If you are concerned about vitamin D deficiency, you will want to watch this great free video presentation by Dr. Michael Holick, PhD, MD – “The Vitamin D Pandemic and Its Health Consequences”. Dr. Holick is the author of the book, The UV Advantage: The Medical Breakthrough that Shows How to Harness the Power of the Sun for Your Health. He also the directs Boston University’s General Clinical Research Center. He is a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics.
In this video, Dr. Holick discusses the little known facts about vitamin D deficiency and all of the health problems it causes and its role in several chronic illnesses. Dr. Holick also offers advice on how to avoid vitamin D deficiency.
After watching this video you will probably find that you want to forward the link to others, but here are some references from the presentation:
Who is at risk for Vitamin D deficiency?
According to Dr. Holick, everyone is.
How do we get Vitamin D?
From the sun, artificial light sources, foods and supplements. It is hard to get enough vitamin D strictly through diet alone.
How is Vitamin D deficiency defined?
The level of 25(OH)D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) measured in blood (serum) should be at least 50nmol/L, and Dr. Holick advocates 60 to 75. Insufficient/deficient is under 50, and to be conservative, toxic upper levels might start at about 150 to 200nmol/L.
Is Vitamin D deficiency common?
Yes – approximately 50% of all Americans and even higher numbers of darker skinned people and older age groups fall below the normal levels.
Why is Vitamin D deficiency a big deal?
In children, vitamin D deficiency can cause a condition known as rickets. This causes bowed, soft bones, muscle weakness, stunted growth, and high risk of low bone density later in life.
In adults, this condition is osteomalacia (a defect in the bone building process, by contrast with osteoporosis, which is breakdown of existing bone structures). Osteoporosis is silent, but osteomalacia involves aches and pains in the bones & joints, and muscle aches/weakness that can be generalized or isolated. As Dr. Holick explains it, the defective bone matrix absorbs water and expands, causing pain in the bones fibrous outer membrane (the periosteum), which contains the blood vessels and nerves providing nourishment and sensation in the bones. He diagnoses this condition by pressing to test for pain in certain places such as the breastbone and shin.
Dr. Holicksays that patients withthese symptoms are often diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. In Dr. Holick’s practice, 40% to 60% of patients presenting with these symptoms are vitamin D deficient, and of 150 patients presenting with these symptoms in a Mayo Clinic study, 139 were deficient.
What is even scarier are all of the other chronic illnesses and diseases linked to vitamin D deficiency: common cancers, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, TB, psoriasis, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and even infections.
How much does sun block reduce the body’s ability to make D from sunshine?
SPF 15 reduces it by 99%.
What is the recommended amount of sun exposure one should get?
Except in winter in areas above the 35th latitude (only a bit north of even such southern cities as Atlanta, Georgia, which is at 33 north), Dr. Holickadvocates at least 10 minutes on 10% of the body surface (e.g., arms or legs) followed by good sun protection, two to three times a week. This balances the need for vitamin D with need to minimize skin cancer risk. Click on this link to check the latitude where you live.
Are obese people more likely to be deficient than normal weight people?
Vitamin D levels averaged 55% lower in a study group of obese people who had the same amount of UV exposure as normal weight participants.
Can you make any vitamin D in winter?
Little or none, even in sunny areas, if it’s above the 35th latitude north or south of the equator.
Does taking supplemental calcium and vitamin D work to counter osteoporosis and osteomalacia?
Yes.
Thanks to Fit Buff for including this post as part of their Total Mind & Body Fitness Carnival 63.
I didn’t make a note of where I found this, so please verify everything before acting on it!! But a while ago, I found this description of vit D deficiency symptoms, which were sounding awfully familiar…
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Vitamin D deficiency symptoms
Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohns disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.
Symptoms of vitamin D overdose or toxicity
Vitamin D is fat soluble, meaning it is stored in your fat cells. It is not excreted daily like many other essential nutrients and can build up to unhealthy levels. And once you overdo it on vitamin D, its not an easy situation to rectify. Thats why its absolutely vital that you approach vitamin D supplementation only under the care of a medical professional.
Vitamin D overdose leads to calcium toxicity, which can cause nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss. It raises levels of blood calcium and can create a confused mental state and heart arrhythmia. Too much calcium and phosphorous can cluster in your bodys soft tissues and disrupt kidney function (remember, calcium and vitamin D work together). It can also cause kidney stones and hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis.
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And in case you were interested – yes, in fact, I was vit D deficient. And, yes, I do feel better (not healthy yet, but better!) with my levels back in the normal ranges!
I have fibromyalgia and was also down to 25 in vitamin D , I have also been diagnosed with a white blood count of 14,000 . On a hunch I looked up a medication I was put on a while ago named cymbalta ,it seems this drug affects both vitamin D and white blood cells . Do you have any opinion on this ? I’ve started taking liquid vit D it says one drop daily but I do exactly as the directions say but always 2 drops come out ( 1,000 per drop) and I’m afraid I’m getting way to much.
ok so by taking the supplements by the time we will feel better? ..
and Jenna what was ur level in Vitamin D ?
well mine is 6 and its severly low so i have to do a blood test to see which level am i on
.. hope u get better ..
so jenna for heart arrthraimas it is caused for VD defeciency or what i didnt understand it properly =]
I would love to have read this artical because I have cronic pain and am low on D also but it is so small I can’t read it with out a magnafifing glass. I’m sure I am not the only one..
Ginny
I was diagnosed a few weeks with a Vitamin D deficiency. My level was 15. For several years I’ve had severe pain. Since I am only 33 I went to the doctor because it didn’t seem normal. I wasn’t tested for any vitamin deficiencies. I am however 30 lbs overweight so he suggested that I lose weight. Last year I fell and broke my elbow and have been having extreme pain for over a year now with no help from the pain meds. I’ve taken so many drugs I felt like a guinea pig. I finally thought to go to a rheumatologist and after my blood work was done his office called to tell me that I was deficient and prescribed me 50,000 iu of D to take once a week for 8 weeks. I’m 3 weeks into the meds and I don’t see any significant changes in my pain level. I still need pain meds to function. I should state that I also found out that I have arthritis in both of my hips and possibly in my spine. Could this be caused from the D deficiency that has gone untreated for the past few years? Is there anyone else going through the same thing?
Ericka
ya well probably but urs isnt too too low.
i havent experience any pain maybe cuz of my young age although my level was severely low 6.
umm u can discuss this issue on the blog of the dangers ofVDD
I am at 16 and experiencing all kind of symptoms. Movement on the actions of my Doctors is very slow and frustrating to me. It seem as if they know what can happen, but, just waiting to see if they can “pull me out of the ditch” to pursue any other health issues at the present time. I am taking 50,000 IU of Vitamin d weekly in a gel cap–it makes my stomach hurt, I am nauseated, and very very tired all the time. Any suggestions?
yes i was diagnoised a 2 months ago with low vit d my level was 18 my doctor said it was the lowest he had ever seen but apparently I could be worse. my doctor gave me 5000 mg d morning and night. i am also taking a vitamin to boost my adrenal glad which is moderately low. i am tired and i am gaining weight. i cannot leave the sweets alone. maybe i eat the sweets to stay awake or is there some other reason i am craving these foods
I have Crohn’s disease and IBS, and chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and I too was recently sent to a rheumotologist, and found Vitamin D defiency. I hope the Vitamin D helps!
Just found out today that my level was 9. I am on supplements of D for weeks and also caltrate plus D forever. I am going for bone density soon – concerned about osterporosis. (family hisory) symptoms – extremely tired -low energy – depressed,
Also have symptoms of facing thoughts, shaking, insomnia – not sure if any of these are symptoms of Vit D def – wish I had asked. For those that state they have Fibromyalgia – Crohns IBS are these caused by Low Vit D or you already have these and just aggrevated more w. Vit D Defic. ?
I just got diagnosed my level was 10 I have been sick for 3yrs.
I am so confused Im not sure if vit d is related to my sickness.
My symptoms are gastro probs., insomnia, hair loss, fatigue, weakness and I have always had high blood pressure. I will start taking 50,000 IU of vit d this wk.
