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Q. I have leg pain when walking and hip pain at night. I have a vitamin D level of 14. Is it too late to take vitamin D and if not how much should I take?
A. Your low vitamin D level might account for your symptoms. Vitamin D deficiency appears more common than previously believed. Many doctors prescribe 50,000 units of vitamin D once a week to correct a deficiency like yours. Here is one reader’s experience:
“For several years I suffered from sore hips, knees and BODY! I chalked it up to getting older and going through perimenopause.
“On my last trip to the doctor I told her I was only 48 years old and felt like I was 100. She tested my vitamin D and the count was 11.
“She prescribed 50,000 units once a week of Vitamin D. I took one dose and felt like a new person the next day! For the first time in years, I have NO soreness ANYWHERE!”
It’s never too late to take vitamin D. For more information about the symptoms and dangers of vitamin D deficiency and how to treat it, you may wish to listen to our interview with Dr. Michael Holick and Dr. James Dowd. Anyone who would like a CD of this one-hour discussion may send $11.99 in check or money order to Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. CD-672, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. Show #672 is also available as a podcast for $2.99 at www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Jenny
I read a book about D3 by Jeff T Bowles and decided to investigate further. I had a blood test and was found to have low levels (18 US standard). We cannot buy high dose D3 in Australia so I bought some online from a US company 5000iu + K2 capsules. I have started on these one a day and am going to increase this to 10000iu per day. I have severe OA of right knee and hope this will help my pain as I do not want to have surgery as this only leads to other problems.
To the people on prescription D, check what D it is, as usually the prescription one is only D2 and not nearly as effective as D3. If you are on high dose D3 you need K2 as well. Investigate all you can and take charge of your own health.
I feel confident I have found the answer to my problems and am looking forward to the D3 taking effect very soon.
God Bless all.
Peoples Pharmacy response: 10,000 units of vitamin D daily might be excessive. Be sure to stay in touch with your physician and have your 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels checked periodically.
Helen
I have had bad leg cramps at night — left me with pain in my legs for several days! I started taking VIT D3 on my own (my primary doctor said, if he could find a cure for leg cramps he wouldn’t have to work anymore) after reading many articles about Vit. D 3 deficiency. Had my Vit. D level checked and it was lower than it should be. So with myself and rheumatoid Dr. we decided I should supplement my Vit. D 3 and I did, and I haven’t had any leg cramps since. Believe me the Vit. D3 is worth it and I continue to take 2000 -3000 a day and will continue to do so.
I haven’t noticed any difference in my energy level or other pain issues. But I am sure it has helped other issues as well. We would all like to be pain free. I don’t think one Vit. can cure all our issues. I do believe that Vit. D deficiency is more common than we all realize, so my advice when in doubt check with a Dr. that deals with these issues and maybe we can find a way to eliminate some of our joint pain etc. Prescription meds do not make one well, in fact, unless you have heart or blood pressure issues—or maybe some serious disease where you need prescription meds I would try to avoid them as much as possible. My big thing is the advertising they do on TV, and then they say “ask your Dr. if so and so is right for you” its like peddling drugs, wish they would stop those awful advertisements.
So my feelings are simple, if you feel your Vit D 3 level is low, have it checked first and go from there. I only take one prescription Med and that’s Synthroid, had a Nodule on left side of my thyroid and had a partial thyroidectomy in 2006– I am grateful and thankful that is all I take. I hate pills! I am 78 years old—blood pressure is 124/79 and I weight 122 and I take Vitamin E, B Complex, Vit D3 daily and that is it for me—- do not take calcium/mgn –tried those two and I had nothing but issues when taking them.
We are all different and we have different issues when taking pills, vitamins etc. So we can’t all be judged the same, its our chemical makeup –in other words what is good for one person may not be good for you or me.
With the Vit, D 3–give it some time , like everything it doesn’t all happen with one dose.
Thanks for listening. Hope this helps someone out there
Helen
R.B
In march 2013 because I was so tired even after just waking up, the doctor told me my vitamin d level was 11 and prescribed me 50,000 iu after taking the pills for 4 weeks my nerves are messing with me so hard to explain, it’s like if I don’t want no one to touch me and the nerves in my left foot and my mouth like if they are drawing up, when I take advil it stops the nerves from moving.
Will this stop once I get my vitamin d level up its about to drive me crazy please help. Does vitamin d deficiency mess with your nerves?
