Vitamin D is 115 ? Hmmmmm

[stoshooo]

This is weird - and of course I'm not a doctor - but I don't know anything about vitamin D and maybe some of you do. I got a bunch of bloodwork and while going over it it says:

VIT D, 1,25-DIHYDROXY

115 pg/mL

It goes on to say Reference Range: 18-78

I have read that Low vitamin D can be common in MS patients per recent studies. What about high? Hmmm....

[CaroleL]

I have no idea Stoshooo, have you googled it?

Let us know!

[Seasha]

I think you should voice your concerns to your doctor. I've heard that anything over 100 is considered toxic. Are you taking extra D3 supplements? I would go off them for a time, if I were you. But, best to check with your Dr.!!

[SNOOPY]

Just my thoughts...

If you are using a D3 supplement then it is probably time to cut back on the amount you use.

If, on the other hand, your Vitamin D level is at that level naturally I'm not sure there is any concern. Of course your doctor would be the best person to ask.

[MSer102]

If vitamin D is too high it can screw up the calcium balance and cause kidney damage and osteoporosis. If its too high it can also cause some of the same symptoms as MS like fatigue and muscle weakness. A level of 90 or 100 is usually thought of as toxic and yours is obviously over the top of the range on your lab report.

I agree with everybody else. If your taking a vitamin D supplement you should stop and check with your doctor and get your calcium and kidney function checked. Then you can see if you notice any difference in fatigue and muscle weakness.

High vitamin D can be bad just like drinking the right amount of water is good but drinking too much can upset the chemical balance and kill you.

[golfore]

I have been taking about 15000/mg d3 daily for several years. My specialist suggested it.

I don't think it is dangerous and can be taken in HIGH doses.
I could be wrong.

Anyone??

[jcrain9663]

Actually, the Vitamin D Council says that toxicity is extremely rare. These are the levels that are stated to be toxic.

"Toxicity threshold level - 200-250 ng/mL (500-750 nmol/L) 4 5 6 7 8
Upper limit - 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L)

The large range between 25(OH)D’s upper limit and its threshold value implies a degree of safety at serum levels up to 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L), since concentrations twice this amount have yet to ever be associated with toxicity."

The information also states that one would probably have to take more than 4,000 units daily, and some have been taking 2,000,000 units daily before reaching toxic levels.

So, while 115 ng/mol is above the upper limit, it's not considered toxic. There are many people who now state that the published daily requirements are too low for optimum health.

[MSer102]

Its not how much vitamin D you take, its what your blood level is. It your taking so much that your out of the reference range then your taking too much and should cut back or stop.

You have to have your calcium and kidney function tested to see if its too much. The amount recommended for the general public is 30 ng/ml. The amount recommended for MS is at least 50 ng/ml. If the reference range for your lab is less than 80 mg/ml then your too high. You might not be in the toxic range but if you have fatigue and muscle weakness or kidney problems or osteoporosis you'll never know if your too high if you don't cut back on your supplements. I can't imagine how anyone could measure 115 ng/ml in the winter without taking supplements. And if your taking supplements then 115 is too high.

115 is WAY above the minimum recommendation for even MS so I don't think its good even if people with MS tell you it is.

Again it isn't how much vitamin D you take but how high your blood level is and 115 is too high according to recommendations. I haven't read anything that says that 115 provides a benefit above 50, but a lot that says that levels above 90 or 100 can cause problems.

Nobody who says that 115 is OK knows how your vitamin D level is affecting you so I think it's more important for you to have your calcium level and kidney function and osteoporosis tested to see if it's OK or too high for YOU. There's a reason that your lab report gives an upper limit for normal. People on a message board don't know anything about you and can't say if 115 is OK for you. If your lab range says its too high then you need to check your calcium and kidney function and talk to your doctor to see if its OK for you.

[HellsBells1]

pg/ml conversion to nmol/L

The OP says that the results were 115 pg/ml which is not the same as an nmol/L measurement.

Online converters say that 115 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre) is equivalent to 0.680 nmol/L. Also, 115 pg/ml is the same as 115 ng/ml (nanogram per ml). Any ranges you refer to must be in the same unit of measurement.