I think these are all related to Vit. d def. somehow. I was just diagnosed yesterday. I went to the rhemutologist suffering from chronic muscle pain and fatigue. I am always tired and cold. She tested my thyroid and vit. d levels. The vit. d came back extremely low so I have to take a prescription 3x a week for a month and 1,000 mil. everyday of over the counter supplement (Caltrate?). Anyway, I hate milk and I rarely go out into the sun since I am fair and burn easily. I don’t do tanning beds so I probably have been getting NO vit. d. You don’t realize how necessary it is until you realize that you are def. I am wondering now what other vitamins I am lacking. I am not a fruit lover so I rarely eat fruit, but I am going to start making myself now. If vit. d causes me to feel this bad then I can’t imagine what other vitamin def. may cause. I feel silly for never taking it seriously before. I am only 26, but I am glad that they caught it early. I had to stay on my reg. doctor though. She told me that “some people just get achy earlier than others.” At first, I accepted it, but the more I thought about it and asked around, the more I didn’t think I should be this achy and tired at 26. Because of my relentlessness, she finally referred me to a rhemutologist. It sort of scares me to think of how much longer this would have went undetected if she wouldn’t have. Anyway, any info or advice would be appreciated. I know NOTHING about this problem, and am trying to research it.
This is a neat website by the way. I am so glad I found it. I got the sense that my doctor thought I was a hypochondriac because of my complaints of chronic fatigue and muscle pain. The funny thing is is that I take Adderall bc I am ADHD. The Adderall gives me energy because it is a stimulant, but I am still tired in the afternoons and when I get up in the mornings. Sometimes, I feel like I could sleep all day long. I have always been like this since I was a little girl. The whole reason I started seeing my internist is bc I thought the ADHD was wearing me out. The Adderall does help me to focus and gives me more stamina, but it still wasn’t enough, and I felt completely washed out by about 2:30 every afternoon ( I am a teacher). I would feel like I could not function without a nap. She made me feel like I was crazy, and I got the sense that she thought I just wanted more medicine. That was not the case. I did not want to be taking more ADHD medicine than I needed if my fatigue was caused from a different problem. I am glad there is a website on this bc a lot of times I feel lazy, and I don’t want to be. I don’t think my friends and family quite understand. And I get the whole, you are too young to be tired all the time. You need to walk on the treadmill more (which is true!), but I also know that I am still fatigued after I start an excercise program. I hate doing things after school because I am so tired, and the winter time is HORRIBLE. I hate winter. I am cold and achy and tired, and depressed ( I take meds for that). I don’t have arthritis, and the rhemutologist said that the pain was not in my joints but in my muscles. So anyway, I am just glad that they finally have taken me serioulsy. I am wondering what other vitamins I could be low in. I guess I am going to hit up Publix and buy some raw fruits and veggies (gag!), but hey, it beats developing something 10 years down the road. So down the hatch!
Hey Erica…it’s what you need for the vit D requirements too 🙂
In June 2007, I was sent to a RA doctor by my orthopedic doctor. I had had surgery for one knee and my other knee plus shoulder were hurting. The RA doctor found that I was slightly Vitamin D deficient, told me to take an extra 500 MG once a week and to continue treatment with my family doctor. Today, I went to my family doctor for my yearly checkup. Normally, a vitamin D test isn’t ordered, but I explained my slight deficiency. My doctor informed my that my vitamin D was extremely low, less that four. I have to start taking a prescription vitamin D once a week. How long before I might feel the effect of the vitamin D? I have arthritis and hate the winter. I live in the north and we don’t see much sun during the winter. Any recommendations would be appreciated. How often do I have to have a repeat vitamin D test?
Hi everyone. My mom told me to look up Vitamin D deficiency, because she thought it may have something to do with how I’ve been feeling. Oh boy, after reading some stories on here, she may be right ! It began with hand pain and stiffness, which brought me to my GP, who then told me that my ANA levels were slightly raised. I went to a rheumatologist, and the Dr. told me I had rheumatoid arthritis and fibro. They have since retracted the arthritis diagnosis, and have changed it to “unspecified connective tissue disorder”. I am also missing the cartilage in both knees and will begin injections of man made cartilage on Friday. I am also missing cartilage in my left hip. They have also told me that I have loose ligaments. I’ve had difficulty sleeping since 2001 after a hysterectomy for uterine cancer. My muscles ache, my bones hurt and I’m tired alot. Also some depression, but I assumed that was from not feeling well. I will ask the doctor on Friday, to test my Vitamin D levels. Can this all just be a coincidence? I’ll let you know when I get the results. Meanwhile, I’ll keep reading posts !
Hello All,
This is a book but I just want to share my story and try and inspire everyone to hang in there a little longer.
For over a year I had been dismissed, ignored and looked at like I was a nut job. I had committed the sin of turning 35 and overnight had high BP, diabetes, edema, migraines, joint pain, exhausted, no sex drive, abnormal periods … you name it and was told I was just “getting older” and “we are all tired.”
I gave up for awhile but then decided that I would try a new doctor (endocrinologist) and one more visit and then that was it until I was on my death bed.
Do not go the doctor hopeful, go mad. We are too passive in our own care. I was always the dutiful patient agreeing with whatever they said and walking out feeling like an idiot for even trying. I sat in his office and said since you are all pilling me to death anyway why don’t you put me on that one and pointed to a poster, among the myriad of other pharmaceutical company propaganda in his office, for thyroid medicine that listed all of these same symptoms.
He said I will test you for that and Vitamin D deficiency – which causes those same things. Inside I thought whatever quack-o, D is for bones why don’t you just call me a squirrel and save me the lab bill?
A week or so later his office called, said I was deficient and called in a prescription for D and set a date for a bone density scan. I do not know what my level was.
At week 3 of this cheap, once-a-week, little green pill I felt like I was waking up inside from a 10 year hibernation. My energy is up, my thinking is clearer, libido is back, I have lost around 10 pounds, my sleep is better and my sugar is down.
Of all the blood tests and pills they have thrown at us, this blood test could be the one that is worth all of the other to you. It really has made a difference for me and if you are thinking about getting checked please do it, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
I believe what you are going through if no one else does and hope everyone here feels better. We get so used to feeling poorly that when we feel better we look back and think my God, how was I doing it?
Holy vitamin D, everything I’m reading is exactly the way I’ve been feeling. I’ve gone to a new doctor and she is putting me on V-D 50,000 twice a week, I hope and pray that I can feel better soon, it’s been so long since I’ve felt good inside, always drag’n my ars around…I hope this works…thanks for the inspiration blogs…it sure helps to know I’m not the only one.
Yeah! I just got my little blue pill and I am hoping and praying I will feel better soon. Mother is deficient, sister is deficient and most likely my other sister is.So tired of being overweight…even when exercising, tired and feeling like a bum. Thank you for all the insight.
I went to the doctor and mentioned tenderness on my inner thighs. He asked if I had any burning when urinating or diarrhea. I told him on occasion diarrhea. I’ve have severe unexplained headaches for years. He did blood work. Everything came back normal onthe preliminary tests. Then his office called me and told me another test for calcium had come back from Mayo clinic and was well below normal 13. I picked up the 50000 iu green gel tab that others have mentioned. I would love to be back to my old self, lively, laughing and able to focus and remember things. Wouldn’t it be great if I could get off of the meds for depression!
I was diagnosed with a level of 9 and i have same symptoms. i am on 50k units per week for 12 weeks. i dont’ see significant change yet. i am into my 3rd week.
I was told in March that I am vit d deficient. I had gotten bloodwork done at my request from my family physician. Idiot doesn’t give a hoot whether you live or die. Anyway, after I requested it, it came back high ana’s which is a positive for lupus. I was diagnosed with fibro and chronic fatigue in 2001. He referred me to rheumatologist who then told me I was vit d deficient. He put me on 50000 units for 2 weeks. My family dr (the idiot) never did any follow up blood work. I had been looking for another dr because my pain levels were getting so bad, I stayed in bed very still in order not to hurt so much. I found a pain management dr who was new in town and he was very concerned about the vit d and also said I was b12 deficient. After I told him about my family dr, he referred me to a new one. I love my new one. He actually sits down and talks to me and acts like I’m a human being instead of a crazy person. Anyway, he gave me a b12 shot and started me on 1000 units of vit d per day. But when I went back after a month, my vit d was even lower, so now he has me on 1600 units a day. After reading this, I’m wondering if I need to get him to boost me again with the 50000 units twice a week. This is really making me wonder if I have been suffering for 8 years and it was vit d. I have had to quit work and go on disability because of the bodywide pain and extreme fatigue. And, I broke my foot in Nov. and am really having a hard time getting past that. I am so frustrated to think that every dr I have tried to see has pretty much acted horribly and has humiliated me to the point of suicidal thoughts and all this time, it could’ve been solved! I am finally blessed with a dr who is both understanding, concerned and committed to solving my issues. I’ll keep checking to see all of your results, but I am so happy to have found this site!