Peoples Pharmacy response: Please get in touch with your doctor and let him or her know how you are reacting to this medication.
cpmt
I had the same problem until I started taking CoQ10 and vitamin B12 (I always have been deficient in vit. B12 and vit. A (I can’t absorved them properly).
what a difference.
Ellen
My levels were low at 20 nine weeks ago. I took 50,000 units once a week, plus an additional 5000 units daily with a magnesium supplement. The brain fog and light headedness stopped within 6 weeks, and no more leg cramps. My levels are now at 108. I was shocked it went up so quickly. I will continue taking 5000 a day. I live in the Seattle area so getting enough sun is not always possible. Thanks for your website.
Pat
I had the same problem when taking vitamin D. I stopped it on my own to see if it would help and it did. The doctor said it was a side effect of large doses of vitamin D. She said I was way too low at 13 and I had to take at least 5,000 units a day of vitamin D but that just kills my legs. I am taking 2,000 units of vitamin D a day now and I’m still in pain with that. I don’t know what to do either. I see my arthritis doctor soon and I’ll see what she suggests for me.
VM
Having had unexplained pains over various parts of my body over the past couple of years (which continue on and off today), I figured I’d share what I’ve learned since I now believe I know the cause of it all. Whether this is the cause of other people’s pain with so-called “fibromyalgia” I cannot be sure, but I do believe many suffer similar pain. First of all, I tried Vitamin D since I had low amount over a year ago. It didn’t seem to help.
I’ll cut right to the chase. All of my pain (including horrible pains last year down both my arms, numbness in my fingers on occasion, which a neurologist confirmed is NOT carpal tunnel syndrome, but coming from higher up in my shoulder) and shoulder surgery (which oddly ‘cured’ the pain in my left arm as well as my right, despite only being in my right shoulder and having nothing to suggest the two little bone spurs caused any of this. The doctor simply gave his best guess. They may have been there since birth) IS CAUSED by *tension*.
When I say tension, I mean any kind of subconscious stress, emotional anguish or anything that might cause you to tense up muscle groups that would otherwise not be tense. I’ve since proven to myself beyond all doubt that my shoulder and arm pains and even the tingly finger stuff occurs when my neck muscles are TIGHT under the surface. The trunk of my neck feels like a tree trunk when this pain is going on. When there is no pain, my neck is more ‘squishy’ feeling. I’m bearing down on muscle groups I have little control of when I get upset, irritated, depressed, etc. The problem then feeds on itself. The more pain I feel, the more the muscles ‘lock tight’ so-to-speak and the pain continues on and on and on. I’m starting to learn to relax those muscles, but the real cause is the stress/anxiety/etc. and being AWARE of that helps keep the problem manageable.
I believe the same problem is going on with my leg muscles, foot muscles and around my hip. I’ve had every kind of weird muscle pain around my body in the past year (but it started with my neck/arms). I’m sure many find this pattern familiar. I believe we are calling it “fibromyaglia” since we have no apparent real explanation. Well, I’m TELLING YOU hear and now that it’s just muscle tension! Anxiety and stress are the number 1 & 2 causes of it all. You worry and it gets worse.
The reason my left arm quit hurting the same time as my right arm when I had surgery on the right is that I stopped worrying about it. I had strong muscle relaxers out of surgery that even made all my hip/pelvic pain disappear for almost a week and then they came back, but the shoulder problem did not. I’ve since engaged in a lot more physical activity (whether I liked it or not), got over certain job issues and found all my pain magically disappearing.
Now my job is in jeopardy of being consolidated or moved and I’m feeling stressed big time again. So you shouldn’t be surprised that magically all my pains are starting to return again. This time I’m aware why they’re returning and I’m trying to fight back, but this job thing is largely beyond my control. Accepting I may have to move or find another job elsewhere is the only thing that will reduce that stress and it takes time.
Those of you that worry easily or get stressed easy will probably now realize the real cause of your pain. Maybe there is some other ‘viral’ explanation for fibromyalgia or whatever, but I’m convinced it’s a product of the modern society’s “push for more productivity” and therefore more stress. With computers came more productivity and more stress to do more work in less time. Families have to work around raising kids and often having two jobs. There’s more traffic than ever. People are often ruder than ever. People worry about other people talking on cell phones while driving, etc. The world is more stressful than ever. It shouldn’t be a shock then that a ‘stress disease’ would follow or take a new form.
