Aa
Just learned I am deficient and need help!
Hi all.
I am new here. Recently I found out that I am vitamin d deficient. I am 10 ng/ml which I guess is very deficient.
Until this January I was fairly healthy and nothing was out of the ordinary. By February I suddenly started to feel really tired/fatigued for no reason, I had trouble concentrating and thinking and my muscles gradually began to feel weaker. My quality of sleep also became terrible and I experienced a lot of day time sleepiness. I also experienced other random things like chest pains, occasional but very subtle dizziness. Slight vision changes for the worse along with burning of the eyes. I have visited many doctors and had a good number of tests, everything has come back normal except the vitamin D. I have been started on a 50,000 IU/week treatment. I have started to eat much healthier, trying to regularly exercise and I have taken my first 50,000 IU supplement. So far I haven't gotten any relief at all.
What I am wondering is if my symptoms are actually common to Vitamin D deficiency? Based on the other thread for the list of symptoms, it looks like people have all kinds of weird symptoms. I just want to be sure that my lack of vitamin D is really causing all my issues. I never knew how important it was for my well being. Also, how long does it typically take to get some improvement? My fatigue has become so bad, I am struggling to just get through the day and be productive at work. I live in a place where the sun is rarely out and I am indoors the vast majority of the time. I am trying to do what I can to also get more sun exposure.
Thanks for all the help
I am new here. Recently I found out that I am vitamin d deficient. I am 10 ng/ml which I guess is very deficient.
Until this January I was fairly healthy and nothing was out of the ordinary. By February I suddenly started to feel really tired/fatigued for no reason, I had trouble concentrating and thinking and my muscles gradually began to feel weaker. My quality of sleep also became terrible and I experienced a lot of day time sleepiness. I also experienced other random things like chest pains, occasional but very subtle dizziness. Slight vision changes for the worse along with burning of the eyes. I have visited many doctors and had a good number of tests, everything has come back normal except the vitamin D. I have been started on a 50,000 IU/week treatment. I have started to eat much healthier, trying to regularly exercise and I have taken my first 50,000 IU supplement. So far I haven't gotten any relief at all.
What I am wondering is if my symptoms are actually common to Vitamin D deficiency? Based on the other thread for the list of symptoms, it looks like people have all kinds of weird symptoms. I just want to be sure that my lack of vitamin D is really causing all my issues. I never knew how important it was for my well being. Also, how long does it typically take to get some improvement? My fatigue has become so bad, I am struggling to just get through the day and be productive at work. I live in a place where the sun is rarely out and I am indoors the vast majority of the time. I am trying to do what I can to also get more sun exposure.
Thanks for all the help
Hi. I just found out last week I am vitamin D deficient. Have no idea how bad, but 50000 iu's (x4) of D2 showed up in the mail. I have suffered for many years with fatigue and depression. But about 3 months ago I hit a wall really hard. So I broke down and talked to my Dr. I say broke down because in the past I never got any help, because nobody could figure out what was wrong. So, I am also wondering when I'm gonna feel better. I understand 1 dose isn't gonna fix me right away, but when I read a year I feel crushed. All I can think is, at least threes a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm gonna check out the vitamin D councils website as recommended. But is there anybody out there that has recovered and can give a time frame (I understand its different for everyone) . Thanks everyone
YES! That's all I can say. I was having slight bone pain and muscle aches before starting the vitamin D supplements, but since starting them...the pain is sometimes close to unbearable. It's mostly in my upper back, neck and down into my arms. My legs and back also hurt...I can barely stand and walk. It's a struggle...and I am starting to get depressed over the possiblity that this can continue for a year or more.
Hi all. So I have been taking about 70,000 IU of vitamin D per week now total for close to 2 weeks. Before treatment muscle and bone pain was never a problem but now I am noticing that my amount of muscle and bone pain has greatly increased after treatment began. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Isn't this somewhat weird since I'd expect the opposite?
All of yesterday I felt just great. Energetic and healthy, almost my normal self except a few symptoms here and there. Now magically I'm back to feeling tired, sleepy and fatigued today.
This illness really *****.
I don't know if anyone else here has this issue with so much day time sleepiness but I found this study to be very interesting. It is about how not having enough vitamin D can cause sleepiness for unknown reasons.
http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27996
You can view the pdf by clicking pdf at the top right.
This illness really *****.
I don't know if anyone else here has this issue with so much day time sleepiness but I found this study to be very interesting. It is about how not having enough vitamin D can cause sleepiness for unknown reasons.
http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27996
You can view the pdf by clicking pdf at the top right.
Hmm.
So this is what things look like for me as far as supplements go.
50,000IU D2 once a week
On a daily basis:
A multivitamin (with 900IU of D3, 200mg of calcium and 100mg magnesium)
1000 IU of D3
750mg of Calcium
400mg Magnesium Citrate
Fish Oil
My average intake is about 9000 IU of vitamin D per day. I'm not having any difficulty handling this amount so I guess I will continue it.