I was recently diagnosed with a vit. B12 deficiency and have been on shots twice a week and sublingual tablets(under the tongue) one, three times a day. My doctor finally received my vit. D results back and I am deficient in that as well. I am now on the 50,000iu once a week for 12 weeks. But I think it changes from a D3 to a D2 pill after the second month. Can’t remember, which is one of the symptoms I’ve been exeriencing besides all the others that go along with what has been mentioned here. I also have a problem with keeping my balance if I move too quickly. I’m glad to have found this site. Now I am starting to feel better just from the B12 shots. I just took my second vit. D pill so we will see how that works over the next few weeks. I am also gluten sensitive and I have to stay off of wheat, dairy, eggs,and I tend to have low blood sugar so I have to eat about every three to four hours to keep my blood sugar level up. I take blood pressure medicine but maybe that’s due to the low vit. D level. Maybe eventually I can get off the BP med. I understand what you are saying about Doctors these days who don’t think anything is wrong with you. And, yes we have to police our own health. Sooner or later you run across a Doctor who is more in-tuned to listening to what we are saying and looking for the cause of the symptoms, and not just putting a bandaid on it by giving drugs for one symptom after the next. It’s not all their fault either. The insurance companies dictate how much time is allowed to spend with each patient. But it doesn’t take their time to run the right blood tests to see where you are with everything. It just takes an order from them. It’s great that all of you are on the road to recovery. As a heads-up, I would like to mention that too much vitamin D can also cause even worse problems, not easliy remedied, so ask your pharmacist and Doctor what the normal doses are and for how long. It’s good to stay under a Doctor’s care so you can be monitored on the vit D level. Good luck to you all, here’s to your ever improving health. And mine too. Thanks for all your sharing. It helps knowing I’m not alone in dealing with these issues.
Over the last year and a half I have had several issues with my health. Vit D deficiency, anemia, calcium deficiency, sweet’s syndrome and latest was prothrombin 20210 mutation (factor 2 mutation) I am always tired, my hands/fingers ache with other joint aches, mucsle aches, no libido, depression, mood swings. Seen a RA doc negative for RA thank God! Seen a psychiatrist said I was Bi Polor and A.D.D, tried lamictal for a few months, really felt like it made my depression worse. Tried Adderall which is great for energy but noticed it makes my mood swings worse when I come down from it or don’t take it. Decided that I was misdiagnosed and stopped the medications. I notice that the only way I can function is if I just don’t stop. I basically work a lot to stay in a routine. When I do have time off I notice that is when my energy level bottoms out and depression sets in more. But my family life and personal relationships with family and friends suffer a lot because of all of this. No one seems to understand what I am going through. I am seeing a lot in common with most everyone that has posted their stories here. It is refreshing to know that I am not alone.
Hello All! I wanted to tell Deb I feel like she does. I am so tired of my regular doctor not being thorough with me for the past 5 years. I think I have been suffering needlessly too. 🙁 I became hypothryroid 4 years ago. Since then my heath has bee crappy. I have just never felt well. It makes me depressed. I don’t know how I got the thyroid issue. No one in my family has it. I blame it on the moldy rental house I lived in for 3 years. But after doing some research on it. I think I could have been Vitamin D deficient for years now. I was diagnosted with low D last year at this time. My test was a 22 and should be 30 to 80 for heavens sake. Doc retested it a few months later after I had been on the 50,000 iu 2 times a week for 8 weeks. I felt a bit better but only reached a 33 this past Sept. Dummy me stopped taking my Calcium with D for a few months because I choked on the big horse pills. ugh! Now I am at a 26. I feel so bad. Tired, achy, fuzzy brain, pressure in my head, muscle twitches (which are bad today) heart palpatations etc… Not to mention I am 44 and going through perimenopause. I told my husband jokingly…just take me out back and shoot me. I feel like no one understands. I am going to make an appt. with an endocronologist and see if I can get the help I need to sort out all my problems. It is SO frustrating…this generalized unwell feeling. Autoimmune disorders are tricky are so hard to live with and deal with. Thanks for listening!
Tamera
I was just DX with Vit. D Def. at the age of 27. I was DX with Crohns disease and depression in July of 05, Fibro Feb 2008 and a thyroid mass in Spet 07 (removed a month ago Jan 2009).
No doctor listened to me in the begining, and after going doctor to doctor and founding an endocrinologist that has done everything for me. I love her for this. I have to take 50,000 IU of vitamin D for 4 weeks and then get blood drawn again to test the levels. The pain in my legs and arms have been horrindous and talk about being tired all the time. Hopefully this will help!
Hello I have been feeling badly for so long…….years….flu-like aches and fatigue, depression, stomach problems……..always put on antidepressants…….they made me feel no better often worse.
After a while you get “labeled” they want to blame everything on the depression. I am very frustrated all these years and finally my primary care doctor did a vitamin D test. I just got results and it is a 5………at the lowest level. I feel so sick I am ready to give up.
My concern is that my primary care doctor does not understand the complex nature of this problem and I want to be seen by a specialist. I am in a HMO…….and it is not always easy to get a referral. I am reaching out to get some suggestions where to go from here. I am feeling so badly, I am not sure where to turn. I am hoping that this is finally the cause of all of my IBS and a lot of my other problems. I have been to many many doctors and it seems the symptoms that you describe are all blamed on depression and they want to hand you another kind of antidepressant or they tell you to “get a hobby”. I am frustrated with some of the attitudes of the doctors I have encountered in trying to discover why I feel so terrible all of the time.
The only reason this doctor took the vitamin D test was that someone in the mental heath department had given another one of his patients who was having trouble with depression the test and it came back low, so he asked me if I would like to have it done so I said yes, I would like it done. I was shocked to see it come back at a 5 level!! My doctor did not call me to explain anything. All the information I have is from the internet. Ior anything He se (I haven’t picked the prescription up yet, so I don’t know exactly what it is) I feel I deserve more of an explanation and more in depth tests or at least a meeting with someone who is more knowledgeable in this field. I hope some of you will understand my frustration…….this has affected my life for so long. I ham hoping that they can do something to help me.
Does anyone have any suggestions for how I should approach this. Should I ask to see endocrinologist or a who would be better qualified to give me the right kind of care? I appreciate any info anyone could offer. I live in Northern California.
Thank you
Cami 18
I am so glad i am not the only one… i am so sick of people making feel like i’m crazy or addicted to pain pills. They make me wonder is the horrible pain really just in my head. but my back, hips and knees hurt so bad i don’t even know how to sit or laydown at night. i was diagnosed with vit. d def. a couple weeks ago. i don’t know what the number was yet, but all she said was u need to start the pills right away the numbers are so low that its basically non-existant. So now for the past 4 years i have been hurting and the pain is only getting worse and the pain medication isn’t even working as much anymore. in order for it to work i would have to double the amount prescribed. doctors kept telling me it was depression. i am not depressed. so i am happy to know i am not crazy or being lazy. i am tired all the time. some dayz i can’t even hardly get up to get kids ready for school. it takes alot to clean my house. it’s hurts to sit in this chair even. anyway i am so glad i found this site and now know that it may get better. i sure hope this works. i guess i need to look in to the pain more and see if there is a label for what or why it hurts other than the vitamin d. thank you all of you for posting what you have it has been so helpful. i made my family read it. lol
Hi all, I just got a vit. D test back from endo dr. and my level is 15. I have been diagnosed with diabetes, gained 50 lbs, treated for depression and could sleep half of the day. Intestines are always rumbling, have loose bowels and lots of gas. Don’t have energy to do much. I do something and have to rest, get back up and do it again. Reading your blogs makes me wonder…..could all of this be because of a vitamin D deficiency? Is anyone else having these symtoms? Thanks, I really have been amazed at your stories. I appreciate your sharing all your symtoms and feelings. What do you think?
Erica,
I feel exactly as you do. The information that you posted describes my life too. Please let me know if you find something that gives you relief from those terrible symptoms that you described so well.
Please email me if you have any additional information about this problem, because I too have had my friends, family, and doctors look at me like I am making this stuff up.
Thanks,
Mark mkacz@comcast.net
Hi there, I have been posting on the site listed below, and will now check this site too. The site listed below has hundreds of posts. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.fightingfatigue.org/?p=1220#comment-70603
i just found out i am d-def,i also have known i had ms since 1994.i was wondering ,can this def cause you to have weakness in your legs and trouble walking? thanks dee
My name is summer and reading everyones comments gives me such relief yet does not take away the pain.. I am 32 years old and for 2 years I have been sufforing from muscle pain / burning flareups / weakness and major fatigue… My doctor made me feel like I was a hypochonriac to the point I changed doctors. My new doctor has found that am really low in D which to me is crazy I live in the sun… But reading all of this has put a sense of peace around me yet I hope that sooner than later I can get to the bottom of this exausting road Im on. Thay have me takin 1,000 iu twice a day… I now have good days and bad days not always bad, I guess we will see!!!