I know someone at work that had back surgery for a “bulging disc”. Well, there’s a LOT of people that have bulging discs and no pain. He read a book by a doctor with an alternate theory on the cause of a lot of back pain (similar to what I was experiencing in my arms/shoulders and pelvis) that he gave me to read. He swore the pain disappeared ONLY after he read this book and accepted it wasn’t real pain, but being caused by the stress of worrying about the pain. I think this basic premise is correct and what has lead me to conclude I’ve been causing my body to ‘bear down’ on muscle groups (especially in my neck and pelvic region) that are ‘support muscles’ and thus subject to more stress to begin with.
My pain is manageable at this point so long as I keep the stress in check. That’s not easy to do and so it’s not a 100% cure all, but rather a problem I need to deal with. I don’t need pills to fight it, just the right attitude.
However, I have found fat-soluble Vitamin B12 and Thiamine helpful in getting rid of some nerve sensitivity around my arms and fingertips (maybe that’s a placebo effect too, but those two vitamins supposedly do support healthy nerves and nerve sheathes so I’m taking them for now anyway).
Good luck and I hope some of you find this helpful.
boggie
Hi. I went to the doc because 3 months ago I started to have bad muscle aches all over my body it felt like it could have been fibromyalgia the pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep at night. I went to my doc she checked my d levels and they were low at 25 she said and I am currently on 50,000 ius 1 a week. I’m on my 4th week and I feel amazing stronger more energy my mid feels happier it’s insane really.
I’m not as tired any more I have energy for days for some strange reason I feel my body feels stronger it’s weird. My doc said since I was born and raised in Hawaii and moved to Boston for work options my body went through such a shock. It makes sense I’m at work all day its dark when I get to work its dark when I leave I’m pale when I arrived from Hawaii I was rustic tan looking.
It all makes sense I pray this continues to knock the pain out I can’t deal with the constant achieness also before I go I do notice my skin feels slightly inflamed like a sun burn. I’ve had the burning sensation way worse before the vitamin d its getting better. My opinion give it a shot you don’t have any thing to lose and more to gain like a good nights rest pain free.
steven o.
I just started taking vitamin D2 at 50,000 IU once a week prescribed by my doctor. My levels are at 18 and I suffer from sore knees when I barley workout. I also sleep a lot and my room was a mess with no energy. I started taking more vitamin D3 before I got my prescription and I got more motivation to clean my room. I am hoping to have the knee pain go away during the next 7 weeks of supplementation of 50,000 IU a week so I can workout like I use to.
I thought it was my adderall that I take for ADD and I still have my suspicion. I did a experiment by increasing my adderall to 30mg from 20 mg and my knee pain increased and when I cut it down to 20 mg the pain decreased. My main suspect is the low vitamin D levels.
Note to readers don’t ever blindly trust your doctors, the doctor I last saw said I had mental issues when I made a appointment and I told him I was sleeping too much and I asked him to check my vitamin D levels and he said ” no you’re fine don’t worry about it”. I made a different appointment with a different doctor and asked her to check my vitamin D levels and they came back low. I called and filed a complaint on the first doctor!
JDL
I hope my problems are D deficiency related. I can’t afford the Doctor to run the test, so I am just going with the 5,000 IU’s of D3 a day and see what happens. I have been at it a week and one thing I notice is I am certainly more alert and have less mental fog.
It all makes sense though when I look at the history and progression of my health. It all started with a nervous breakdown after developing insomnia and anxiety, panic syndrome about 15 years ago. I had always been a outdoor worker in California up to around 17 years ago and then I took a indoor job. When I wasn’t inside at work, I was on my computer at home and basically getting no sun. Over that two years the stress slowly built up until. /snap
Since then I have in order developed:
Debilitating depression, fatigue, brain fog, weakness, neck, back, shoulder, sternum, foot pain, toes easily damaged, asthma, hypertrophic right ventrical.
I think the clue should have been the year I lived in Arizona and was walking a hour everyday outside, and using a outdoor spa and swimming pool. Most of this stuff went away and then when I moved again and became a house potato it all came back and more.
If the D3 seriously helps any of this stuff I will forego the /sigh of the 15 years of misery over something as dumb as not going outside enough, and just jump for joy on a hopefully not so sore foot.
GG
It’s hard to say whether low vitamin D causes pain or it’s a secondary result of another condition. I mean really, it seems it’s pretty common to have a low level in the Northern latitudes and given all the hype/scare over skin cancer, a lot of people even purposely try to stay out of the sun. I’ve been taking a multi-vitamin for YEARS and that apparently didn’t stop me from getting a low level problem.
