171 replies to this topic

[pycnogenol]

i take 5000 every three days. I'm 26 and suffer from depressive sypmtoms. I know for sure i didnt get eneough sun on my arms and legs but only on my face the last 1 and a half years.

Hi nito -- why every 3 days? Just curious.

I take 5,000 IU daily (2,500 IU twice daily, 12 hours apart).

[david ellis]

i take 5000 every three days. I'm 26 and suffer from depressive sypmtoms. I know for sure i didnt get eneough sun on my arms and legs but only on my face the last 1 and a half years.

Hi nito -- why every 3 days? Just curious.

I take 5,000 IU daily (2,500 IU twice daily, 12 hours apart).

You could take it once every three months if you wanted to. One doctor did a successful study where he mailed a pill every three months. An excess is not washed out daily, but stored and used. So all ways blood test, shooting way over is a big problem. The cases reported are very infrequent, usually the result of a massive dose miscalculation. Still .. respect the stuff. Right with warfarin in effectiveness as a rat poison is D3.

[OneScrewLoose]

Looked up that rat poison. If you ever need an example of stupidty on the internet, or how wrong one can be in saying if a lot is poison then a little must be too, look no further:
http://www.nogw.com/...poison_milk.pdf

Edited by OneScrewLoose, 14 November 2009 - 12:52 AM.

[niner]

i take 5000 every three days. I'm 26 and suffer from depressive sypmtoms. I know for sure i didnt get eneough sun on my arms and legs but only on my face the last 1 and a half years.

Hi nito -- why every 3 days? Just curious.

I take 5,000 IU daily (2,500 IU twice daily, 12 hours apart).

You could take it once every three months if you wanted to. One doctor did a successful study where he mailed a pill every three months. An excess is not washed out daily, but stored and used. So all ways blood test, shooting way over is a big problem. The cases reported are very infrequent, usually the result of a massive dose miscalculation. Still .. respect the stuff. Right with warfarin in effectiveness as a rat poison is D3.

I dunno about warfarin but I do agree that there is no need whatsoever to split doses of vitamin D. Its pharmacokinetics are such that, as David notes, it can be taken at very long intervals. I have a friend who was dosing every two weeks. Three months sounds excessive, but there is no advantage to twice a day. I find once a day to be more convenient than skipping days, so that's how I do it. Taking a 5000 IU pill instead of two 2500's would also save you some money.

[pycnogenol]

i take 5000 every three days. I'm 26 and suffer from depressive sypmtoms. I know for sure i didnt get eneough sun on my arms and legs but only on my face the last 1 and a half years.

Hi nito -- why every 3 days? Just curious.

I take 5,000 IU daily (2,500 IU twice daily, 12 hours apart).

You could take it once every three months if you wanted to. One doctor did a successful study where he mailed a pill every three months. An excess is not washed out daily, but stored and used. So all ways blood test, shooting way over is a big problem. The cases reported are very infrequent, usually the result of a massive dose miscalculation. Still .. respect the stuff. Right with warfarin in effectiveness as a rat poison is D3.

I dunno about warfarin but I do agree that there is no need whatsoever to split doses of vitamin D. Its pharmacokinetics are such that, as David notes, it can be taken at very long intervals.
I have a friend who was dosing every two weeks. Three months sounds excessive, but there is no advantage to twice a day. I find once a day to be more convenient than skipping days, so that's how I do it. Taking a 5000 IU pill instead of two 2500's would also save you some money.

I know, but I still prefer taking my vitamin D-3 twice daily. My GF on the other hand takes 5,000 IU once in the morning but then again she's the brains behind the operation.

Edited by pycnogenol, 16 November 2009 - 04:30 PM.

[kismet]

Take that Marshall fringe science! Didn't read the paper, but just noticed...

