How much d3 should i take

Hard to say without checking your levels. In general, I recommend people take a daily vitamin D supplement no matter how much time they spend outside. Also, for your skin to synthesize vitamin D, you need to be exposed to UVB radiation. This type of solar radiation gets scattered by the atmosphere, so exposure will be affected by season, latitude, and the time of day. Furthermore, even if you are getting enough vitamin D through sunlight or diet, taking a supplement of IU is unlikely to raise your vitamin D levels to a problematic range.

In my view, people of all ages usually have plenty they can and should do for their health and their lives. Again, this depends on who you ask. Research into the risks of too much vitamin D is ongoing. Vitamin D also promotes calcium absorption, and high levels of vitamin D can cause high levels of blood calcium. I have also personally encountered a few patients with high blood calcium levels, who were taking high doses of vitamin D supplements and had fairly high blood levels of vitamin D.

This is a single case, but some research does suggest that high levels of vitamin D may be associated with coronary artery calcifications, especially in men. It is certainly possible that future research may find links between high vitamin D blood levels and increased heart attack risk.

I know that some health providers recommend substantially higher vitamin D levels, but as best I can tell, there is no high-quality research evidence to support this. Pop that vitamin D. And if for some reason you are taking a higher dose of vitamin D — such as 50, IU per week — be careful about continuing it indefinitely. For most people, higher doses should only be used for a few months, and then a lower maintenance dose should be possible.

Thank you for this! The doctors are testing them annually and have told them they will continue this because if the need with the illness they have. I do read the Vitamin D Council Newsletter and its articles that are free to the public and not behind a pay wall.

I do wish you would consider doing some writing about vitamin B12 and the need for testing individuals that have lost the ability to fully utilize or uptake B12 from foods rich in B We have about seven members age 66 to 87 in our diabetes support group that need to take a vitamin B12 supplement on a daily basis. Three have needed to take vitamin B12 shots when the deficiency was discovered.

Thanks for sharing your story. Great thought re vitamin B12! I read your article about Vitamin D and am interested in the following: Can the doses of Vit D be taken in larger amounts every 2 or 3 days instead of daily? Since this is a fat —soluble vitamin, presum? Good question! Yes, vitamin D is fat-soluble and can be taken less frequently. I recommend daily dosing mainly because most people seem to find it easier to stick with a daily schedule than a weekly schedule.

Yes, it is easier to just take the pill with my morning cereal and another at dinner. No thinking needed. If you miss one, no harm done. Thanks for sharing this types of history. I also know some about of this topics. I would like to sharing for of all you. The D vitamin is the only vitamin that is not obtained from foods that are consumed. Instead, the D vitamin is actually obtained by sunlight on the skin. There has been a lot of media coverage about the dangers of getting too much sun but it is essential that the skin is exposed to sunlight to obtain the recommended daily allowance of the D vitamin.

In reality, the amount of time that a person has to spend in the sun to receive a sufficient dose of the D vitamin is extremely small and just a few minutes a day will be sufficient and not have any adverse effects from the amount of ultraviolet light received.

Basically, to synthesize vitamin D through the skin, one has to get sunlight during the peak hours close to midday, because the type of UV radiation that sparks vitamin D synthesis is scattered by the atmosphere. In other words, if you go get your sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is lower in the sky, the sunlight is much less effective in prompting vitamin D production.

Last but not least, the sun is stronger at some times of year than others. All of this means that it can be tricky to get enough sun exposure to maintain vitamin D levels especially in the winter or if one is dark-skinned.

Research has confirmed this: a randomized trial of sun exposure versus vitamin D supplementation found that the supplements were more effective in raising vitamin D levels. Another study of people living in Hawaii found that many had lower vitamin D levels than one might expect.

You may also want to see this scientific abstract: Estimated equivalency of vitamin D production from natural sun exposure versus oral vitamin D supplementation across seasons at two US latitudes. In short, I think people should be careful about assuming that a little sunshine every day is enough to avoid vitamin D deficiency. Instead, I recommend being careful about sun exposure to protect against skin cancer, and instead taking a daily vitamin D supplement to avoid deficiency.

This makes great sense. I will change from my winter pills to year-round. Helpful, and no harm done. For how long continuasly can i take IU vitamin d3 supplement? Do i have to pause from time to time for some weeks or months to avoid any harm to my kidneys or elsewhere? Thank you. I would recommend you talk to your doctor about your vitamin D supplementation. Mercola recommends 35u per pound of weight. That comes to u for me. I am not a fan of Dr. I am also not aware of good clinical evidence to support a recommendation of 35 IU per pound of body weight.

We do have reason to believe that levels that are too high can cause harm, such as kidney stones from higher calcium levels, but no one is sure where to set the upper limit. D test, Quest Diagnostics has as the reference range.

My age is 71 this year, I have osteopenia and no medication needed yet. I will be interested to see in fall what my levels are with the small boost in calcium to about — and beginning pills for Vit. D twice a day. Yes, concern would be for too much calcium in the blood and risk of heart attack, I have afib and for a while was on a calcium channel blocker, Cartia, which is now stopped due to no further symptoms racing heart rate.

Does it matter when you take the Vitamin D i. Is the Vitamin D affected by other medicines e. Levo Thyroxine or other vitains i. Analysis of recently tested patients new and long-term not on D3 revealed The average serum calcium level in these 2 groups was 9. The average intact parathyroid hormone levels were Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

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Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! However, everyone will need to consider taking a supplement in the autumn and winter if they don't eat enough foods that naturally contain vitamin D or are fortified with it.

And those who don't get out in the sun or always cover their skin when they do, should take a vitamin D supplement throughout the year. Many people don't realise that you can have too much of a good thing. In very high doses, many minerals like iron and vitamins can harm your body. Current guidelines say adults shouldn't take more than the equivalent of micrograms a day. But vitamin D is a 'fat-soluble' vitamin, so your body can store it for months and you don't need it every day. That means you could equally safely take a supplement of 20 micrograms a day or micrograms once a month.

Don't worry - your doctor or pharmacist aren't trying to poison you! You can divide the monthly dose by 30 to give you the daily equivalent, which is what counts. Of course, speaking of too much of a good thing, too much sunshine can be disastrous for your health. Any redness or even tanning of your skin is a sign that your skin has been damaged.

In spring and summer, you can get your vitamin D from 15 to 20 minutes a day with arms and face uncovered in full sun. But don't get burnt - this raises the risk of all kinds of skin cancer , but particularly of deadly melanoma.

Now my hair is rapidly falling out. How long will it take for the drug to be out of my system? Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy.

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