How is my calcium and magnesium intake looking? I want to be careful not to overdo it and raise my blood calcium levels too high.
So this is what things look like for me as far as supplements go.
50,000IU D2 once a week
On a daily basis:
A multivitamin (with 900IU of D3, 200mg of calcium and 100mg magnesium)
1000 IU of D3
750mg of Calcium
400mg Magnesium Citrate
Fish Oil
My average intake is about 9000 IU of vitamin D per day. I'm not having any difficulty handling this amount so I guess I will continue it.
How is my calcium and magnesium intake looking? I want to be careful not to overdo it and raise my blood calcium levels too high.
Yes. Magnesium citrate is best. Also, per the neurologist's advice (different issue but magnesium still involved): Take your magnesium and vitamin D in the morning. Preferably with food to protect the stomach. Some people need more magnesium than others. I am one of these.
If you take a calcium supplement, take it at night before you go to bed. Or, at least two hours after taking the magnesium.
Two different body functions are involved with the use of magnesium and calcium (both should be citrate form). The function that uses magnesium will deplete the calcium and vice versa. So, it's counter-productive to take the two together.
It's alright to use a minimum of zinc and it's recommended. Just magnesium is the most important one to get the benefits out of your vitamin D.
It's best to not take a complex supplement that includes magnesium and calcium in the same pill.
Magnesium deficiency is just as prevalent as VDD, and it's also hard to take too much. If you have IBS-C, magnesium will help, so taking more than the minimum RDA is fine. I know this because I learned this from the naturopath I saw. You will know if you are taking too much, because you will get diarrhea if you take too much. But, each person is different. Magnesium is helpful for neurological function as well. It is a known migraine preventative. So, for some people taking 500 mg is enough. For others 1,500 mg is barely enough. So long as you're not taking more than 3,000 mg per day to get relief of something like constipation. If that is the case, something else is wrong. That is what the naturopath told me.
So, the citrate form of both the magnesium and the calcium is the best form.
If you take a calcium supplement, take it at night before you go to bed. Or, at least two hours after taking the magnesium.
Two different body functions are involved with the use of magnesium and calcium (both should be citrate form). The function that uses magnesium will deplete the calcium and vice versa. So, it's counter-productive to take the two together.
It's alright to use a minimum of zinc and it's recommended. Just magnesium is the most important one to get the benefits out of your vitamin D.
It's best to not take a complex supplement that includes magnesium and calcium in the same pill.
Magnesium deficiency is just as prevalent as VDD, and it's also hard to take too much. If you have IBS-C, magnesium will help, so taking more than the minimum RDA is fine. I know this because I learned this from the naturopath I saw. You will know if you are taking too much, because you will get diarrhea if you take too much. But, each person is different. Magnesium is helpful for neurological function as well. It is a known migraine preventative. So, for some people taking 500 mg is enough. For others 1,500 mg is barely enough. So long as you're not taking more than 3,000 mg per day to get relief of something like constipation. If that is the case, something else is wrong. That is what the naturopath told me.
So, the citrate form of both the magnesium and the calcium is the best form.
Browse this forum and you will find a thread that has people list their symptoms. Yours sound very common to vitamin D def (VDD). The sad part is it is a slow process for recovery. Not a one pill I feel better type of situation. I also posted awhile back a portion of a study on symptom recovery when person finally reaches and maintains a optimum level. In that study most symptoms were gone by 1 year of consistent levels of 50ng/ml or greater. I took the 50,000iuD2 weekly and at first felt nauseated afterwards. After almost a year of taking that dose (and never getting up as high as I needed), I insisted I switch to the D3 and started with 2000iu daily after 3 months my numbers went up, but not much so it was increased to 5,000iu D3 daily. This amount has finally kept my numbers in the 50ng/ml level. You will have good days and bad with no tangible cause as why one or the other, but eventually you will have more good days then bad. I encourage you to look at the different threads and ask questions. What may work for some may not work for others, so do your research and be your best advocate.
Thanks for the response.
I got tested for anemia twice and I was told there is no sign of it. It seems like the VDD is the only thing that doctors can find. I'm also going to go get magnesium supplements (400mg) to take today. My doctor actually said I should have above 40-50ng/ml (with 30 being considered the absolute minimum). Any advice on which type of magnesium to get? I've heard magnesium oxide isn't very absorbable. Its only been a few days since I took my first 50,000 IU dose but I'm feeling miserable today.
Really fatigued, can't think well, weak and just unwell. I really hope I improve soon.