I have had chronic pain ever since I had my fourth back surgery 7 years ago. I see a pain specialist for my long list of medications. I also have high blood pressure and I’ve gained 50 lbs. I’m tired all the time and lately I even fall asleep standing up, I know that sounds weird. I’ve been getting shots in my hips every 3 months because of pain in my hips. Then I had a problem that my family doctor referred me to an endocronologist. Now I find out that I have been severely defient of vitamin D, my level was 8. So now I have to take one more pill a day of vit. D for 2 weeks and then vit. D 3 times a week for 12 more weeks. So will all my problems go away once my levels are up?
I just got a call from my doctor saying that my vitamin D level 8 is the lowest he has ever seen and that I have to take 50000 weekly supplements for 8 weeks and after that 1000 for the rest of my life. I was born in South America and never felt tired or depressed while living there. SInce I moved to the US WA State, I have been feeling tired and depressed. I wake up tired, I spend the day tired and when I get home from work I just think about going to bed, but than I can’t sleep… my attention is not what use to be and my period got quite irregular. After reading all your comments, I feel better that I was not just making those things up and that I can get better if I take the supplements. Thank you for sharing your experience. I will post mine as I take the pills to see how long it will take for me to improve.
Lets all get healthy with vitamin D, or move South =)
Sometime ago my doctor told me that i would have to go for yet another blood test after doing this i was told that my levels were not right and sent me off for more tests i went back and she said that everything was fine i had appt with consultant at the hospital and he has said that my doctor should have been giving me vitD since last year and asked why this has not happened me im shocked that the gp hadnt done anything about this after looking at various sites i can now see what all my problems are about and try to sort myself out and it sites like this that have sorted this out for me thank you
Thank you posters for sharing your stories, it has meant alot to me. I have a son that just tested for Vitamin D and his scores were 3.8, he has been in bed for 3 years with chronic fatigue, muscle and bone aches, depression (being tx for that) and wasting away. I have walked with him all the way and thought this is what it will be like always and we must accept it. Now knowing that he is D deficient I have hope that it can be different, hope that he can heal, hope that he can walk outside and enjoy the sun. He just started on 50,000 green gel tablet and I am wondering how long does it take to feel better? Should I find someone to give him shots instead of pills? Should I get x-rays done to see if there is bone damage? My G-d I had no idea that living without the sun could do this….Why they haven’t tested him for this before is beyond me, this should be a standard screening. I don’t what started first the depression or the Vit. D deficiency but everything we have tried thus far has not worked.
Has anyone seen a score this low? Good grief the lowest I have seen online is a 5 but on the average scores seem to be around 12-16 and catorgized as being severe. It has only been 2 days since he was diagnosed and I feel alittle freaked out.
Please if there are survivers out there that have had tx and are healed tell us how long it takes and how you did it.
I am so grateful to find this forum with people who all sound like they have the same thing going on as I do. I have been EXHAUSTED for years and most of the tests that the docs have ordered have come back normal or at least very close except the Vit. D which was 9. I have been taking 50,000iu a week and I don’t feel any different. I am sick of feeling and looking lazy. On the outside I appear very healthy and fit because I fake it when I have to. This means that I rarely go out and my house is a mess and I can’t hold a job and my kids do a lot for themselves. How long does it take to start feeling more energy and less muscle weakness? 1 flight of stairs wipes me out. Any info and stories would be appreciated. I am feeling pretty down about the whole thing — tired and cranky — the story of my life.
Oh, I forgot to add that I have been taking the prescription for 3 weeks. Thanks.
To Elisabeth, your vit. D level was at an 8, where is it now? Do you feel better?
anybody with sking problems due to vitamind d deficiency?
psiaorasis, and acne around the body area????
I notice that I get patches of really dry skin on my head, not dandruff, and patches on my body.
I was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency four weeks ago. My level was 4. My doctor prescribed 5,000 IU daily for two months and then 5,000 every other day for another month. (three months total)
I was/am experiencing excessive hair loss and researched causes. Yep, vitamin D deficiency can cause hair loss. So, I requested to have my Vit. D and Iron (serum ferritin) checked. Yes, low iron or more specifically “serum ferritin” can cause hair loss too. Both results came back extremely low. I’m now on supplements for both.
I’m definitely getting more sunlight these days. I thought drinking plenty of milk would keep my levels up, but I guess not?
Wow– so many people in the same boat! I was online looking to see if anyone else ever got sick from taking 50000 units of Vit D prescribed weekly. I got very sleepy a couple hrs after taking it and then later sick to stomach and dizzy tingling feeling with rapid heart beat. Just got a vit d level back of 26. Runs in family to be low. My g-mother got colon cancer out of he blue with no history or risk factors and they told her it probably had something to do with her extremely low vit d for yrs and yrs. and she had 11 kids!
I Have been experiencing symptoms of fatigue, IBS, insomnia, irregular heart beat, inability to drink alcohol, etc.. for 12 years. I’m 32.
Hi I just found this site because my endocrynologist just called me back to give me the results of my bloodwork and said I have a serious Vitamin D def. She said I am a 2 which she said she has never seen. How much more lucky can I get! (sarcasm!) I have felt like crude for over 10 years now with no sex drive, losing my hair (I can almost count how many hairs I actually have left on my head), I have gained 40 pounds and no doctor has ever been able to figure out I had a vitamin d def. I am really happy to say that my doctor has figured this out but I can’t believe I have been feeling so bad for so many years and after all the bloodwork I have had done over the years no doctor ever figured this out until today. I can’t wait to go pick up my persrciption today.
I had really bad leg cramps, and the dr did blood tests and found out my Vit D level was 10 and started me on the 1000 units for a couple of mths and no lucky in bring it up. Increased to 5000 units no luck again, then had to send off and get the 50,000 units. Took one capsule every day for 3 weeks, and it went up to 20. Then they cut back to 50,000 every 2 weeks, then it dropped back then changed to weekly then went to 20. Now it is 2 years later and I am still between 15 to 23 and the leg cramps, fatigue, musle pain, IBS are getting worse went to ER last week and they have now prescrbed valium and Vicodan to help curb the spasams when they get so bad my fee turn out and I cannot walk. Still waiting on the dr to refer me to an endrocogilist to see what is going on. Also just found out the in the last year that my niece, sister and mother also have Vit D def. My daughter used to have a Vit D def when she was 13 (6 hrs) ago but has not been tested lately. Wonder if we have a specific illness that runs in the familty that would cause this. Any suggestions welcomed.
just read angela davis’s post,
I feel like she was writing for me.
My diabites Dr ordered the Vit-D test
he Told me my vitamin d was nonexistent
he put me on 50,000 ui 3 times a week for 3 months
I hope i’ll feel better i’m scared of the side effects.
I was diagnosed with Vit. D deficiency about a year ago with a score of 9. The Endocrinologist put me on the typical regimen of 50000 iu per week, but only 5 weeks and was told to take 1000 iu per day thereafter. At first I noticed an immediate change, probably for the first three weeks. But then the fatigue, muscle aches, depression all returned and seem to come and go thereafter. I am in the process of switching MDs (Endocrinologist) due to the fact that the one I was seeing has a waiting list that is a minimum of three months out, and has cancelled on me twice so I have only see this one once. My regular doc recently tested me and found my level was 12 is keeping me on 1000 iu per day, but I don’t feel he has the knowledge or experience with this issue to effectively treat this.
Is there anyone out there in the Seattle area that would like to discuss their treatment with me or perhaps tell me about their doctor?
Thanks and best wishes to all
I can not believe these comments!!! You mean I am not the only person in the world who has been living in hell for years? I just finally went to the Dr. 2 weeks ago to have my thyroid checked because my fatigue has gotten so bad, I can barely function (I can fake it really good). I put off going to the Dr. for so long because I knew they were going to say there was nothing wrong with me. Well, my thyroid was fine, but they discovered the Vit D deficiency. So I have been reading about it online and all of your comments and I can’t believe that I have found the reason why I feel so horrible all the time at such a young age (32). I am soooo tired, bowel problems, weight gain, depression, body pain, blah, blah, blah. I started on a Vit D supplement and I am going to try to get out in the sun for at least 30 minutes a day and start walking again. I will post if it helps, thanks for all the comments, I am so happy to find that I am not alone and not crazy!!! Who would have thought, vitamin D?