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2009 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print]
25-Hydroxyvitamin D(3) Is An Agonistic Vitamin D Receptor Ligand.
Lou YR, Molnár F, Peräkylä M, Qiao S, Kalueff AV, St-Arnaud R, Carlberg C, Tuohimaa P.
"...Using Cyp27b1 knockout cells and a 1alpha-hydroxylase-specific inhibitor we provide in four cellular systems, primary mouse kidney, skin, and prostate cells and human MCF-7 breast cancer cells, evidence that 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) has direct gene regulatory properties...Molecular dynamics simulations show the identical binding mode for both 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) with the larger volume of the ligand-binding pocket for 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3). Furthermore, we demonstrate direct anti-proliferative effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells. The synergistic effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) with 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) in Cyp27b1(-/-) cells further demonstrates the agonistic action of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and suggests that a synergism between 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) might be physiologically important."

[FunkOdyssey]

Hahah... I love it!

Take that Marshall fringe science! Didn't read the paper, but just noticed...

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2009 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print]
25-Hydroxyvitamin D(3) Is An Agonistic Vitamin D Receptor Ligand.
Lou YR, Molnár F, Peräkylä M, Qiao S, Kalueff AV, St-Arnaud R, Carlberg C, Tuohimaa P.
"...Using Cyp27b1 knockout cells and a 1alpha-hydroxylase-specific inhibitor we provide in four cellular systems, primary mouse kidney, skin, and prostate cells and human MCF-7 breast cancer cells, evidence that 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) has direct gene regulatory properties...Molecular dynamics simulations show the identical binding mode for both 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) with the larger volume of the ligand-binding pocket for 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3). Furthermore, we demonstrate direct anti-proliferative effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells. The synergistic effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) with 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) in Cyp27b1(-/-) cells further demonstrates the agonistic action of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and suggests that a synergism between 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) might be physiologically important."

[Lufega]

I know, but I still prefer taking my vitamin D-3 twice daily. My GF on the other hand takes 5,000 IU once in the morning but then again she's the brains behind the operation.

If I had a GF that was into supplements, my life would be complete

[catwoman36]

I take 2,500 IU twice daily for a total of 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3; I take it mainly for mood enhancement. I'm currently at 46 ng/mL at this amount.

I'm upping it from 5,000 IU to 6,000 IU until the end of July (yes -- with my doctors permission!) to get my liver enzymes lowered down to the normal range. They have already come down but there is still work to do.

John Cannell of the The Vitamin D Council sent me a study on vitamin D and liver enzymes.

PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16928437

cod liver oil as a good vitamin d source?

i take 4000iu of d3 daily cause my levels got 25 now in 2 months they gone up to 41 which isnt bad doctor told me to continue on this dose so i have been for another month been on for almost 3 months now and doing fine so far.

jenny

[pycnogenol]

Now taking 7,500 IU daily of D-3. Trying to get to 55-60 ng/mL. I'll find out at my next blood draw if this amount did the trick.

(5,000 IU morning, 2,500 IU evening)

Edited by pycnogenol, 15 December 2009 - 04:34 PM.

[nowayout]

Has anybody noticed any health benefits subjectively or objectively after raising serum D?

Edited by viveutvivas, 16 January 2010 - 02:33 AM.

[JLL]

Yeah, I catch colds less frequently. No effect on mood or energy as far as I know.

[pycnogenol]

Has anybody noticed any health benefits subjectively or objectively after
raising serum D?

I've noticed better mood and glucose normalizing. GF has much better mood, too.

We both take 7,500 IU daily.

[kismet]

Has anybody noticed any health benefits subjectively or objectively after raising serum D?

No effects that I can think of. Although, I haven't been at the 2000IU dose (getting me to 45ng/ml) for that long. I did get less colds this winter (none) but instead I got them in the fall and summer. I am not sure this is related to the D. 

[Luna]

I am taking 3000IU in liquid form.

I had like 17, super deficient so I started taking... I wonder where it will get me too. Hopefully a bit above 50.