I got tested for anemia twice and I was told there is no sign of it. It seems like the VDD is the only thing that doctors can find. I'm also going to go get magnesium supplements (400mg) to take today. My doctor actually said I should have above 40-50ng/ml (with 30 being considered the absolute minimum). Any advice on which type of magnesium to get? I've heard magnesium oxide isn't very absorbable. Its only been a few days since I took my first 50,000 IU dose but I'm feeling miserable today.
Really fatigued, can't think well, weak and just unwell. I really hope I improve soon.
Make sure you take magnesium with your vitamin D supplements. No matter if you are taking prescription (D2) or over-the-counter (D3, natural). Check out the Vitamin D Council's website.
Vitamin D deficiency can kill. It almost killed me. My first test started out at 8, not 10. Your conventional doctor will stop testing when you get to 30. You need to aim for 60 to 100 for optimal health, though. Natural doctors get this. Conventional doctors stop, though, because the FDA requires them--even if there are some who believe you should be at 60 for optimal health. Many conventional doctors do still believe that anything above 60 is too much. This is not so. Again, check out the Vitamin D Council's website.
Yes, sun exposure is best for vitamin D, but when you do get sun exposure, don't come inside and shower or bathe immediately after sun exposure. This washes off your efforts. Wait until the next morning and just shower as you normally do. If you're worried about stinky B.O., just do some strategic washing in places like under your arm pits--if you do have something to worry about. A full bath or shower will waste your efforts to get sun exposure. Again, this is what you will learn on the Vitamin D Council's website.
Did your doctor check your iron levels to ensure you don't have iron deficiency anemia? Vitamin D deficiency also causes fatigue, but so does iron deficiency. It makes sense to check both. Something that helps with both issues is to eat one serving of ORGANIC beef or chicken liver ONCE a week. NEVER eat liver more than once a week. You can get vitamin A toxicity. This is why you shouldn't use cod liver oil to get your vitamin D. Plus, since cod are fish and the oceans are so polluted that even if the fish are caught from the cleaner areas of the world's ocean, that just isn't enough. On the evening news just last night we were warned not to have more than 7 oz of any seafood in a one month period of time even if the seafood is caught in the cleaner areas of the oceans. And, that's for everyone who isn't a pregnant woman or woman of child-bearing age who could get pregnant. So, it's even less for these women. We can't control what other people do to the oceans.
One added note: If you eat shrimp, make sure your shrimp doesn't say: "Product of Thailand". Over fishing of these is threatening endangered species. If you've never heard of the fishing cat, it's because it's a species that only lives in specific areas of the world. Places where the shrimping is done in Thailand are the only areas where these endangered cats live. Plus, eating shrimp isn't going to help your vitamin D levels.
The thing with taking the magnesium is something many conventional doctors fail to tell patients who just find out that they're vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin D deficiency can kill. It almost killed me. My first test started out at 8, not 10. Your conventional doctor will stop testing when you get to 30. You need to aim for 60 to 100 for optimal health, though. Natural doctors get this. Conventional doctors stop, though, because the FDA requires them--even if there are some who believe you should be at 60 for optimal health. Many conventional doctors do still believe that anything above 60 is too much. This is not so. Again, check out the Vitamin D Council's website.
Yes, sun exposure is best for vitamin D, but when you do get sun exposure, don't come inside and shower or bathe immediately after sun exposure. This washes off your efforts. Wait until the next morning and just shower as you normally do. If you're worried about stinky B.O., just do some strategic washing in places like under your arm pits--if you do have something to worry about. A full bath or shower will waste your efforts to get sun exposure. Again, this is what you will learn on the Vitamin D Council's website.
Did your doctor check your iron levels to ensure you don't have iron deficiency anemia? Vitamin D deficiency also causes fatigue, but so does iron deficiency. It makes sense to check both. Something that helps with both issues is to eat one serving of ORGANIC beef or chicken liver ONCE a week. NEVER eat liver more than once a week. You can get vitamin A toxicity. This is why you shouldn't use cod liver oil to get your vitamin D. Plus, since cod are fish and the oceans are so polluted that even if the fish are caught from the cleaner areas of the world's ocean, that just isn't enough. On the evening news just last night we were warned not to have more than 7 oz of any seafood in a one month period of time even if the seafood is caught in the cleaner areas of the oceans. And, that's for everyone who isn't a pregnant woman or woman of child-bearing age who could get pregnant. So, it's even less for these women. We can't control what other people do to the oceans.
One added note: If you eat shrimp, make sure your shrimp doesn't say: "Product of Thailand". Over fishing of these is threatening endangered species. If you've never heard of the fishing cat, it's because it's a species that only lives in specific areas of the world. Places where the shrimping is done in Thailand are the only areas where these endangered cats live. Plus, eating shrimp isn't going to help your vitamin D levels.
The thing with taking the magnesium is something many conventional doctors fail to tell patients who just find out that they're vitamin D deficient.
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