Just had my yearly physical, age 72. Talking to my doc about supplements and that I take 5000iu Vitamin D daily with meal. He said is OK for winter but suggested I go to 2000iu for rest of the year. Living in midwest my skin rarely has sun on it during winter. I also drink at least 40 ounces of milk daily and also some Minute Maid fortified OJ that also contains vitamin D.

I also asked if I could get testosterone test just for my information being a fitness enthusiast and never had one before. He said OK but he would have to put down fatigue as a symptom and also order a vitamin D test also which I would not have had otherwise.

So I got most of the results back and everything was great for CMP, CBC, TSH, PSA, cholesterol(115 total), A1C, and uric acid but my vitamin D came back as 25.3 where optimal is shown as 30-100. Less than 20 is defined as deficiency and 20-30 as sub optimal. At least that is what Quest website says.

I was kind of disappointed and surprised with that considering how much Vitamin D3 I consume between supplements and food but possibly I have an absorption problem with vitamin D3. I get vitamin K with my multi vitamin and food. I also take Now Magnesium Glycinate supplement and eat foods rich in magnesium. My calcium level was shown in optimal range.

I have not heard back from my doctor yet and will email him if I don't hear from him. My thought is to bump my D3 up to 10,000iu a day and then get tested again in a couple months to see what it shows. I might stay at 10,000iu or go back to 5000iu late spring unless my doctor has a plan of action for me. I want to get well into the optimal range and being that I do strength training 3 times a week it is important for good results. I understand that one can take too much vitamin D3 supplements too so it is not a matter of its just OK to massively dose every day.

Anyone else experience low vitamin D similar to what I have and have any success stories about getting back into optimum range. I also wanted to make aware that even with 5000iu vitamin D supplement daily once could still have low levels of vitamin D. It sure surprised me.

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EDIT: Added update 05/18/2024

Just an update 05/18/24. I had my Vitamin D level tested again a couple days ago and it is up to 56 now from 25 on February 8th which I guess is pretty decent after finishing my prescription from my MD

Not sure what my problem was before. Maybe the vitamin D I was taking before was of poor quality or not taking on empty stomach makes a big difference. I have changed brands to Now brand Vitamin D and will be taking 5000iu a day with a meal and an extra 5000iu three times a week. That is what my wife does on advice from her on endocrinologist and will get tested again in 4 months.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: grumpy1,

My GP recommends 2000 IU vitamin D3 daily. Blood work shows me in the recommended range.

D3 is the only vitamin that she asks about. And she always asks about that one.

I have taken 6,000 IU for over two years now (5,000 IU in a daily capsule and another 1,000 IU in a daily MVI tablet). Vitamin D levels stay in the middle of the normal range.

Get regular labs done and go from there.

I take Super C which is 1000iu of D3. Its made an impact vs. taking nothing at all.

I'm 56, I take 2000iu/day.

With low Vitamin D you should have a bone density scan. Men can get osteoporosis. Those lab tests need to viewed in light of your other medical issues and in relation to one another.

Doc recommended 10,000 IU D3 summer and 15,000 IU during the winter. Also recommended to get the D3 that includes vitamin K2. Ideal levels were supposedly minimum of 50 but closer to 100 was better.

I take 2000iu/day of D3 and get another 1000iu of vitamin D in my daily multivitamin.

I'm glad you brought this up. I base my Vit D3 intake on articles mostly related to the "pandemic". I regularly take far more than you guys have posted here. I don't recall my last physical blood work results, but all were in recommended allowances and my doc was happy with them.

In warmer months I get plenty of sun, but these days rarely.

quote:

Originally posted by bryan11:
Doc recommended 10,000 IU D3 summer and 15,000 IU during the winter. Also recommended to get the D3 that includes vitamin K2. Ideal levels were supposedly minimum of 50 but closer to 100 was better.

I’m not keen on combos. I take D3 (2000 IU) and K2 (100 mcg) daily in separate tablets. It’s sometimes hard to find D3 without something else in it.

Thanks for the replies. Very interesting to see what works for a forum member and that certainly one size does not fit all.

quote:

Originally posted by bryan11:
Doc recommended 10,000 IU D3 summer and 15,000 IU during the winter. Also recommended to get the D3 that includes vitamin K2. Ideal levels were supposedly minimum of 50 but closer to 100 was better.

I just earlier ordered Nutricost K2 MK-7 to take also. Only 7 cents a day. There is always room for one more supplement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
With low Vitamin D you should have a bone density scan. Men can get osteoporosis. Those lab tests need to viewed in light of your other medical issues and in relation to one another.

I had checkup last summer with a back surgeon to make sure I could left heavy weights and she gave me the OK as long as I was doing lift correctly and don't have any pain. I also have osteoarthritis of lower spine which is not uncommon for my age. Been thinking of getting dexa scan too at a place that does it locally for about $129 and gives report on bone density, lean mass, and body fat percentage.

I've been taking vitamin D for many years. At the recommendation of of my cardiologist. He said people in the northern part of the US just don't don't get enough sun so they almost always lack enough vitamin D. I take 1000iu - 2000iu a day. He told me to take it after I eat something with fat such as milk, eggs, or bacon because the fat helps your body to absorb the D supplement much better. He also warned me about taking excessive amounts of it.

I take 20000iu a day year round. I have for years. I also drink my share of milk.
My blood work comes back good. So I just continue.

This was from a few years ago … do I win?

quote:

Originally posted by Copefree:
This was from a few years ago … do I win?

YIKES! How did you get that resolved? Did you need infusions?

Last summer during my annual physical I tested low for vitamin D, so physician put me on a dose of 5000iu. During semi-annual bloodwork this week, Vitamin D was back in the "normal" range. I had not had a problem in previous years, but I understand age can be a factor. I am 75.

The vitamin D thing seems to be the latest ( as a medical practitioner myself I have seen the “focus trend of the year/decade pattern “ multiple times in my career) hyped thing in medicine. Funny the cycle/ background. Years ago we were told sunlight was good for us go play outside. Then it was bad for us ( skin cancer- melanoma especially serious) so stay inside and cover yourself with clothing or sunscreen outside. ( there is lots of controversy about sunscreen and if itself Carrie’s health risk when used excessively) so naturally we all now have low D levels and need a supplement!
I seem to recall in the 80’s &90’s HRT was going to be some sort of women’s health messiah - well that didn’t work out so good. Then it was aspirin to prevent heart disease- later disproven as a primary prevention tactic.
Someday a study will conclude all these vitamin D supplements have a negative consequence as well.