So either something was using it up in droves or the levels the FDA has been recommending simply aren’t good enough. There’s also the thought that low Vitamin D isn’t causing any of the pain for most people and it’s just a coincidence given the commonality at Northern latitudes. Just because you have a pain and Vitamin D is low doesn’t mean it’s causing it. It could be a coincidence or it could just be one factor or it could be the result of something else.
I switched to 5000-6000 IU D3 a day and my teeth aren’t quite as sensitive as with the 50,000 IU once a week D2, but it’s been a month now and I still haven’t noticed a real change/improvement. I started taking Lyrica two weeks ago and it hasn’t done much (if at all) either. I have noticed MORE pain in my shoulders and arms in the muscles so I’m starting to wonder if all this has nothing to do with my disc bulges and more to do with some kind of inflammatory condition.
In fact, “Polymyalgia Rheumatica” sounds almost exactly like the symptoms I’ve been having (starts in the shoulders and then tends to progress downwards towards the legs). But the doctors say I’m too young to have it (typical only in people over 65 and I’m 36), yet it’s an auto-immune condition and the last time I had an ANA count it was a little on the high side, which may or may not indicate the body may be starting to attack itself (25-30% of the population have a naturally high ANA count, so it’s hardly conclusive and my level was considered borderline by the Crystal Arthritis Center to begin with and they detected no Rheumatoid Arthritis and no Lupus). I’ve tested negative for Lyme disease and everything else I’ve had tests for.
As for depression, I was naturally depressed long before all these problems started so it hasn’t helped any. I seem to have a rather unnatural low cholesterol level (well, I forget the numbers, but I know my good cholesterol is really high and my bad is at least low, if not really low; all I remember is that I was 2 points from being off the bottom of the heart disease ratio risk chart. I mention this because I just read about a study that shows a connection between low cholesterol and depression. I’ve tried anti-depressants and the only one that seemed to help at all (Zoloft) caused me to have a hyper-sensitive skin reaction around the inflammation in my shoulder.
I read too much Serotonin can cause hyper-sensitivity, so I’m of the opinion that if anything, my Serotonin levels may be TOO HIGH. I tried Wellbutrin which I had better hopes for since it deals with low Dopamine levels, which I find more plausible given how Hydrocodine’s “good feeling” or “high” comes from increasing Dopamine and that stuff used to make me feel not only “good” but “happy” and I’m NEVER happy. Having had it off/on over a few years, my body has become used to it so it just helps a little, although I’ve never felt the slightest addiction to it and rarely take it at all anymore since it doesn’t really help much with this leg pain any more than anything else, which is to say hardly at all.
I’ve had several doctors suggest that anxiety is the cause of my problem, but to me that’s a chicken/egg scenario. The reason I have anxiety is the pain and yet the pain causes the anxiety? That’s a vicious circle and the question begs how it first began… the anxiety or the pain? Could there be a connection with an auto-immune condition? Hey, why not? It’s all just too much speculation, though. There’s nothing to prove ANY of it.
You can’t blame the doctors too much. They have no real way to know either. Most don’t even check Vitamin D levels. I think you would find most people in the North have low levels and they don’t all have pain. I’ve lived in Ohio all my life and I didn’t have ANY of these symptoms until this year and I haven’t done ANYTHING differently in terms of sun exposure or diet so it all sounds odd to me.
Jaime
I have been having pain in my hips, knees, ankles, lower back and neck for a few years (I am a 33 year old female). It seems to be getting worse… and fast. I went to the doctor and they were thinking in might be Rheumatoid Arthritis but the labs came back negative for that, however my Vitamin D level was 24. She said having a low Vitamin D level has nothing to do with the pain I am in “but go ahead and buy some Vitamin D3 and take 2,000IU per day anyways it can’t hurt”. Now I’m reading some people are taking 50,000 per week???? Is it possible they are taking a different Vitamin D than me?
Also, the doctor said my pain is probably from depression and/or chronic fatigue syndrome (which I have suffered from both for many years) and to get a new psychiatrist! I read online that being deficient in Vitamin D can CAUSE depression and chronic fatigue! Maybe I don’t need a new psychiatrist but need to get a new primary doctor?!?
