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.
Excess levels of vitamin D in your system can lead to an array of complications and symptoms, including weakness and fatigue.
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.
Vitamin D is vital for physical and mental health. A vitamin D deficiency can impact your mood, meaning it may contribute to feeling down or depressed. Research suggests there's a relationship between vitamin D and depression, but there isn't enough evidence to support saying low vitamin D levels cause depression.
While vitamin D itself is unlikely to be causing your anxiety, that doesn't mean it can't, and the activities that you do to help increase vitamin D are valuable for your anxiety anyway. Getting outside will help you get what vitamin D you can, although there are also nutritional supplements available.
High levels of vitamin D may also raise a person's calcium level. In this instance, an individual may experience confusion, disorientation, and heart rhythm issues.
But how do you flush vitamin D out of your system – and can you even do that? Yes, by ensuring you consume plenty of water. This will encourage urination, allowing your body to shed the excess vitamin D and calcium more quickly. Prescription diuretics like furosemide can also be helpful.
Symptoms when vitamin D is low
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting. Poor appetite and weight loss.
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].
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.
Cholestyramine -- This cholesterol-lowering medication, known as a bile acid sequestrant, interferes with the absorption of vitamin D (as well as other fat-soluble vitamins). Phenobarbital, phenytoin, and other anticonvulsant medications -- These medications may accelerate the body's use of vitamin D.
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].
Brittle bones and bone pain
Vitamin D toxicity can cause hypercalcemia and subsequent problems with the bones, including a loss of bone density . Some symptoms include: aching or painful bones.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain.
How long to take it for. For adults, if you're taking a loading dose for severe vitamin D deficiency you'll usually take it daily or weekly for 6 to 10 weeks. To maintain your vitamin D levels or prevent deficiency you'll usually take colecalciferol long term.
There's no set time of day that's best to take vitamin D supplements. Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There's no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it's screwing with your sleep.
Two forms of vitamin D are available in supplements: vitamin D3 and vitamin D2. Both can help correct vitamin D deficiency, but most doctors recommend D3 because it is slightly more active and therefore slightly more effective. Vitamin D3 is naturally produced by animals, including humans. Vitamin D2 is the plant form.
Signs and symptoms of too much vitamin D
Nausea. Vomiting. Weakness. Headache.
If you've been prescribed high-dose vitamin D, work closely with your doctor to monitor your blood levels. It can take three months or more to bring them back up, but once they're good, you can stop the high doses and return to a lower vitamin D supplement for maintenance.
The administration of doses higher than 100,000 IU of vitamin D is considered a megadose.