Can anyone tell me how long it took you to start feeling better after starting to take the 50,000 vita d pills? I have been taking them now for 3 weeks and I feel a bit better but not 100%. Also when will my hair start to grow thick again?
I cant believe what im hearing , i just started to cry …..i have been shaky and crampy and my legs jump and twitch….tingly and headaches…also feel nautious….so weak i cant make it up my stairs without exhaustion! am i deficient in vit d? or have to much? well im a vegan so id go with deficient but who knows…..the criteria for over amt of vit d is nautious and no appetite but a lack there of can cause bad headache wich can cause nausia for me anyways…….i cannot sleep! every thing moves even my intestinal tract , rumbling on…did i mention seems like my heart will race then go back to normal ……i can relate to you all with this going on and im so worried…just got tested for vit d deficiency…..and will know more tomarrow…..i will repost to let you all know the outcome…….so others that have these issues can have some heads up….
im also have fibro m and depression varies…but it all goes hand in hand it seems……..
thanks everyone for sharing , it seems the only way to get some answers unfortunately doctors are not that helpful .
just wanted to say my vit d came back ok…….so my wishful thinking that i could feel normal again goes down the drain…..i dont get it ….i had all the symptoms and it made since since im a vegan and moved from a sunshine state to up north…..im so upset because im back to square one here….no answers at all …..
im so depressed right now…….i feel now that maybe there is no answers…and i have to live like this still……..i have to keep praying and hopefully something will show me whats wrong..
no answers is so frustrating……..upsetting…….im at my witts end here , just got off the phone with the nurse crying because im so frustrated over this…..
i too wonder if toxicity is possible…cause i do get sick to my stomach like laura was saying and i havent been real hungry and had headaches…..nausea…but its hard to tell……….yet a day in the sun was nice and helped me relax helped twitching and muscles and tingling in hands …..hard to tell whats going on …..
will wait on my numbers……..
oh my , i got a call from my docs nurse this morning ….the nurse yesterday mis read my results …..
my d2 is 4, my d3 is 17 and my total is 21…….
any advice on where to start? my doc wants me on dvit 1000 daily….she said just get plain d……..but most ive seen are either d2 or d3 as far as supplements go…..
are my numbers really low? any advice or recommend what d to get?
im so confused …….but relieved! the nurse said an RH doc would want my numbers at 80 so does this mean im extremely low?
Direct sunlight for about 20 minutes is the easiest way to get your daily dose of vitamin D.
I’m sitting here in pain and nauseated like hell. I must say that i have tears in my eyes after reading these posts because I’ve been made to look like the idiot that always go to the doctor or complain because she “thinks” that she is sick. For years, I’ve given all the symptoms and no one ever thought to just test for Vitamin D deficiency. I was beginning to lose my short term memory so I went to a neural doctor thinking that my childhood epilepsy was coming back. Thank God he took thorough blood work and found out that I was severely deficient in Vitamin D and B12. I also have antigens ANA and ENA in my bloodstream. I don’t know what this will lead to if anything I just hope that after taking this 50,000mg pill for 12 weeks I will feel better. I pray that all you feel well too. I’m really sick of the headaches and shoulder and hand pains and just all over body pains…its getting really old. Years of this sucks…I’m ready to be the old me again…we’ll see what happens. I’m glad I found this site!
Tee – You ARE sick. The idiots are the ones who don’t get it, not you. It’s real and it sucks, and I’ve said exactly what you wrote many, many times….its getting really old. I miss life. I resent some Physicians along this journey, and have spent too much time and energy that I don’t have trying to educate people on ME/CFS. I told my Mother “Do not ask me one more time if other people have this condition” I have a brother who could give a crap less and a mother who is out to lunch – totally clueless. I’ve had to limit interactions. My husband and two sons know what I live with as closely as someone without the illness can understand.
It’s changed my life dramatically, along with my husband’s life. I don’t know what it is like to be well any longer, and I have been through countless protocols. I have a recommendation from someone who has had me/cfs for 12 years for a Doctor in NYC who has helped with some of the symptoms. No miracle cure. Perhaps an improvement in quality of life, which would be greatly appreciated. I just have to get up the strength to do another Doctor.
People questioning your depth of illness should only experience what you live with, and they would shut their big mouths. Also, it is very draining and only exacerbates the entire manifestation of the illness when faced with accusatory, questioning and unbelieving people. Would they doubt the reality of Diabetes or MS or heart disease? It’s truly unfathomable to face the ignorance (including some Doctors) that exists regardless of the reality and nature of our disabling and at times discouraging journey.
I began researching vitamin D on the internet about 3 years ago after I read an article about it. Not many lay people knew about the deficiency problem then. I had Fibromyalgia for years and a lot of chronic pain. I was diagnosed by two different Rheumatologists. Nothing stopped the achey, tired and listless feeling.
I went to the computer and typed in Vitamin D Deficiency and Fibromyalgia.
Wow, there was lots of information. I starting taking 1000iu of D3 for a month. One morning I woke up and felt so good, I was giddy! After a few minutes I realized the pain was GONE! I was so thrilled. It still is.
This list looks interesting. Do any of you do much researching on the net?
Smiles,
Nessie
I too was just diagnosed with D3 defiency. Also for me I ‘m borderline with metabolic syndrome. I have been having pain, bloat, fatigue and depression no matter how hard I tried to smile so no one would know. went to a couple doctors and it seems they had to keep hearing me complain, all standard CBC were coming back normal. Now with a new doctor listening, he ran c-reactive,
which also I was borderline with imflamation. I’m also taking 5000IU for 2 months then will retest to check my levels, I too was told my bones were fine but my muscles were the cause and was placed on cymbalta for fibromyalgia. when my insurance ran out my could no longer take the medicine. however, I noticed one thing after losing my job, in about one month, the pains I was getting mainly in my inner elbows, hips legs had went away by 90%. I could hardly walk sometimes. I have to say that the long commuting, work was stressful as much as I loved doing it. The goal now is to find a job closer to home, de-stress as much as possible. get outside more. i’m 46 yrs, suffering from the perimenopausal ,fibroids too. But with HOPE, I hope one day I can wake up fully no pain or bloat, no blood pressure issues. I’m not trying to find out how to eat less, and excercise more. have a lovely day ladies!
made an error at the last commet. I AM trying to learn to eat less and exercise more.
Hi I just discovered that my “D” level is five and the Dr. put me on 4000iu plus calsium/500iu of D.plus b12 injection. After reading the above discoveries most people are falling in this catergory of defiency.I must admit it is good to know that there are reasons as to why various problems {health] THAT had been affecting me for awhile. I hope that more and more people will be helped because of the new information..Sincerly LC
This is my very first post on Vit D deficiency & Fibromyalgia. Just found this site. So helpful to know others are out there and I am not alone. Heard a medical broadcast on FB today and realized how vit D may be my problem instead of or in addition to FB! I’ve been so preoccupied with trying to stay at work and feeling better and dealing with drug side effects that I didn’t realize that I never bought my Vim D supplement (per doctor’s order). Got it today! I also found info on pH testing and how it may be linked to FB. This confirmed why Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath had such a positive effect; it balances pH level & eliminates acid waste. Try it! Trying to go with natural alterntives. Will post again to update. Praying for you all, as I do for myself, to be healed
My husband was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency in Oct. ’09. The actual blood-work had been performed back in July, ’09 but the doctor never bothered to read the results. Here we were with a reading of 12 nanograms absolutely stunned that something this dangerous was overlooked. He was immediately put on massive Vit. D capsules. The problems he had been having over the time from about Jan. to Oct. ’09 were chronic, severe back pain especially from L3-SI, constipation, difficulty urinating, and weight loss. Over the time from Oct. 5th when he started the Vit.D supplements he nas lost 22lbs. and a total of 134lbs. over the last year. At present he is dropping at minimum 1 pound/day. Now gone from 275 to 144 he is skin over bone and although he is eating good, healthy food we cannot stop the weight loss. There are other issues too, but space is small. Does anyone have knowledge on this that can help?
I’ve been feeling extremely tired and fatigued since I had the flu late September. After about 6 weeks I just couldn’t take it anymore–I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Thankfully my doctor tested me for everything–diabetes, anemia, pregnancy, thyroid, and vitamin D. I was starting to feel even more depressed when the first results came back negative–was it all in my head? When the vitamin D came back at 20 I was so thankful–I wasn’t crazy! After talking to my mom (retired nurse) and reading this site I am extremely blessed my doctor was so thorough–it seems not many doctors test vitamin D levels. I’m taking my weekly 50,000 units of vitamin D and trying to spend more time in the sun. Now I can only hope that I will be back to full energy soon.