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: DO TAKE THE VITAMIN D AS YOUR DOCTOR SUGGESTED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, THEN ASK TO BE TESTED AGAIN. IF YOUR LEVEL IS STILL LOW, YOU MAY NEED MORE THAN THIS QUITE MODERATE SUPPLEMENT.
DCM
Some people cannot tolerate the Vitamin D2 50,000 units dose. Did your pharmacist give you information on possible side effects to report to your doctor?
If you talk with your pharmacist and your symptoms seem to be part of an adverse reaction to the D2, maybe you could ask your doctor whether you could take a much lower dose of Vitamin D3 instead, for example, maybe 5,000 iu of Vitamin D3 per day. Also, if you are deficient in magnesium, you will also need magnesium in order to make use of the Vitamin D you are taking.
Vitamin D3 is better tolerated, and gives faster results than D2 in treating a vitamin D deficiency. For many links to reputable research studies, we like vitamindcouncil.org.
GG
I took my 2nd week dose of Vitamin D 50,000 IU on Wednesday and I can’t say I see any real improvement. Maybe my thighs don’t feel quite as sensitive to pressure sitting, but the pain down the side of my legs and at my butt muscles near my hip seems worse.
I got a copy of my MRI and read it myself and I think my doctor may be inexperienced or something since it clearly indicates a “moderate” bulge at L4-L5 with a slight annular tear (from what I’ve been reading about annular tears, they’re bad news as they often take up to 8 months to heal if at all and then are only covered by scar tissue which can rip much easier than a disc’s normal outer covering, creating the problem all over again.
Meanwhile, the disc fluid can leak out and cause irritation of the nerve along with slowly deflating your discs and making the bulge worse which then increases pressure on the nerve as it moves outward further). I’ve also got “minor” bulges at L3-L4 and T11-T12 that encroach upon the thecal sac and a small bulge on L5-S1 disc that apparently doesn’t encroach anything, at least while lying down for the MRI.
I’m no expert, but it sure sounds more likely to be a back/disc issue here than Vitamin D. I can imagine the Vitamin D deficiency possibly magnifying pains or something, but until I started recording music and sitting on a piano bench for hours at a time (often reaching for an unergonomically placed laptop to adjust the recording), I didn’t have any real leg or foot pains. Now I have to wear shoe orthotics to keep my heels from hurting bad and my calf muscles keep wanting to cramp up.
I have to stretch the Achilles tendon all the time to keep them in check and I get intermittent pain in my back near the L5 vertebrae and around to my Gluteus Minimus muscles and then down the side of my leg and to the sole of my feet. I have no idea what to do next except perhaps look for a more experienced Orthopedic doctor.
Even then, nothing I’ve read suggests there is much I can do about this situation except some therapy exercises I’ve been doing (with no real improvements), try an Epidural shot (which I’ve read isn’t a great idea if you have a tear as it can make the symptoms worse in that case) or wait it out and hope the disc tear heals while trying to lose weight to take some of the pressure off of it with surgery as a last resort.
I’m also still getting light-headed and/or motion sickness type nausea on and off and I have no idea what is causing that either other than possibly a tension headache, although I don’t always feel that either when it happens. When I get light-headed feeling it’s almost like a blood sugar drop (blood test was fine for sugar, kidneys, liver and pancreas, though) or a lack of oxygen to the brain (or too much?). That started three days after taking prescription Naproxen, but I’ve been off that for over a month and a half and with no apparent organ damage, I can’t imagine it has anything to do with it.
craig
My vitamin D level is now up to 100, but legs are still a long way from being right. I bought some flight socks on Saturday, legs were aching and weak as usual, but within 1/2 hour of putting the flight socks on my legs feel COMPLETELY CURED and back to normal! The best they’ve felt in 3 years! Does this mean I have bad circulation as well? Or is it that the vitamin D deficiency has weakened my muscles so much that’s whats causing bad circulation? Or pooling of blood?
DCM
Apparently some Vitamin D deficient people develop muscle aches when they begin taking Vitamin D, possibly because Magnesium becomes a limiting factor for utilizing the Vitamin D.
Our family takes Vitamin D3 at the level recommended by vitamin D researchers; 35 international units per pound of body weight (10,000 iu per day for a 200 pound person). We rarely get sick. We have recently read that Magnesium is necessary as part of the Vitamin D receptors, and recently started taking a small supplement of Magnesium. We have two adult sons with high-functioning autism who are responding well to vitamin D (along with other medications). People on the autism spectrum seem to have an increased need for Vitamin D.
