Am I Unable To Absorb Vit D Naturall Or Something?

[MelissaCrystal]

Hey guys,

Just wondering how many of you have trouble keeping your Vitamin D up. Is this related to Dysautonomia? I find it so odd that even though I'm getting outdoors and drinking lactose free vitamin D milk, I still cannot seem to get my levels up naturally. I'm going to have to take supplements for the rest of my life! I already figured that...but still.. It just seems weird that my levels are always below 10 and they should be over 50. I took Vit D 1000 UI for a year and stopped taking it for 3-4 months and now it's back to being non-existent. I'm really, really pale, so is it possible my skin just doesn't absorb any from the sun? How normal is this? If this is somewhat normal, I'm 100% sure some of my pale skinned friends are deficient, as they have the same lifestyles.

[jump]

I have the same problem, although I am not pale, and no one else in my family has the same problem, even though some of them are very pale indeed. My D levels are never normal naturally (although incidentally, my doc told me they were fine as long as they were above 30 -- do you think it's possible that your doc has unrealistic expectations about what your D levels should be? Did she have a reason for wanting you to be in the upper end of normal?)

Honestly, I have all kinds of weird symptoms when I let my D fall low (can't sleep well being the biggest problem), so I just happily take my supplements. I spend a LOT of time outdoors - in the summer, probably two or three hours a day - and my D's are still never normal.

Even if you want to continue trying to get them to be normal naturally, though, now is probably not the time to try, since it's fall.

[MelissaCrystal]

My doc said most normal people fall around 50, but she'd be more comfortable if she can see me over at least 30. I've never gotten it up that high x.X Even with the 50,000 UI special prescriptions she gives me. I get close, but never over. Such a pain.

[futurehope]

MelissaReid,

Do you have absorption problems in your gut? Maybe you have sensitivity to gluten or you have small intestine bacterial overgrowth? Are you low on other vitamins, like B-1 or B-12?

Also, do the parathyroids affect Vitamin D levels?

I really do not know about any of the above affecting D but I thought I would throw it out there.

[toddm1960]

I have the same problem, for over 2 years now I've taken 50,000 IU three times a week. My levels still today aren't at the lower end of the scale.

[skyblu]

Melissa, my Vit D level was low (18) a few months ago. I didn't want to take any supplements so I've been sitting in the sun for about 7- 10 minutes a few days a week. Because, I don't do well in the heat I've had to do it before 10.00 am. I just had my level drawn again last week and I was surprised to see it's up to 27. Still a little low but much better. I think the trick is you need to be in direct sunlight without wearing sunscreen.

[gertie]

My vit D levels were 8 when tested the first time. I took Vit D 1,000 - 2,000 units daily for a year & when retested it was only up to 20. I've never consumed dairy products. I think if we could be in the sun for 30 min daily it would help more than anything.

[skyblu]

My vit D levels were 8 when tested the first time. I took Vit D 1,000 - 2,000 units daily for a year & when retested it was only up to 20. I've never consumed dairy products. I think if we could be in the sun for 30 min daily it would help more than anything.

30 min of sunlight a day would be the best thing to increase Vit D levels but unfortunately it's not great for us fair skinned people as far sunburns and skin cancer. I live at a higher elevation so the sun is always stronger which is why I might have been able to get away with the 7 - 10 minutes of sun.

Not sure if I'll need to increase the amount of time in the winter.

[Broken_Shell]

Maybe it's because many of us don't get much sunlight or can't tolerate dairy products...? I have been on the prescription 50000 IU vitamin D twice a month (after a weekly course for 6 weeks) for over a year, but my values are still lower than we'd like too. It's interesting because vitamin D is actually a hormone and it does so many things in the body. It makes me wonder if ANY of my symptoms would be resolved with better vitamin D levels. I wonder the same thing because I also have a chronically low ferritin.

~ Broken_Shell

[sue1234]

I have low D also. Speaking of parathyroids, I know that if someone has hyperparathyroidism, it causes high calcium. In this case, the body will automatically lower vit. D levels in the body so that the body will not absorb anymore dietary calcium. It's a protective mechanism to lower calcium levels. I don't tolerate the prescription or the 1000 IU vit. Ds. They all make me have worse insomnia, more palpitations, and higher b/p-----all signs of hypercalcemia. So, I wonder, if in people like me, could I be somewhat hypercalcemic under normal vitamin D levels? I know before I got POTS, every March was my daughter's first softball tournament. This was also a two-day outside event and we all got our first spring dose of sunshine. For about the 3 years in a row, I would end up with what I thought was a bladder infection, but lately think I just got a good dose of vit. D and ended up with calcium spilling into my urine, causing the bladder irritation. Who knows, but it doesn't hurt to go over theories in regards to any illness that isn't clear-cut!

[ramakentesh]

I read somewhere that it takes 48 hours for vitamin D to be absorbed from your skin - so washing before this time makes it all disappear - not sure this is true or not but I heard it.

[njfainter42]

I read somewhere that it takes 48 hours for vitamin D to be absorbed from your skin - so washing before this time makes it all disappear - not sure this is true or not but I heard it.

I have really low levels and take a couple of 50,000 pills also. Recently, my mom noticed that her prescription for 50000D was D3 and mine was D2. I did read that D3 is better and safer than D2 so I called around to find out if I could get D3 in a 50,000 mg script and 2 pharmacists said NO, 1 said YES, my doc just had to specify D3. I haven't been in touch with my doc yet but this was a thought since mom's D level has risen with her D3 script and mine has not with the D2.

[arizona girl]

Hi, I have low d too! Dr. Grubb told me also that the D3 was more effective then the D2 prescripton form. So I'm taking 2 D3, 2,000 gel caps daily. My primary had prescribed the d2, I decided to go with Dr. grubb's recommendations. My primary said okay and that we would recheck in 3 months to see how it goes.

I would be really interested in knowing what the brand name of that prescription D3 is, I couldn't find any prescription D3 when I looked a few weeks ago.

You know I have colon problems and will be having surgery too, I wonder if that has contributed to making my D just tank?

Has any one felt better after getting their D up?

[njfainter42]

Hi, I have low d too! Dr. Grubb told me also that the D3 was more effective then the D2 prescripton form. So I'm taking 2 D3, 2,000 gel caps daily. My primary had prescribed the d2, I decided to go with Dr. grubb's recommendations. My primary said okay and that we would recheck in 3 months to see how it goes.

I would be really interested in knowing what the brand name of that prescription D3 is, I couldn't find any prescription D3 when I looked a few weeks ago.

You know I have colon problems and will be having surgery too, I wonder if that has contributed to making my D just tank?

Has any one felt better after getting their D up?

I asked my endocrinologist re:D3 in 50,000 pills and he didn't think it was available in the U.S.. If I find it (in 50,000) to let him know as it is better for you than D2. Until I get my levels up I must continue the D2 since it may be the only way to get the 50,000 and then I can switch to D3 when lower doses are OK