Just took my 3rd weekly megadose of Vitamin D yesterday and I think it’s beginning to work….today was the first day in I can’t remember how long that I actually had the energy to get through the day with no naps and no brain fog!!! I was up early and did more around the house today than I would normally have accomplished in three weekends!! I even had the energy to go to the park with my dogs and walk briskly for over an hour – then I mowed the lawn, front and back, pulled weeds in the flower beds, and still had the energy to wash my car and then come in the house and rearrange the kitchen cabinets…then i sat down on the couch and it hit me – I was still wide awake at 6:00 PM and not exhausted…I’m hopeful it’s my vitamin D kicking in and not just a lucky day, but I feel terrific!! I still cannot believe that after 15 years of suffering “chronic fatigue syndrome” with no treatment that I may have been suffering vitamin D deficiency all along…it just took one new doctor on my first vist to her to order the test that my previous doctors never tested me for = my vitamin D levels – which came in @ 15.4.. I hope this is the start of a “new me” – active and fit like I was before – I feel like I’ve slept away so much of my life and I’m ready to make up for lost time…I’m so excited to feel normal again!! Now I need to write a Thank You note to my new doctor!! 🙂
Cynthia,
Your story sounds similar to mine. . .for the past year, I have had really bad fatigue, depression, thinning hair, weight gain. I just went to the doctor after my periods became irregular and you could’ve imagined the shock as everything came back normal. She did a pelvic sonogram, and did a battery of lab tests for diabetes, insulin resistance, thyroid disease, anemia and Vit D. My Vit D level was 11.9 so she started me on 50000 IU /week for 6 months. I can’t say that I feel a difference yet, but it has only been 1 week. I was upset because I had begin to feel like my random aches and pains and fatigue was all in my head. It’s good to know that I have found something. . . I hope it works for me so that I can get back on track.
I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency about 2 years ago, so I started on a vitamin supplement. Unfortunately, I also am prone to kidney stones, calcium type, and the first ingredient in all of the vitamin D supplements at the drug store is a type of calcium. I didn’t know this until I wound up in the emergency room with the largest kidney stones I have had to date, so I stopped the supplement, but now I am getting run down again. HELP?
I was diagnosed with thyroid disease six years ago. After trying for several months to get my thyroid hormone regulated; I opted to have my thyroid removed. I went through a point of feeling better and then things went downhill from there. I am aware that thyroid disease can cause calcium defiency. I started drinking Red Bull, Cokes, and Coffee hoping that I could get a boost of energy. In the mornings while trying to get ready for work, I would feel exhausted; despite sleeping 8 hours. I have been terrible irritable for no reason and I had no clue why. I just couldn’t get enough rest. I thought I was going crazy. I made an appt with a new endocrinologist and blood work was performed. I found out that my thyroid meds were the wrong dosage. I needed more hormone and I am vitamin D defiecient. I am hoping to have energy real soon and that I will start feeling like myself again.
Elisabeth Bailey, I just read your post~Omg, i just started to cry and couldnt stop~I have felt horrible for years and thought I was crazy~fatigue, weight gain,muscle aches and weakness, tingling, etc. This has been a nightmare and found out my Vit d levels were very low also~my doc put me on 50,000 ui for 4 weeks~Im only on my first week so I do not notice any change~I’m praying this is the answer because for years I’ve had everything checked including sleep apnea which I do have but minor~reading houw you had this incredible energy just made me cry because for so long I have had very little and I think my husband and kids think I’m crazy~I’ve always been energetic and been able to get a lot done in a day, but in the last few years, I’m lucky if I can last ten minutes before I have to sit down~your letter gives me hope, thank you!
I have been slowly declining in health since the birth of my son in 1997. I was older (39) and developed hypertension during the pregnancy and then it went away afterward…not preclampsia. Then it returned 11 months later. I have been going to a chiropractor for at least 20 years but over the last 8 years I noticed that my adjustments wouldn’t hold and I sometimes was out as soon as I got off his table. I started getting horrendous headaches, increased immune suppression and on and on. 12 years later I was depressed, ill, weight gain, fatigue to the point of having to take naps or go back to bed when my son was at school and each time I went to the doctor they only wanted to put me on more medicines for my HBP. I struggled to get tests because no doctor wanted to. I finally got one and she came back with the results that I had potassium deficiency and dehydration but no high cholesterol, normal salt, normal everything that leads to hbp. Her response was eat a banana daily and drink more water. Very discouraging…until I started to do my own research and even with my ability to look endlessly I had troubles putting everything together. Somehow through my research I started looking at Vitamin D deficiency and took way more than the FDA recommends and with-in days I had increased energy, 2 weeks later I realized that I hadn’t been to the chiropractor when I had been going several times a week because my pushed out joints gave me migraines. I haven’t been sick even though both my son and husband have been. I am not done with the increased D and even have considered increasing again to see if I can get some positive results for my HBP. I use the Purity Products Vitamin D, comes in a blue bottle. I like using VAXA products but I couldn’t find Vit D there because they produce mostly homeopathy products. Great company, but Purity’s D is working, thankfully. I forgot, I have been doing the D for about 2 months. Since I was so deficient, I think that is why it hasn’t shown any results with my HBP yet…or maybe I have had it so long that I am stuck with it…but I am thankful that other struggles I had are responding. I should also say that I am taking colloidal silver several times a day and sometimes take 3 dosages of the recommended amount several times a day. I started doing that about 10 days ago because my hubby got sick and it was a good antibotic. I don’t attribute the silver to the things that changed before he got sick! I do think that both products may have had a synergistic effect to support my immune system. I hope this helps…I am still on my health journey and am weary of the time invested to get healthy. I thought going to the gym would help me until I figured out that every time I went to the gym (and had paid for a trainer) I got sick… two months of hit and miss at the gym I finally emailed my trainer and said I think I am getting sick from the place because I couldn’t get consistent and he had to admit I was right…he and some of his clients were also getting sick at times. I think it was due to ill people coming in and I would get the virus on my hands which would touch my water bottle and I would leave with it. I needed to take a break and workout on my own to build up my immunity and get stronger so I can handle the gym’s regiment. So I am doing walking -still not consistent- and watching my food now. Hope this helps someone.
To Sue(and others):
You can get injections of D-vitamin..
Normally given if you have an extremely low level of D-vitamin.
Also the doctor should be able to prescribe a specific D-vitamin product
which doesn’t have calcium as filler.
Also i have seen examples that some doctors have prescribed D2 instead
of D3 D-vitamin(cholecalciferol), D3 is almost certainly the one needed.
Check what type the pharmacy gives you and ask the doctor.
(but i don’t know for sure, my research hasnt uncovered anything D2 vs D3)
Except some chemical mumbo jumbo(that i don’t understand 🙂 ).
Ask: the doctor about D2 and D3 and what the measurements for each were.
Ask: what the doctor thinks, has caused the deficiency.
Disclaimer: I’m just i guy who had a D-vitamin insufficiency (D3 = 17)
And used ALOT of time researching everything i could/can.
I had pains for a year before D-vitamin lack was diagnosed.
Partly the diagnose was a long time coming because of lacklustre doctor(s).
But I probably suffered otherwise from since about 8 years ago.
ALso i’m not convinced that it was the only problem. But that remains to be seen.
I also had severe pains etc. in about 4-5 years from 19-23-24 , which was like
What i suffered recently. But i was newer diagnosed with anything at that time.
I was diagnosed mid january 2010. i’ve had normal levels for about 2 months.
I couldnt work in december and january. and couldnt sleep at night.
Im much better now, but it takes some time for the body to adjust.
Up to six months. i’ve been told, but where this number comes from i don’t know.
So i still have pain but not the severe kind i had earlier.
I recommend that you look over what you eat and your supplements.
I myself changed my “Diet” (what I eat and drink).
Not only what i eat but also at what times. As regular intervals
as possible, at the same time of day every day.
#
D-vitamin deficiency – might be a sign that you have other deficiencies.
I choose to take B vitamin complex – a collection of Bxx vitamins:
B1 B2 B3 B6 B12 and more.
B vitamins is a helper vitamin and it is difficult to overdose since they are water soluble
I eat as varied as possible.
Because i **believe**
That it is better to get as much needed from the standard
food sources. Rather than as supplements.
Also it helps ensure that you negate other deficiencies.