I have the following in my notes from reading about Magnesium:
Early symptoms of magnesium deficiency include body aches, chronic constipation, headaches and migraines, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, PMS, leg cramps, muscle spasms, anxiety, depression and more. Magnesium is not plentiful in foods, but is found in green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts, and other foods. The daily recommended intake of Magnesium is 400mg.
Thank you for this web site!
GG
I’ve been having leg pains that seem similar to Sciatic nerve issues for about 4 months now, although it’s more like pressure sensitivity and what feels like hard/cramping muscles. Stretches help the cramp problem, but the pressure sensitivity is awful on many chairs and I also get pain around my hips.
The doctor thinks it might be Piriformis Syndrome or the opposite (Gluteus Median and Minimus that move the leg inward whereas the Piriformis move it outward). I get cramping only in the inward direction and Piriformis stretches do nothing, but Glut and Hamstring stretches show I’m incredibly tight in that direction but after over a month of stretching, the problem continues.
I just got an MRI of my lumbar spine to see if a disc could be the culprit and the doctor said there’s a tiny bulge, but it’s so minor it couldn’t possibly be responsible for the pains going all the way to the soles of my feet in both legs. I had blood tests done and the only thing that showed up was a severe Vitamin D deficiency. I found that weird since I take a multi-vitamin and eat a lot of dairy products, but I believe my great grandmother had rickets and a problem absorbing Vitamin D since she was a child so maybe there’s a genetic absorption factor at work here too?
I’ve also had hyper skin sensitivity issues appear at sites where otherwise minor problems are located (i.e. if sinus pressure, not an infection mind you, but just pressure builds around my cheek/eye, I get terrible pain after a while when I blink; it took 2.5 years for a doctor to finally figure out it was a sinus issue since my CT scans were clear). But the sensitivity comes to mind as did a problem over the winter with my shoulders when I pulled a tendon. I had terrible skin burning/insect crawling issues near my chest and ultimately had two bone spurs removed from that shoulder many months later, but the sensitivity part disappeared long before that point.
This leg sensitivity started when I started recording music over the summer and sat on a hard piano bench for many hours at a time for weeks on end, but now it won’t go away even if I stay away from the piano.
I’ve started on 50,000 IU of Vitamin D per week for 9 weeks, but already I’m experiencing side effects that some web sites say are signs of overdose of Vitamin D. Namely, within a day of taking the first dose, my teeth are now so sensitive to temperature variations that even lukewarm soda will make my teeth hurt even when I keep 95% of it away from my teeth. I’ve got receding gums on one side and know what normal gum sensitivity is like (Sensodyne keeps most of it away) but this extends all the way to the tip of the teeth and is on all side top and bottom. My tongue feels slightly tingly as well.
I’m not sure I want to take anymore Vitamin D at this point. I’ve noticed no improvement in my legs 3 days later either. I’ve been getting some nausea and tension headaches for weeks now as well though sinus meds have no real effect. This has been one miserable year overall. I’m only in my mid-30s.
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THREE DAYS IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO SEE A RESULT FROM THE VITAMIN D. GIVE IT A BIT MORE OF A CHANCE.
craig
I have had aching legs for approx 2.5 years now, last year the doctor told me it was vitamin d deficiency and my level was 8, walking up stairs, walking in general, and even standing up was getting difficult, I am only 26! He put me on alfacalcidol, 1 tablet a day, which made no difference until I upped it to 2, but still didn’t make that much difference!
I am now taking 2 alfacalcidol per day AND 7000 units D3 per day, which is finally making a difference but my doc is telling me not to take the extra 7000. For the last few weeks the pain and weakness has returned in my legs, so I will be upping the dose again!
How much vitamin d is in alfacalcidol as no one seems to know?
thycagirl
I was tested by myendocrinologist, and my Vit D level was 2.5. Not 25…2.5. I have had a recent foot fracture, and healing has been slow. I am a thyroid cancer survivor, and bone density loss is common with people taking thyroid replacement. He is very conservative, and recommended 3,000 IU daily to start. My mother, who tested at a level of 22 was placed on 50,000IU PER DAY. Her doctor said that toxicity has not been seen in cases taking less than 100,000 IU per day. He also said that he would never recommend that treatment for anyone not being monitored closely.
