Can you take too much vitamin D ?

[tambrown]

I am on 400 iu a day because my vit D level is normal but a low normal . Taking thousands of iu seems like way to much I know you can take to much iron , what amount is to much vit D ? Should I ask a Dr.s advice ? A reumey dr. prescibed the 400 iu. Tammy

[wriser]

ive read that more d3 the better. normal is around 15k a day.

i right now take 50k 2wce a week, or i did. took last one yesterday. cause mone was very low.

i am hoping to get blood work on it tues if my legs stop hurting and i can walk by then.

[cocogirl]

I take 5000 units a day per my MS specialist advice. I think it must be helping me but don't ask for definitive reasons.

[boylecen]

I've been struggling with low Vit D for over a year.Acceptable Vit D levels are 32 to 100... My blood level was 18 and after 50K twice a week for 12 weeks..it came up to 24; so another 50K twice a week for 13 weeks...up to 28 so was told could do over the counter 2K a day. From my search ;1 to 2 thousand a day is the high end of normal over the counter dosing with 400 as a precautionary/preventative...esp if you don't know what your blood level is .

[nutritiontara]

Attention all you 50Krs:if its Rx D...its most likly - D2 the inactive form. Thats Pharma getting into the vitamin business. D3 is the biologically active form. Thats evidenced by boylecen going from 18 to only 24.
Go to most stores, get a liquid or gel cap D3, take 10-20k/day and retest in 3 mos.
Below is a summary of a vit D study:
High Doses of Vitamin D Cut MS Relapses
Study Shows Vitamin D May Help Reduce Relapse Rate of Multiple Sclerosis
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

April 28, 2009 (Seattle) -- High doses of vitamin D dramatically cut the relapse rate in people with multiple sclerosis, a study shows.
16% of 25 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) given an average of 14,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day for a year didn't suffered relapses, says Jodie Burton, MD, a neurologist at the University of Toronto. In contrast, close to 40% of 24 MS patients who took an average of 1,000 IU a day -- the amount recommended by many MS specialists -- relapsed, she says.
Also, people taking high-dose vitamin D suffered 41% fewer relapses than the year before the study began, compared with 17% of those taking typical doses.
People taking high doses of vitamin D did not suffer any significant side effects, Burton tells WebMD.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
In contrast to many vitamins, no recommended dietary allowance (RDA) has been established for vitamin D. Instead, the Institute of Medicine has set a so-called adequate intake level; the recommendations are 200 IU daily for people under 50, 400 IU daily for people 50 to 70, and 600 IU for those over 70.
John Hooge, MD, an MS specialist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who was not involved with the research, says he recommends MS patients take at least 1,000 IU and "probably 2,000 IU" day.
"This is an impressive study that shows that even higher doses are probably safe and even more effective. Maybe next year, I'll be recommending higher doses," he tells WebMD.
Vitamin D vs. Relapsing MS
Most of the people in the study had the relapsing form of MS, characterized by repeated relapses with periods of recovery in between. They suffered from the disease for an average of eight years.
"They had very mild disease, with an average score of 1.25 on the Extended Disability Status Scale, where zero corresponds to normal and 10 to death," Burton says. Participants suffered one relapse every other year, an average.
People in the high-dose group were given escalating doses of vitamin D in the form of a concentrate that could be added to juice for six months, to a maximum of 40,000 IU daily. Then doses were gradually lowered over the next six months, averaging out to 14,000 IU daily for the year.
The rest of the participants were allowed to take as much vitamin D as they and their doctors thought was warranted, but it averaged out to only 1,000 IU daily.
Everyone also took 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day. Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and together with calcium, helps promote bone health
Vitamin D appears to suppress the autoimmune responses thought to cause MS, Burton says. In MS, haywire T lymphocytes -- the cellular "generals" of the immune system -- order attacks on the myelin sheaths that surround and protect the brain cells.
In people given high-dose vitamin D in the study, T cell activity dropped significantly. That didn't happen in people who took lower doses.
The researchers also measured the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], also known as calcidiol, in the blood. The Institute of Medicine says that is the best indicator of a person's vitamin D status.
Summary: There's no ideal level, although concentrations of less than 50ng/dl of blood are considered inadequate for good health. In the study, it appeared MS patients did best if levels reached 100ng/dl, Burton says.
People with MS should talk to their doctors about whether they might benefit from vitamin D supplements, she says.
"Too much vitamin D can be harmful for people with certain medical conditions such as kidney disease," Burton says. "Also doctors can monitor your blood levels of 25(OH)D.

[tambrown]

Thank you to all that have responded I have a neuro appt tomorrow and I will ask about vitamin d 3 supplements . How much he wants me to take . Tammy

[Twenty Miles]

Just heard this yesterday on the local news

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...ay/650258.html