[gregandbeaker]

A Dr. John Cannell is very convinced that 5000iu's of Vit. D is beneficial

.
Dr John Cannell and Vitamin D (YouTube)

[aaCharley]

i take one 5000 IU gel cap a day. Vitamin D seems to be the promo project of the day. There seems to be little downside to moderate supplimation with some probable upside to increasing the Vitamin D levels. Another consideration is that the Vitamin D created by sunlight is possibly just created at the surface and not immediately absorbed. Long term summer exposure raises the level moderately, except if you take a lot of showers to wash it off the surface.

[niner]

Another consideration is that the Vitamin D created by sunlight is possibly just created at the surface and not immediately absorbed. Long term summer exposure raises the level moderately, except if you take a lot of showers to wash it off the surface.

No. It doesn't get washed off.

[aaCharley]

I will confess that I am not a research specialist or directly involved. I was only reporting what I had read.

http://articles.merc...-You-Think.aspx
It is important to remember, if you are using the sun or a safe tanning bed to obtain your vitamin D, that the vitamin D takes about 48 hours to be completely absorbed into your blood stream, and you can easily wash it off with soap and water.

So you might want to consider only using soap in your armpits and groin for at least 48 hours to allow all the vitamin D to be absorbed. Personally I never use soap on my body other than these places (and my hands of course). Seems a waste to remove the sebum which is a collection of fatty acids on the skin. Over-washing can impair one of primary methods of staying healthy.

Not washing my skin hasn’t ever seemed to harm it and many people comment that my skin is as soft as young child’s. I think that also has to do with keeping fat content optimized by avoiding processed fats and having high quality omega-6 and 3 fats.

[ajnast4r]

summer sun definitely effects my D levels... +~20ng/mL & my exposture is moderate. i also shower daily, sometimes twice.

Has anybody noticed any health benefits subjectively or objectively after raising serum D?

major benefits for me all across the board... improved mood, improved sleep, improved resistance to illness, decreased fatigue

Edited by ajnast4r, 05 February 2010 - 06:35 AM.

[gregandbeaker]

I was taking 2000iu's over the summer and reached a level of 39, so I started taking 5000iu's since September and my level was just tested at 61. No colds or other illnesses since last January.

[Robert Taylor]

400 IU is the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). I don’t want to overdo this since research on taking 2000 IU of Vitamin D is still new and I’m a bit skeptical. I get around 600 IU a day. I take a prostate supplement (Super Beta Prostate) that contains 400 IU of Vitamin D – a lot of research shows Vitamin D is very helpful in maintaining good prostate health. Other nutrients in this supplement include beta sitosterol and minerals like zinc, copper, manganese, etc. You have to be careful about the brand you take because a lot of Vitamin D supplements don’t contain the amount of Vitamin D the label says, so it’s good to choose products that are certified by Consumer Labs or any other credible third-party labs.

[mustardseed41]

400 IU is the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). I don't want to overdo this since research on taking 2000 IU of Vitamin D is still new and I'm a bit skeptical. I get around 600 IU a day. I take a prostate supplement (Super Beta Prostate) that contains 400 IU of Vitamin D – a lot of research shows Vitamin D is very helpful in maintaining good prostate health. Other nutrients in this supplement include beta sitosterol and minerals like zinc, copper, manganese, etc. You have to be careful about the brand you take because a lot of Vitamin D supplements don't contain the amount of Vitamin D the label says, so it's good to choose products that are certified by Consumer Labs or any other credible third-party labs.

You need to research vitamin D3 more. That is a very low level your taking. Get your levels tested. Did you bother reading this whole thread?

[pycnogenol]

You have to be careful about the brand you take because a lot of Vitamin D supplements don’t contain the amount of Vitamin D the label says

What specific vitamin D supplement brands are you referring to?

[niner]

I will confess that I am not a research specialist or directly involved. I was only reporting what I had read.

http://articles.merc...-You-Think.aspx
It is important to remember, if you are using the sun or a safe tanning bed to obtain your vitamin D, that the vitamin D takes about 48 hours to be completely absorbed into your blood stream, and you can easily wash it off with soap and water.