I asked to up my dose, and my PCP agreed to 10,000 IU per day for my weight. Within 2 weeks I feel fantastic, more energetic, back pain almost gone… but I have foot pain that is so bad that I am on vacation now and am missing out on most of the fun. Not just pain where the old fracture is, but on both sides, constant, even when sleeping. My question is… my doctor did not know the answer to this… is there any correlation between vitamin d supplementation and gout? Because as a nurse, this sure seems like a gout flare up! I have never had it, and nobody in my family has.
littlepac
My Dr. prescribed me D3… but only 1000 IU’s daily? My level was 20. From what I understand D3 is supposed to be twice as effective as D2. I would call the pharmacy and ask but I bet it’s the D2. Also, my insurance did pay for it.
P. F.
Have just been prescribed vitamin D 50,000 umis (once a week) after a blood test came back lacking. I see no reference to D3 on the prescription. Is this what a pharmacy would give you by default?
I know that medicare “says” that they will not reimburse for vitamins, but does anyone know since it is prescribed, if they would in this case? I know niacin can be purchased over the counter or by prescription.
Understand it is considered generic. What might I pay for this if I purchased without insurance?
IM
We just had a big article about Vit. D in our newspaper. It claims all sort of great things but so far I haven’t experienced any of it. I still have back and leg pain and when I take it that day my legs feel heavy and I don’t feel good.
I keep hearing Vit D3 is better so why don’t doctors’ prescribe that? Can’t wait for another test and hopefully can get off.
Brenda
My Dr. also put me on 50,000 units once a week for 10 weeks. My toes and bottom of the foot feet numb. They hurt so bad and I have to work 12 hr shift. I been wearing toes pad to help. My feet are so red. Will it get any better with vitamin D and how long will it take?
JJ
I was given 50,000 units once a week for 12 weeks for being vitamin D Deficient. I also suffer from terrible anxiety and was told Vitamin D would help with that too. Has anyone else had anxiety improve from taking vitamin D? I’m afraid to take meds due to the anxiety so not sure if I should take it. Thanks for any responses.
Bob
In a long and interesting article about Vitamin D titled ‘The Miracle of Vitamin D’ by Krispin Sullivan I found the following.
‘A paradoxical transient and non-complicating hypercalciuria (more calcium in the urine) may occur when the program is first initiated. This resolves quickly when adequate calcium and other minerals are consumed. Two other temporary side effects may occur during the first several months of treatment. One is daytime sleepiness after calcium is taken. This usually resolves itself after about one week. The other condition is the reappearance of pain and discomfort at the site of old injuries, a sign of injury remodeling or proper healing, which may take some time to clear up.’
About 5 weeks ago I began to take 6,000 IUs of D3 a day and for the first week I felt incredibly sleep. I also noticed that I had pain in some old injuries but, touch wood, that pain has now subsided.
More importantly, an incredibly painful and sore to touch sternum that I have had for more years than I can remember is now considerably less painful – it was painful to touch before but now I can touch it freely and I hope that the remaining soreness will go in the coming months.
For the past 15 years I have not gone out in the sun without covering myself in sun factor 50 so can only imagine that I have been D3 deficient for many years.
IM
Thanks, it’s nice to know I’m not alone taking it 2x week. I’ll start tomorrow so we’ll see. I’m a little scared because medicine and my stomach don’t get along. Would anyone know if the deficiency causes my charley horse?
M
I just got prescribed 50,000 units at twice a week as well. I think it’s rather higher but the doc upped it from once a week saying it should get my level up faster. I’ll see. My legs and feet hurt too…..hmmmm
IM
I just receive my cholesterol report back and we did some tests for thyroid and vitamin D. I got an abnormal back and a prescription for 50,000 units 2x week. Is twice a week normal?
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: MOST DOCTORS PRESCRIBE THAT DOSE FOR ONCE WEEKLY. IF YOUR DOCTOR IS MONITORING CLOSELY, THOUGH, YOU MIGHT BE OK WITH THAT DOSE FOR A SHORT TIME.
LL
I am currently in treatment for Vit D deficiency (50,000 IU once per week for four weeks). I’ve noticed some confusing results so far. My back pain is GONE. Completely relieved. But my leg and foot pain is actually worse. I asked my Dr. about this because it actually feels like the large bones in my legs are healing (like pain after a break). My Dr. said he wasn’t sure why the pain would be worse but we both wondered if the bone’s process of rebuilding (after becoming soft) may be the reason for the pain.
