I also have low D - I take 4-5000iu of D3 daily. It started when I had high cortisol and has persisted with my low cortisol state - but I also have a parathyroid issue - so not sure really the cause - it could be the parathyroids or just my cruddy auto-immune system.
Vitamin D is really a hormone!
Hi again,
2000 IU per day is a good start and has no risks attached to it. The endo should be the one who raises your daily intake to say 5,000 IU.
If you see your endo within 30 days of starting the 2,000IU per day then he will say if it should be raised. I bet he/she says raises it to 5,000 or 4,000 per day. For a short time.
Now if you are to see the endo more than 30 days from when you started the 2000 IU per day then I would urge you to stay on 2000 per day until you see him/her. Do not stop taking the Vit D.
I think it's best to take all vitamins in the morning as they have a stimulatory property like coffee. I take mine with b/fast daily with 1/2 cup of water. Make sure the type you are taking is D3. That is the best type of Vit D. There are several types.
Have you had your calcium checked? If not then check that before you see the endo. If it is low then do as I do, take a 600 mg of calcium when you take the Vit D. They work best together.
You asked if low cortisol and low Vit D are correlated. I cannot recall but know that when either is low you'll feel weak (or bad). I would bet that when both are low you'll feel twice as bad.
How did you establish you are low on cortisol?
Hi thankyou so much for your reply! Mine is at 26 and gp is putting me on 2000 per day for 30 days until I see my immunologist (Lupus specialist). So do you think the low cortisol and low vit d are related to each other?
I too had low cortisol in 2010 and one of the tests I had was for Vit D.
Had I not felt bad and not tested for low cortisol I would never
have been diagnosed with low Vit D.
What is your Vit D level?
Mine from memory was 27 which was way below the 'low' of the range.
An endocrinologist is THE person to determine what to do with you a low level. Your general practitioner or primary physician is usually not skilled in addressing this.
The usual dose is 1,000 IU per day, i.e. one standard capsule to keep the Vit D at a good level..
However when I was found to have a reading of 27 my endocrinologist put me on 5,000 IU per day for 30 days. This boosted my reading to the low 60's and thereafter I was on 2,000 IU per day for 3 mths then down to 1,000 IU per day ever since.
Please see a good endo, ideally someone who is affiliated with a highly respected hospital
Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic. Estimates are over a billion worldwide deficient with 50% of the world's population at risk. Basically everyone has vitamin D deficiency until proven otherwise lol. Vitamin D is now the most requested lab test. There are numerous causes of vitamin D deficiency but high cortisol is a listed cause. The reason is most of the cholesterol is used to make more cortisol and not enough is left over for vitamin D production.