That you might not have noticed, discovered and or diagnosed.
(+ a diagnose is not a reason why it happened in the first place).
I eat:
cod fish – Tuna
Garlic – onion as supplement
Meat (cow)
Tomato
Cabbages – broccoli
Eggs
Cheese
Rugbrød (danish)
Bread – not the completely white bread.
Fat products – milk 3.5% fat.
A38 – fat milk product (but contains calcium
A sortement of vegetables and fruits,
I always try to look at what i eat, and periodically research/think about if im missing something from my intake.
I also consider if there are other steps i can take.
F.ex i do memory exercises. and play different games.
(computer and sport like things, others).
You might need some special advice from your doctor about diet.
If you have trouble with calcium and diary products.
D vitamins needs fat to be absorbed by the body. And everybody
today is scared stiff of fat in products, but we need that too.
I am careful not to eat to much bread, better to load
up each with the ingredients
Since you had problems with the “”kidney stones” maybe ask your doctors
advice.
It could be because of the low D-vitamin which helps the
bones accepting Calcium, otherwise to much is in the bloodstream,
Also magnesium might be the issue.
Here as far as i can see in my research, it could be both to much and to little magnesium / calcium.
I was diagnosed with osteopenia when I was in my early thirties after having a pathological fracture. I was taking actonel, but it was so hard on my stomach (and wallet) that I stopped. I have been gaining weight so fast and now am looking into having bariatric surgery. One of the tests that were required was a Vit D (D125) I tested at 12. Now I know why I am so achy and grouchy. Now I wonder (since I meet with my MD this week) what the treatment will be and who it will affect me physically and emotionally. How did I get in this position anyway?>
This whole thing is new to me and I am still searching for information regarding a vitamin D deficiency. If anyone can answer a question for me, that would be great and most helpful? Is a vitamin D level of 16 dangerously low?
To Sue,and anyone else
My dr put me on a liquid vitamin d3,which is in an olive oil base,you just need a drop or two a day.It is easier to digest for me,the powder or capsule forms don’t agree with me.So far I like it much better.Good luck,oh,I am also newly diagnosed with a low thyroid as well,and lots of things bother my stomach.Hope this helps….
What is the name brand of the vitin d3 in olive oil?
After a year and half of treatment for chronic pain in both arms and hands that were treated as chronic pain and fatigue with all over weakness. My NP ordered a Vit D- Bless her heart!! It was an astounishing 14.5
I was at my wits end on the discomfort of it all and was actually to the point of accepting my life as miserable for the duration. I will begin the regimen of dosing and hope it all improves. My big concern is that I am Lactose intolerate as well as sun sensitive.(I rash terribly) so this is gonna be a true balance! It all can be done now that I have a possible answer to my misery!!
I was just diagnosed with severe Vitamin D deficiency, my reading was a 5. I was prescribed 50,000 iu a week for 8 weeks. Took my first pill on Thurs. I can already tell it is helping!! The overwhelming fatigue has begun to lift and the irritability is lots better. Over the past 7 years, after my daughter was born, things just got worse and worse. My hair was falling out, I was so fatigued I never felt rested, I was so snappy and irritable, depressed, super dry skin, irregular periods, major weight gain that I could not seem to lose no matter how few calories I ate. I was convinced I had hypothyroidism, but my TSH was within normal. I brought up these symptoms at every yearly physical. I was never tested for vit. D. deficiency.
I decided to have Weight Loss surgery, and was going through the testing and that’s how I was diagnosed. A FIVE, can you imagine? That does not happen overnight, and NO ONE ever mentioned it or tested for it. I have lost faith in my regular Dr. now. But I am so glad that things are on the mend.
If you’re at all wondering whether to get your D tested, DO IT. For years, my doctor didn’t seem to take me seriously about chronic pain until it got so bad that I mentioned to him that I could hardly tie my shoes anymore because my fingers were so sensitive. The D test came back at 8. Since then, after years of what seemed to me like rapid aging, I’m bouncing back. In fact, I’m not used to the amount of physical energy that I have. It took several months for the D to “take” so stick with it.
I have just been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency my no being 30 which the Dr said was quite serious. I would just like someone to tell me where it came from!! I spend a lot of time outdoors gardening etc although after having quite a few skin cancers removed I have to be more careful now.
I can’t understand how you can get it so fast because my last blood test about 9 mts ago did not show it.
Can it be caused through stress as I have such a lot going on with problems that I know may never go away. I feel very down and cannot cry that much but take it inward.
I am now on a supplement, but the dr said it didn’t really matter what I ate. I find this hard to believe after reading some of the websites.
I just want to know how I got it so I can deal with it properly.
Wow, I feel so much better after reading these comments. I JUST came back from my doctor were I was told my VitD level was 8.5…extremely low. I was perscibed 50K units of vitd and I can’t wait to start taking them…I’m so relieved that this could be the answer to my fatigue and painful aches (all over, especially my knees, back, shoulders, etc)…I’m ready to get the old me back…
I am going to vent! Finding a doctor that does NOT flip there eyes back when a patient makes a request is very hard to find! I asked my doc to do the Vet, D test and NO ! I asked my doc to test hormones, NO ! I asked my Doc about candida and she flipped her eyes back! So I tested on my own and started taking PROBIOTICS AND CHANGED MY DIET ( NO SWEETS) I now take vit, D and omega 3’s and am feeling so much better!!! The doctors don’t care or they have stocks in meds!!!
Your posts have been so helpful. I’ve had fatigue, muscle pain, excess weight that I can’t lose, hair loss, bruise easily, brain fog and memory problems for years. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 7 yrs. ago but the doctor didn’t do anything about it. I thought I had all the symptoms of low thyroid and asked several doctors to test me. They said it was fine, within normal range and didn’t pursue anything else even though I still had the symptoms. Yeah I’ve had doctors who do the eye-rolling. Now I’m going to ask for the vit. D test. Would a light box help?
If you have a doctor that rolls their eyes at you asking for basic health care (and I think checking your vitamin levels is a reasonable request) then you are with the wrong physician. Find another one!
My sister’s doctor was treating her depression and his first step was to make sure it wasn’t caused by something systemic. He ran her blood work and discovered a vitamin d & b deficiency and severe anemia. Treating the underlying systemic issue saved her from the expense of antidepressants she did not need. She feels like a new woman and lost her excess weight for the first time.
Her condition and successful treatment inspired me to get myself checked out and find a doctor that would actually listen to me. Well that, and I passed out one morning from exhaustion while I was getting ready for school. I knew something was seriously wrong and went to this new doctor.
I told my doctor about my sister’s history and my own specific symptoms. He didn’t roll his eyes (no doctor should!!). He just went to work and ordered a battery of tests to know where I was, exactly, in terms of systemic health indicators.
My D levels were at 9. My doctor said that I probably always had a deficiency but that the additional stress, lack of sun and vitamins exacerbated the situation. He said that my recurring sports injuries & achiness were probably due to this, the low grade depression, brain fog, dizziness and severe exhaustion. For years, I thought it was normal to sleep fitfully and struggle with weight loss.
He prescribed a vitamin d and a B complex supplement. Classmates noticed that I had color in my cheeks and commented on my energy 2 days after I started that protocol. I lost 10 lb in 2 months out of nowhere. My depression lifted and I felt more mentally alert than ever. And muscle pain? What muscle pain? I am still being monitored and building my d levels, but it is a world of difference.
I am so glad I took the time to find a physician that cared about my health enough to listen to me. I encourage anyone that is struggling with these symptoms to find a good doctor. You’re not crazy, and no, it’s not normal to feel like this!
I just recently went back to a doctor that left my town about 7 years ago. I started getting sick around that time and bounced from doc to doc complaining about constant pain, tired all the time, naseau and vomiting. It was making me crazy. I was sent to Gastro docs and had all sorts of tests ran but everything kept coming back normal. I was getting paranoid that my family was beginning to think I was a hypochondriac. Some days I couldn’t walk due to the pain and some days I just layed on the couch and cried because I was so tired. Well I finally tracked this doctor down and the first test she did was checking for a Vitamin D deficiency…….low and behold she called me today and said it was dangerously low. I started my 50000 iu of Vitamin D today and after reading the posts here I am hoping this is going to give me my life back. I have never been one to just lay around and do nothing but this past year it was pretty much all I could do. I am very happy to have found this page. Good Luck to all.