Overall, I am feeling better and I am willing to continue in hopes that I will eventually be pain free. I will update in a few months. I do feel stronger and less fragile. Does anyone else have any comment about the possibility that the bone building again may actually be painful?
irene
I am taking 50.000 units twice a week. My legs feel heavy from this. I have asked the Dr. about this. I am wondering if it’s not too much. When I first took this I had knee pain that disappeared. I was told I had rickets. There is another long name for that, it’s called osteomalacia. But vit. D has helped for pain. Good luck to you all.
Helen
I thought Vitamin D in excess is harmful or toxic to our bodies, how would you know if it toxic or harmful? I have extreme pain in my knees and back, however, hesitate to take too much Vitamin D. I feel torn between the lesser of two evils.
David
From above…30 nanograms per milliliter.
Many of the leading osteoporosis experts in the nation that I’ve heard from like levels closer to 50 or 60 ng/mL. If your levels are below say 20 ng/mL MD’s will prescribe 50,000 units of D2 (eq 17,000 mg of D3) per week until levels come up. Anything under 30 ng/ml today is considered deficient. Most people are deficient in vitamin D…..even those that live in California for example.
I’m 46 year old male and take 2400 mg per day and my levels were recently 38 ng/mL and I live in the NW and am very active and outdoors a lot.
moonraven
When you say D should be 30 and up….30 what? Are you speaking of 30 ng/mL?
I supplement with D3(1000 units per day) My test results show me at 18 ng/mL for D3
and at less than 4 ng/mL for D4…….
This is not the 30 mentioned above….do I need more?
Diane G
I added 1000 units of D to my repertoire several months ago, just because of hearing so much hype. Since then,I’ve noticed that the excruciating leg/foot cramps I’ve suffered with at night have disappeared. I didn’t make the connection, but surely this is it. I know several people who are D-ficient (ha) and one who did get bumped up to 50,000IU weekly. It’s odd that docs have to be asked to check this. Thanks for great info!
Cathie
I thought I recalled from biology studies years ago that Vitamins A, D, E, and K were fat soluble and that they were stored in the body in fat and not excreted. A doctor recently told me that the body uses what D it needs and the rest is eliminated. How is a layperson supposed to figure out if this could be a problem or not?
Marla
I took D3 for 2 months and suffered horrible leg pain, to the point where I couldn’t even lift my legs at all. I went through every medication to see if one was the culprit, but it wasn’t until I stopped the D3 that the problem stopped. what could have caused this? I thought D3 was supposed to be good for you!
RL
Vitamin D does get rid of leg pain. However, the only vitamin D to take
is vitamin D 3. It is absorbed by the body much greater and will do more good in a shorter period of time. I started suffering extreme leg pain five months ago and went to bed for almost two weeks. After a lot of tests, the doctor didn’t know what to do with me. I started taking 10,000 IU units of D 3 daily and all the pain was gone in two months. It has now been three additional months and the pain has not returned. I still get in the sun, and take 3,000 IU per day.
An MRI found that I have a herniated disk and a pinched nerve. Walking is a little unstable at times, but the pain has never returned. D 3 YES!
David
Yes. Normal levels should be 30+…ultimately 50. To get to these levels for most people you’d need to take between 2000-5000 vitamin D per day. Most people are Vitamin D deficient.
Carolyn S
For years I have had a problem with my legs and feet. They hurt sooo much especially in the morning or anytime I have been off my feet for a while. I have had to lean on something until I would get my weight fully on my legs and feet, then I could walk. I am slightly overweight but not terribly so. The first steps in the morning were excruciating.
I had been taking 2000 units of vitamin D3 a day but after reading this, I bumped it up to 10,000 a day and within the very first few days have seen an improvement. I still feel crampy in my feet when I take my first steps but it doesn’t hurt near as much. I have been living on Tylenol and Ib’s but haven’t needed them since increasing the D3. I will back the amounts of Vitamin D3 down to no more than 50,000 a week but right now it feels so good to not hurt as much. When I go back to my doctor I will discuss it further with him…
Linda
Are you SURE you are to take 50,000 IU each week??? That seems like an awful lot. Can you overdose on that many Vitamin D’s? I take 1-1000 IU daily plus I get some in a multivitamin and with my Citracal.
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: DOCTORS PRESCRIBE 50,000 IU/WEEK TO CORRECT VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY. AS LONG AS VITAMIN D LEVELS ARE MONITORED, THIS IS NOT UNREASONABLE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS NOT A DOSE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE ON THEIR OWN, UNSUPERVISED.