The correct test is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin

OPTIMAL - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Values
50-70 ng/ml or
115-128 nmol/l

NORMAL - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D lab Values
20-56 ng/ml
50-140 nmol/l

It is possible (and happens often) that the lab used the wrong unit of measure, otherwise, it would seem you are quite high. However, if you really are at 115 nmol/l then you are within range. I would discuss with doc and have him double-check with the lab on the results and unit of measure.

[stoshooo]

answer

Well my answer from my neuro was: "yep your vitamin D is really high - it it doesn't concern me". I have never taken a suppliment (of any kind, I dont even take vitamins, which I think is going to change shortly...) But - yeah her response was well less than I was expecting.

[stoshooo]

The OP says that the results were 115 pg/ml which is not the same as an nmol/L measurement.

Online converters say that 115 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre) is equivalent to 0.680 nmol/L. Also, 115 pg/ml is the same as 115 ng/ml (nanogram per ml). Any ranges you refer to must be in the same unit of measurement.

The correct test is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin

OPTIMAL - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Values
50-70 ng/ml or
115-128 nmol/l

NORMAL - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D lab Values
20-56 ng/ml
50-140 nmol/l

It is possible (and happens often) that the lab used the wrong unit of measure, otherwise, it would seem you are quite high. However, if you really are at 115 nmol/l then you are within range. I would discuss with doc and have him double-check with the lab on the results and unit of measure.

So your saying the VIT D, 1.25-DIHYDROXY is the wrong test? They have given me the wrong test? Hey where can I find that information?

[MSer102]

It makes sense that your doctor might have ordered the wrong test since she wasn't concerned about the result. I think that if she ordered the wrong test she would have known it when she read the results so maybe she didn't even know what she was ordering or why she ordered it.

But even if it wasn't the usual vitamin D test, there's still a reference range and your still over the top.

Lab results are pretty standard so I don't think its possible that the lab used the wrong units. They wouldn't stay in business very long if they can't even get the units right. Doctors wouldn't put up with it.

My kidney doctor checks my vitamin D regularly so I get to see my results a couple of times a year. I think its important to know that different countries use different units of measurement for vitamin D tests so it can be confusing if your trying to compare apples to oranges. But whatever the units are the country uses there's always a reference value in the same units.

If it wasn't the right test then I think its probably your doctors fault for not ordering the right test or not recognizing if the right test wasn't done. And if she doesn't care then I don't know what your supposed to do.

[HellsBells1]

Sorry, no, I'm not saying they did the wrong test, it was meant just to post the ranges that are normal or optimal. Just saying that it could simply be retested to see if 2nd results are consistent - this is the only way to determine if the first test was accurate. If it turns out that you are that high in your Vit. D levels, you should push your doctor to advise you on how to lower it. It just seems strange that since you don't take supplements, and LOW levels of D are associated with MS, that you would have such high levels - it should be verified.

But for the last poster, labs make mistakes ALL of the time. They are human, and if ever a test comes back with very unusual results (i.e.. you've been regularly tested, and one result is drastically different) or it doesn't make sense, a doctor and patient should always question the accuracy.

End of Oct. my TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) which I have checked every 3-6 months came back at 6.5 which indicated my thyroid was quite Hypo. My doc immediately increased my synthroid dosage by just one small step up. The drug manufacturer says you should wait a minimum of 3 weeks to retest to see the effectiveness of the new dose, but I happened to have my neurologist request the same test again 1 week later, and my results came back 0.58 which is on the Hyper side of the range but given my condition, perfectly acceptable. Changed family docs, got new tests done, and my results came back at 0.15 (probably about 5 weeks after dosage change). This is significantly hyperthyroid. My doc, and I believe that the first results had the decimal place in the wrong place and that it should have been 0.65 which is much more in line with my usual tests. I am back on the same dosage I have been on for years.

My mother received notification that she had stage 4 cervical cancer after a routine pap, and after having a biopsy, showed completely normal. We were really concerned about whether the lab mixed up the patients, and some poor lady with stage 4 cancer received notification that her pap was clear.

I am aware of many anecdotal stories about lab mistakes, including incorrect unit of measure, decimals in the wrong place, contamination of sample causing incorrect results, false positives, false negatives, and even patient reporting errors (mixed up patients).

Trust but verify!