3 ms·

I started taking 1400 IU per day a few months ago and I don't feel any different :-( So I'm left wondering, did I not need it, or am I not taking enough.

neilc 16y ago
The easy way to check that is to get your level of vitamin D (25-OHD in a blood test) tested by your doctor.
gojomo 16y ago
Vitamin D via sun, meats, or supplementation is likely beneficial even if you don't "feel" any difference. But also, most pro-vitamin-D sources suggest 2000IU or more per day -- sometimes much more, though traditionally there was thought to be toxicity risks at very high doses.
- tocomment 16y ago
  I assumed too high a dose was dangerous. Is that not true?
  - gojomo 16y ago
    At some point, yes. But as the linked article notes -- and as someone concerned about this enough to take a supplement and ask a question, you did read the article, right? -- adults have taken 10,000IU/day for 6 months with no ill effects, and 50,000IU/week is usual for people with a diagnosed deficiency until it's cured. So as for everything else, the dose makes the poison, but typical official recommendations (1000IU/day and lower) seem to be a fraction of what's best and a tiny fraction of what's safe.
robg 16y ago
It also depends on the form. As others here note, Vit D is fat soluble so gel caps are much better. 1400 IU may not be enough especially if it's a pill. I take a 5000 IU gel cap most days. Still, if you haven't been tested, you should. It's easy and inexpensive.
jrockway 16y ago
Maybe you weren't deficient? I had a blood test that said I was deficient, after taking about 4000IU of vitamin D a day for a long time (years). I upped the dose to 10,000-12,000IU, and I feel the same, but the blood test comes back as not deficient. Interestingly, a strong immune system is not always good. I am allergic to everything. (But that problem is solved with immunotherapy.)

neilc 16y ago

The easy way to check that is to get your level of vitamin D (25-OHD in a blood test) tested by your doctor.

gojomo 16y ago

Vitamin D via sun, meats, or supplementation is likely beneficial even if you don't "feel" any difference. But also, most pro-vitamin-D sources suggest 2000IU or more per day -- sometimes much more, though traditionally there was thought to be toxicity risks at very high doses.

tocomment 16y ago
I assumed too high a dose was dangerous. Is that not true?
- gojomo 16y ago
  At some point, yes. But as the linked article notes -- and as someone concerned about this enough to take a supplement and ask a question, you did read the article, right? -- adults have taken 10,000IU/day for 6 months with no ill effects, and 50,000IU/week is usual for people with a diagnosed deficiency until it's cured. So as for everything else, the dose makes the poison, but typical official recommendations (1000IU/day and lower) seem to be a fraction of what's best and a tiny fraction of what's safe.

robg 16y ago

It also depends on the form. As others here note, Vit D is fat soluble so gel caps are much better. 1400 IU may not be enough especially if it's a pill. I take a 5000 IU gel cap most days. Still, if you haven't been tested, you should. It's easy and inexpensive.

jrockway 16y ago

Maybe you weren't deficient? I had a blood test that said I was deficient, after taking about 4000IU of vitamin D a day for a long time (years). I upped the dose to 10,000-12,000IU, and I feel the same, but the blood test comes back as not deficient. Interestingly, a strong immune system is not always good. I am allergic to everything. (But that problem is solved with immunotherapy.)