The researchers also found that the proportion of people with high vitamin D levels increased considerably during the study period — from 9 per 100,000 people in 2002 to 233 per 100,000 people in 2011. This spike is likely due to an increase in people taking vitamin D supplements, either because a doctor prescribed them or because they decided on their own to take them, the researchers said. Despite this increase, the people in the study rarely experienced hypercalcemia, or high blood calcium levels that can occur as a result of high vitamin D levels. The condition can cause weakness, vomiting and kidney problems, and is the main side effect of high vitamin D levels. In fact, there was no link between people's vitamin D levels and their blood calcium levels. [9 Good Sources of Disease-Fighter Vitamin D] "We found that, even in those with high levels of vitamin D over 50 ng/mL, there was not an increased risk of hypercalcemia, or elevated serum calcium, with increasing levels of vitamin D," study co-author Dr. Thomas D. Thacher, a family medicine expert at Mayo Clinic, said in a statement.
The study identified just four cases over the 10-year period of people who had hypercalcemia associated with high vitamin D levels, and three of those were mild cases in which people did not have symptoms. (In those three cases, the condition was revealed only by the blood test.) There was just one case of true vitamin D toxicity, in a 51-year-old woman who had vitamin D levels of 364 ng/mL. The woman had taken 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day for three months, along with calcium supplements, and went to the doctor with weight loss, vomiting and confusion. (The recommended upper limit for vitamin D supplementation is 4,000 IU per day.) The woman turned out to have kidney damage. Doctors should ask their patients about vitamin D supplements that they are taking, because people can buy very high doses — as much as 50,000 IU — over the counter, Thacher said. The study was published in the May issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner.
Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.Get Started With Your FREE Natural Bone Building Kit.Get a free copy of our ‘Stop The Bone Thieves’ eBook, exclusive content that you can’t find anywhere else, plus vital osteoporosis news and updates. About this itemImportant Made in USA Origin Disclaimer:About this itemImportant Made in USA Origin Disclaimer: Vitamin D Is An Essential Nutrient That Works With Calcium To Help Develop Strong Bones And Teeth.* This High-Potency Vitamin D Supplement Assists In Maintaining Breast Health And A Healthy Immune System. Scientific Evidence Also Indicates That Increasing Vitamin D Intake Can Support The Health Of The Pancreas And Colon.* Supplementing With Vitamin D Is An Easy And Convenient Way To Increase Your Daily Vitamin D Intake. *These Statements Have Not Been Evaluated By The Food And Drug Administration. This Product Is Not Intended To Diagnose, Treat, Cure Or Prevent Any Disease. No Gluten, No Yeast, No Wheat, No Milk Or Milk Derivatives, No Lactose, No Sugar, No Preservatives, No Artificial Color, No Artificial Flavor, No Sodium (Less Than 5 Mg Per Serving).
Bone Health.* Warnings: Warning Text: Not Intended For Use By Pregnant Or Nursing Women. If You Are Taking Any Medications Or Have Hypercalcemia, Consult Your Doctor Before Use. Discontinue Use And Consult Your Doctor If Any Adverse Reactions Occur. Not Intended For Use By Persons Under The Age Of 18. Keep Out Of The Reach Of Children.Ingredients: Ingredients: Serving Size 1 Softgel. Amount Per Serving Vitamin D (As D3 Cholecalciferol) 5,000 Iu, % Daily Value 1,250%. Other Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Gelatin, Glycerin.Directions: Dosage: Suggested Use: Adults, take one softgel daily, preferably with a meal.Instructions: WARNING: If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before use. Discontinue use and consult your doctor if any adverse reactions occur. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. FOR YOUR PROTECTION, DO NOT USE IF SEAL UNDER CAP IS BROKEN OR MISSING.SpecificationsGenderHorsepowerAge GroupTypeCapacityFlavorSizeFormManufacturer Part NumberContainer TypeModelBrandAssembled Product Dimensions (L x W x H)Does the cholecalciferol comes from fish liver oils or lanolin?by It looks like you are not signed in.
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This page discusses vitamin D in pharmacology, its different forms and the use of vitamin D analogues. This is an advanced topic, primarily focused to educate health professionals, or to answer any questions a person might have on some form of vitamin D their doctor prescribed When we say vitamin D, we are talking about vitamin D nutritionally, in the form of cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃) or ergocalciferol (vitamin D₂). Cholecalciferol is made in the skin in response to UVB radiation. Ergocalciferol is produced in plants and fungus, also in response to UVB radiation. Cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol can both be found in the form of a supplement. In the United States, “over the counter” vitamin D is usually cholecalciferol, but this is not always the case. Cholecalciferol is produced by irradiating sheep wool. Cholecalciferol is also in cod liver oil products. Ergocalciferol supplements are produced much more complicatedly, often involving irradiating sugars and yeasts.