So you might want to consider only using soap in your armpits and groin for at least 48 hours to allow all the vitamin D to be absorbed. Personally I never use soap on my body other than these places (and my hands of course). Seems a waste to remove the sebum which is a collection of fatty acids on the skin. Over-washing can impair one of primary methods of staying healthy.

Oh, this came from Mercola. Mercola is well known as an idiot. I hate to sound harsh, but the guy sells tanning beds.

Vitamin D synthesis primarily occurs in the basal layers of the skin. That's highly protected from the surface, and it isn't going to take any 48 hours for a hydrophobe like that to get absorbed. Probably closer to 4.8 minutes. I mean, fer cryin' out loud, what a moron that guy is!

[tekd]

I will confess that I am not a research specialist or directly involved. I was only reporting what I had read.

http://articles.merc...-You-Think.aspx
It is important to remember, if you are using the sun or a safe tanning bed to obtain your vitamin D, that the vitamin D takes about 48 hours to be completely absorbed into your blood stream, and you can easily wash it off with soap and water.

So you might want to consider only using soap in your armpits and groin for at least 48 hours to allow all the vitamin D to be absorbed. Personally I never use soap on my body other than these places (and my hands of course). Seems a waste to remove the sebum which is a collection of fatty acids on the skin. Over-washing can impair one of primary methods of staying healthy.

Oh, this came from Mercola. Mercola is well known as an idiot. I hate to sound harsh, but the guy sells tanning beds.

Vitamin D synthesis primarily occurs in the basal layers of the skin. That's highly protected from the surface, and it isn't going to take any 48 hours for a hydrophobe like that to get absorbed. Probably closer to 4.8 minutes. I mean, fer cryin' out loud, what a moron that guy is!

I have to strongly agree here...Mercola is not to be considered a legitimate source. I mean there's UFO conspiracy websites with more legitimate claims on them. The vitamin D that gets created when you're out in the sun is underneath in the living layers of your skin, not on top of the dead skin cells that make up the outside of your skin.
Not to mention the idea of purposely not washing yourself is disgusting.
Anyhow, UV exposure isn't great for your skin in the long term, and most of us don't live in places that are sunny enough anyway so I'd stick with taking oral vitamin D instead of stinking like crazy. And frankly anybody considering buying a tanning bed just to get vitamin D is out of their mind.

[chrono]

Just got tested this week, levels were at 17ng/dL. My doc thinks it might be a factor in my severe chronic back pain which has resisted therapy atypically. He put me on 50,000IU/day for 6 weeks (and then a re-check), which is obviously a very high dose but apparently not uncommon for trying to raise levels quickly. Will check back with results.

[ajnast4r]

Just got tested this week, levels were at 17ng/dL. My doc thinks it might be a factor in my severe chronic back pain which has resisted therapy atypically. He put me on 50,000IU/day for 6 weeks (and then a re-check), which is obviously a very high dose but apparently not uncommon for trying to raise levels quickly. Will check back with results.

dont forget that after your initial therapy you will still need to supplement vitamin D on a daily basis... you should be shooting or 50-60ng/mL

[chrono]

dont forget that after your initial therapy you will still need to supplement vitamin D on a daily basis... you should be shooting or 50-60ng/mL

Definitely! I'll probably sign up for the GrassrootsHealth Vitamin D study after I'm up to somewhat healthy levels, or use the Vitamin D Council test. They're both a bit cheaper than the one at my doctor's office.

Do we think all D-3 supplements are created equal? The Healthy Origins brand on iHerb seems like the best deal.

Edited by chrono, 16 February 2010 - 03:53 AM.

[bob412]

I took 2000 IU for several years and did not bother to test, thinking that I was at a high enough level to avoid problems. Then Jarrow Formulas removed Vitamin A from their Mineral Balance product and I thought I should test A and D before buying a separate supplement. Wow, what a surprise! I tested at 28.4 Ng/Ml and when I increased to 4000 IU I was still at 41.2 Ng/ML. Now I take 10000 IU and have not tested yet for a result.