are normal and are signs of toxicity. Stop taking one or both as soon as any of these symptoms develop.

All the best,
R

[into_the_mystic]

Other clues that the Solar 1000 IU softgels product contains lanolin:

1) Fish liver oil is the *fourth* ingredient listed, after safflower oil, gelatin, and vegetable glycerin.  This means that less than 25% of the contents of a capsule is fish liver oil.

2) The last ingredient is "cholecalciferol."  There would be no need to include cholecalciferol as an ingredient if it were only a component of the fish liver oil.

[into_the_mystic]

I believe that the Solgar 1000 IU softgels *must* contain lanolin.  If you search the Internet, you will find that one teaspoon of fish oil (e.g., cod liver oil) contains a minuscule amount of vitamin D.  In my opinion, the only way Solgar could get that amount of vitamin D in their small capsules would be if a lanolin-based source of vitamin D had been added to the fish oil.

I have NOT been able to identify any other supplement company that sells a fish oil-sourced vitamin D product that does NOT contain lanolin.  How plausible is it that Solgar is the only company that is able to do so?