How long to take it for. For adults, if you're taking a loading dose for severe
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
The NHS also warns against taking more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. It explains: “This applies to adult, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years. “Children aged one to 10 years shouldn't have more than 50 micrograms a day.
Everyone (including children) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (10µ) of vitamin D (400 IU), particularly during the winter months (October to March). It is specifically recommended that groups at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency take a daily supplement all year round.
According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and helps regulate the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, which supports building and maintaining healthy, strong bones and helps regulate skeletal and neuromuscular function.
Can vitamin D be harmful? Yes, getting too much vitamin D can be harmful. Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood (greater than 375 nmol/L or 150 ng/mL) can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones.
Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including reduction of inflammation as well as modulation of such processes as cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and glucose metabolism [1-3].
Illness, exhaustion and a weakened immune system are all side effects of forgetting to take your supplements - particularly if your body is used to the additional vitamin intake. Likewise, it can make you more vulnerable to various diseases.
"Most patients with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic, however if you're exhausted, your bones hurt, you have muscle weakness or mood changes, that's an indication that something may be abnormal with your body," says Dr. Lacey. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: Fatigue. Not sleeping well.
It is more important that people do not experience any breaks in their daily supplementation of a vitamin, especially if they are taking it to manage a deficiency.
For less frequent dosage, a higher amount is recommended. Overall, though, studies show that the best results come from taking vitamin D as part of a daily regimen, with dosage at the recommended level.
“If the blood levels go very high on Vitamin D beyond the recommended range, very many problems like bone issues, kidney stone, kidney failure, muscles could become even weaker than before, there could also be heart problems. One should best avoid getting into such a situation,” adds Dr Doshi.
If you take too much supplemental or prescription vitamin D, it can lead to vitamin D toxicity. The main complication of this is moderate to severe hypercalcemia, which can cause symptoms like vomiting, increased thirst and frequent urination.
Because of this, it's recommended that you remain committed to taking them (as long as they are not causing any negative side effects/symptoms or your health provider says otherwise) since you shouldn't quit supplements cold turkey. Why? Quitting supplements cold turkey can trigger a myriad of withdrawal symptoms.
Our only hard recommendation: Avoid supplementing with vitamin D at night. There's evidence that vitamin D can suppress melatonin—which is bad news for your sleep quality.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
There are quite a few differences between vitamin D and vitamin D3, but the main difference between them is that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that regulates calcium and phosphorous levels in the body, whereas the vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D produced by the body from sunlight.
Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus. According to Norman, deficiency of vitamin D can impact all 36 organs.
Most experts recommend that you shouldn't take more than 4,000 IU of vitamin D a day. When your serum D3 is very low (less than 12 nanograms per milliliter), some may recommend a short course of once-weekly 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3, followed by a usual dose of 600 to 800 IU daily.
The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones.
It can take anywhere from 1-6 months to raise vitamin D levels with supplements.
Because vitamin D toxicity can cause side effects like rapid heartbeat, confusion, restlessness and chest pains, it can potentially cause feelings associated with anxiety.
For people who've been ingrained with the one-a-day-concept as the sensible way to take supplements, nutrition experts say vitamin D is a forgiving vitamin, and many different approaches work equally well. People can pop a lot at once, even a week's worth at a single sitting, with no adverse effects.