Hello to all. I am stunned at the magnitude of D-deficient suffers out here! I was just dx’d with a level of 4. I can relate to all of your pains and symptoms. One thing I must stress, is that a patient has the right to question procedures and tests (or lack thereof). When we are feeling ill and fed up we don’t have the energy to traipse around town looking for a competent care provider. I am lucky to have a very astute woman doctor and her woman CRNP who did this test w/o my asking. They recognized my symptoms. I am willing to bet that the eye-rolling MDs were probably men in their 50’s and up… that’s how they were trained in med school, to be arrogant and ignoble – not all, but a high percentage. I’m just guessing. ANYWAY, I’ve had these symptoms off/on since 1995. I was prescribed 10,000 mg vD to take once per week for 8 weeks.
One thing I find striking is the variation of the dose in relation to the blood serum levels of all the D’s. Most of you are on 50,000 mg even though you tested out at blood serum levels of 15 and 20. Am I getting enough? There doesn’t seem to be a protocol for the presciption dosage.
All of you dear souls who posted so long ago, I hope you have found your magic bullet! I started my journey today. I wish you all well, and if you have difficulty making your case with your present MD, get a friend to advocate for you! Don’t give up! (((*hugs*)))
I have just been diagnosed with Vit d deficiency and have been prescribed 50,000 for 4 weeks then re-testing. It is horrifieng the things it can cause. Lupas is in my list of health problems and it causes enough pain and fatigue OR does the pain come from vit. d deficiency Can anyone give suggestions of what to expect and or do to helpme deal with this. I’m scared.
Hello all, about 2 months ago before my dog died I was dealing with chest pains, mild constipation and more. When she died the symptoms got worse, I started taking Vitamin D sense I was at 15. The symptomss are slowly starting to get better after only a month of use at 3,000 a day! I’ve gone two days without any currently. (Ran out, getting more today.) And the symptoms got a little worse already. This leads me to believe, low Vitamin D is the culprit to my problems.
why wont my body maintain my vitamin D3 levels after taking large treatment doses twice?
Wow, was quite interesting to read all the stories, would be great to hear updates as some of these posts are a few years ago. I am vitamin D deficient nd taking 10,000 IU for 2 years and finally got within normal range but I did not notice any difference once I acheived my “normal D values”. I guess its a lot of other stuff I have going on including OA, CFS, Autoimmune Hep, Endometriosis to name a few that makes me not feel better even though my D is now normal. B12 shots also did nothing for me. Actually diet is the best thing I have tried, I only wish I could stick to the GF, Candida diet as I should. I’m just so tired and it requires so much planning sometimes I just reach for what is easy and not necessarily what I should eat.
For past 6 mos, had been experiencing aching joints, fatigue, dizziness. Knew this was out of the ordinary for myself. I ordered my bloodwork from my physician. And thank while all other test were negative go, my vitamin d level was 12. HE prescribed me 50,000 once a week for 8 eight weeks. After the first initial dose, I could feel relief of my symptoms. There are so many suffers of this ailment, who are misdiagnosed. Please check it out..
thank u i thought i was going mad 2years of not feeling well and geting worse going to doctor tomorrow wish me luck please
The only reason I knew to test for Vitamin D was because my mother in law had low levels. I have been sleeping 12-15 hours daily for years and have had insomnia. I have always had knee pains during volleyball and other exercise and I have had back pain a lot after a recent bout getting hit by a car on my bike. I went to my doctor to get a test for anemia and to test my thyroid. My thyroid has been tested almost every year and it always came back fine. Why would I suddenly gain 10lbs every year and never lose weight? Why was weightloss so hard for me?
My Vitamin D level was 21. From my readings, I think normal is around 60 and the top of the range is 100. I have had problems with binge eating and binge drinking for years. Always thought I had Chronic Fatigue symptoms. Then thought I had depression.
After my Vitamin D level came back I realized what the problem was. (What other tests do I need that I need to advocate for?) Doctors should just test everyone for everything. I was recently put on Wellbutrin XL for the fatigue/low sex drive/weight gain/depression and I have been taking 5mg of melatonin at night to combat the insomnia. I have had no sex drive for years and this causes a huge strain in my relationship.
I hope Vitamin D is the answer. After reading a lot about it, it seems very difficult to get the proper amount needed from food and I have a dark pigment to my skin, so I might not absorb it from the sun. Looks like supplements are what I need…
I took 1000 I.U. last night with my 5mg of melatonin and woke up rested at 4am and woke up to read a book. Usually I am guilty at 11am because I have hit snooze since 6am and my family gives me a hard time and just tells me I need to get up earlier to fix my problems. Wishing I had known about this earlier. My Great Grandfather had Rheumatoid Arthritus and my Grandpa had colon and skin cancer. I wonder if they were Vitamin D deficient too. I have also had various fungi (tinea versacolor) that would not go away for years without poisonous medicine I had to ingest and I have had a wart in my cuticle for the last 5 years that won’t go away no matter what the doctors do. So, maybe my immune system has just been depressed from low vitamin D.
I just was diagnosed with vitamin d deficiency Dec.2013…I’ve been going through so much for years…Chronic fatigue,GI issues,Skin issues,Vision,Headaches,overall body pain,throat issues,numbness in hands and feet,chest pain,high blood pressure,and new symptom rapid heartbeat,and anxiety,and depression..My doc has ran every test under the sun and all that came back was the deficiency..My levels was 9.9…I was told to take Vitamin D3 and a multivitamin….since I’ve started my headaches are gone and the numbness in my hands and feet I don’t get that often..Prayfully it all goes away soon…Thank God for sites like this one because my doc has no ideal what I’m going through..She even wanted to refer me to psyc…It’s crazy how they spent so much time and money in school and don’t have a clue….It’s been years since some of yall posted Has things gotten better?…PRAYING
It goes beyond the pale to know that for four decades I complained about so many illnesses only to be given pills and surgeries that didn’t work. I did my own research and the moment I started 6,000 IU of D I had a reversal on everything. I’m beyond disgusted. It is a travesty to the world population that D tests are given free of charge and ordered for the patient routinely. D levels should be kept at a score of 50-80. It is too late for my bones…I have permanent damage. My heart breaks to know all the people that have died for something so simple to fix. Vitamin D is inexpensive and the sunshine is free. So much as been known about this evolutionary need for a long time. I guess there is too much money to be made having the general population on the verge of illness most of their life. Disgusting.
Elena, Can you say what symptoms you were having exactly? And what type of Vitamin D you are taking? I’ve been having chest pain and pain in my hands and feet, numbness too and now bone pains. I’ve been found Vit D deficient but read bad reviews about the 50,000 unit D2 I was prescribed. So, I have been just taking a low dose Vit D3 (800 IU). Can’t tell much help yet. Any suggestions? Thank you
I’m so sorry that you have been treated so appallingly, and are being left with the repercussions and injustice to deal with.
Are you in the UK, or overseas?
It sounds like UK from your description of what you are going through!
I don’t know what is wrong in the NHS at present, politics aside, but it’s as if GPs have been given a red light as to treatments, or even diagnosis, and just placating their patients.
It’s so frustrating, infuriating, and stressful, and that helps no-one to get better, it actually makes it worse.
The vitamin D deficiency is interesting, though I have read that it’s better injected straight into the blood system than taken orally, same as for vitamin B12.
I don’t know of anything constructive to add, except that I wish you well, and hope there are some remedies out there that might help you.
Wishing you well!
With very best wishes
Alison
Hi, my names Amanda, I am 39 years old. I also have low vitamin D (14) and recently had been told my ANA came back positive I have had alopecia since I was 25, have extreme joint pain and NO energy at all!!! I have a really tight feeling in the front of my neck that comes on before my energy spells hit. I have an appointment in June to see a specialist, in hopes of finding out what is going on. It will be nice to finally know.
The doctor said I am supposed to get my vitamin d pill. I have been feeling confused in my new group residence and medicines are a touchy subject for some reason. I know I am missing it because it is a green pill once a week. 50k iu’s I told the doctor and told my nurse at the house. I’ve been being ridiculed at the house for not remembering and was asked by the nurse if I wanted to go to the hospital after having diahreah for 5 days several times over the last last year and this year. I feel I am being neglected and I think it’s because of my beliefs and ideals and this is one way of making me succumb to others points of view and submissive behavior. I have pleaded with my agency to give me individual housing and all the things that would help me be independent and less confrontational. But no one is looking ahead to the possibilities of cooperation and a better future for me and those involved that I can see. I desperately want to be happy but I feel used. I am taking lexapro and feel less depression and a little less anxiety. But I’m overwhelmed and my survival instincts are kicking in like several times over my life and caused me to be antisocial. I feel like an experiment to see what failure is like so they can get results. I want my life.