Vitamin D is scarcely found in food. Fatty fish have small quantities of cholecalciferol, while irradiated mushrooms have small quantities of ergocalciferol. In the United States and Canada, the Institute of Medicine currently recommends the following daily intakes: Children, pregnant women and adults, 1-70 years The European Union recommends the following daily intake: Sometimes you’ll hear scientists refer to “physiologic doses of vitamin D.” A physiologic dose of vitamin D is the dose required to maintain vitamin D blood levels [25(OH)D] in the range that ancestral humans maintained. Since ancestral humans received much more sun exposure than modern day humans get, researchers and doctors will study or prescribe physiologic doses of vitamin D, to make up for the absence of sunlight. So what is a physiologic dose? This is a dose between 3,000-5,000 IU/day, which will help you achieve the same vitamin D levels of someone who gets lots of year-round full-body sun exposure around the equator.
Some researchers, as well as the Vitamin D Council, believe that physiologic doses of vitamin D should be the public recommendation until research guides us otherwise. This is why the Vitamin D Council recommends 5,000 IU/day, to make up for the sunshine most modern day humans don’t get. A “pharmacologic dose of vitamin D” is a term referring to any dose greater than a daily physiologic dose. These are also sometimes called ‘mega doses,’ ‘loading doses’ or ‘Stoss doses.’ Doctors will sometimes use pharmacologic doses to quickly raise vitamin D blood levels. A common practice is to prescribe a pharmacologic dose of vitamin D (50,000 IU once per week) when a patient tests low in vitamin D. Researchers will also sometimes use pharmacologic doses in their studies, also to quickly raise vitamin D blood levels. In general, the Vitamin D Council believes that daily physiologic doses are preferable to pharmacologic doses, though every individual has different needs.
If a patient is low in vitamin D, sometimes it is prudent to prescribe both a pharmacologic and physiologic dose. Or in simpler terms, a mega dose for the short term, and a daily maintenance dose for the long term. A few studies have shown that cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃) is better than ergocalciferol (vitamin D₂) at increasing vitamin D levels and better for various health outcomes and mortality risk. Also, since the body produces cholecalciferol rather than ergocalciferol, it is commonly thought that cholecalciferol is better for people than ergocalciferol. There are no studies that show whether vitamin D in tablet, gel, capsule, drop or sublingual form is preferable. There are a few vitamin D cream products on the market. At this time, there are no studies that examine how well, if at all, vitamin D is absorbed through applying creams to the skin. Vitamin D supplements are widely available “over the counter” in the United States. These supplements are usually vitamin D₃, but it’s important to check the label to make sure.
Vitamin D supplements come in a variety of IUs per pill, some of the most common sizes being 400 IU, 1,000 IU, 2,000 IU and 5,000 IU, though products vary. Vitamin D is also usually found in multi-vitamins, found in amounts of 400 to 1,000 IU, though sometimes more. Vitamin D is also sometimes coupled with calcium and promoted for bone health. Unless a doctor takes extra care in prescribing their patient vitamin D, patients are prescribed a product called Drisdol. Drisdol is ergocalciferol (vitamin D₂) in 50,000 IU pills, usually prescribed to take once or twice weekly, fortnightly or monthly. The Vitamin D Council generally recommends against this because vitamin D₃ is preferable to vitamin D₂. It should also be considered, that rather than just take a weekly dose of vitamin D in the short run, a long term strategy should be setup to get daily vitamin D in the long run. Most people can take vitamin D supplements with no problems. However, care is needed in a few situations.
A vitamin D metabolite is a chemical in the body that the body produces when you take vitamin D. When vitamin D is taken, the liver turns vitamin D into 25(OH)D. Then the kidney and many other tissues in the body take this 25(OH)D and turn it into 1,25(OH)₂D. Since these are the forms the body wants and uses, sometimes doctors prescribe these forms if you can’t produce them yourself when you take vitamin D. However, in the United States, 25(OH)D is not available over the counter or by prescription. It has been available in the past. It is not known if it will be available in the future. 1,25(OH)₂D (activated vitamin D) is available by prescription, sold under the trade names Rocaltrol, Calcijex and Decostriol. The use of 1,25(OH)₂D is not to treat vitamin D deficiency, but rather treat hypocalcemia and bone disease in people with abnormal conditions like hypoparathyroidism, kidney disease, osteomalacia, rickets and others. 1,25(OH)₂D is prescribed in these instances because the person has difficulty producing 1,25(OH)₂D in their kidney, or maybe they need extra 1,25(OH)₂D to compensate for lack of parathyroid hormone and more.
Sometimes doctors recommend those with kidney diseases to take both plain vitamin D and 1,25(OH)₂D. Vitamin D analogs are drugs chemically and physiologically similar to vitamin D or its metabolites. They are developed by researchers for specific purposes. Most analogs on the market are used to treat people with kidney disease, those at risk of low blood calcium, and those at risk of bone diseases and other rare medical conditions. There are also analog creams that have also been developed to treat skin disorders like psoriasis. Here are some analogs currently available on the market: Barker JN, Ashton RE, Marks R, Harris RI, Berth-Jones J. Topical maxacalcitol for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-finding study with active comparator. Fukuoka M, Sakurai K, Ohta T, Kiyoki M, Katayama I. Tacalcitol, an active vitamin D3, induces nerve growth factor production in human epidermal keratinocytes. Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol. 2001