4 ms·

I'm taking 800IU a day with calcium. I don't know why some folks here are taking 3000-5000. That seems obscenely high.

bArray 6y ago
Yeah you can overdose [1]. It's not just what these people are getting in supplements, but also about what they are getting naturally. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D
izzydata 6y ago
Do they actually make 5000IU pills? I've been taking 1 pill of 1000IU whenever I stay inside an entire day without even 5 minutes outdoors, but I really don't know for sure what the recommended doses are.
- dmix 6y ago
  I asked this before and apparently in the US you can find 5000IU pills. Here in Canada all I could find was 1000IU and I take 5x of the pills instead. It still does the job, I presume.
  - pengaru 6y ago
    Are you (or any of the parent comments) noticing anything after supplementing? As arguably a hormone I'm curious if there's any experientially observable effects from high doses.
    - dmix 6y ago
      No I personally have not felt anything taking it at 5000. Or you know, not taking it after a period. It's just like taking a vitamin. It's also a low enough dose to be safe for my adult body size/weight.
- balfirevic 6y ago
  There is no recommended dose without knowing your current blood levels. Get yourself tested - if you're severely deficient start taking large doses (3000IU - 5000IU or more) for a few weeks, get yourself tested again and then adjust. If you're not deficient just keep doing what you're doing.
- chrisabrams 6y ago
  In USA 5000 IU is pretty easy to find at any store that sells vitamins. This is what I buy all the time.
- tathougies 6y ago
  Yes, costco sells 10000 IU ones.
spekcular 6y ago
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so dosing daily isn't required (the excess is stored and not excreted in urine). The 5k and 10k IU pills are useful because you can pop a few on weekends (or whenever you remember) and don't need to build a daily habit.
- 10x-dev 6y ago
  Oh that's good to know. Thanks!
prdonahue 6y ago
Because it's really hard for your body to absorb, unless taken sublingually (or maybe with a fatty meal, given it's fat soluble). All that matters is your serum level. 800IU may work for you, but you may need several times that. Best to just get it checked. People feel better at different levels, e.g., I seem to feel best around 35-40 ng/mL. Check out Dr. Rhonda Patrick (@foundmyfitness) on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc815fQn8iY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc815fQn8iY.
hatsunearu 6y ago
There is evidence to say that the recommended dose is much much lower than what is beneficial. Plus if you actually do OD, the symptoms are very apparent and treatment readily available. Also to OD I think you need a LOT more than 5000 IU a day.
tathougies 6y ago
It's not though. That is to say... people really ought to check their blood results and act appropriately. The truth is that in northern latitudes, anyone with dark skin is simply unable to meet their vitamin D intake from sun exposure alone. In certain parts of America, and a lot of Europe, a dark skinned person spending the entire lit part of the day outside buck naked is still not enough to synthesize enough vitamin D to be sufficient. Supplementation or dietary ingestion is necessary. For me, as a dark skinned person in a northern latitude, my levels were very low. Taking 2000 IU a day did nothing. I had to take 10000 IU a day in order to appreciably raise my Vit D levels. That is what we found after checking with a doctor. I would recommend anyone else do the same. 5000 IU + is typical for people with vitamin D deficiencies. Some doctors even recommend extremely high megadoses to reset your vitamin D intake.
- 10x-dev 6y ago
  Thanks for sharing your experience. I am not used to seeing 10K IU so it's useful to see the real numbers backed by doctors.
bird_monster 6y ago
It would probably be wise to not post your opinion on things like vitamin dosages unless you're a medical doctor. My doctor prescribed 1 week of 15000 IU a day, then a week of 10000 IU, then a running dose of 5000 IU a day. I've seen measurements of 50k IU from a day in the sun. 3000-5000 is not too much or "obscenely high" for many people, but as with literally everything like this, its best to consult a doctor about an individual's needs.
- nn3 6y ago
  Why? The younger doctor is likely just reading wikipedia too. And the older ones are probably just telling you what was the conventional wisdom when they did their education 20 years ago.
  - bird_monster 6y ago
    You're asking "Why" as in "Why shouldn't we listen to untrained professionals' opinions on supplement dosages" ? Also this person did not wikipedia what they posted, as wikipedia also lists tolerable upperbounds for adults as 4000 IU / day.
    - 10x-dev 6y ago
      Ask your doctor if a 4000 IU chill pill is right for you. The Internet used to be a much friendlier place back in the day.

Yeah you can overdose [1]. It's not just what these people are getting in supplements, but also about what they are getting naturally. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D

izzydata 6y ago

Do they actually make 5000IU pills? I've been taking 1 pill of 1000IU whenever I stay inside an entire day without even 5 minutes outdoors, but I really don't know for sure what the recommended doses are.

dmix 6y ago
I asked this before and apparently in the US you can find 5000IU pills. Here in Canada all I could find was 1000IU and I take 5x of the pills instead. It still does the job, I presume.
- pengaru 6y ago
  Are you (or any of the parent comments) noticing anything after supplementing? As arguably a hormone I'm curious if there's any experientially observable effects from high doses.
  - dmix 6y ago
    No I personally have not felt anything taking it at 5000. Or you know, not taking it after a period. It's just like taking a vitamin. It's also a low enough dose to be safe for my adult body size/weight.
balfirevic 6y ago
There is no recommended dose without knowing your current blood levels. Get yourself tested - if you're severely deficient start taking large doses (3000IU - 5000IU or more) for a few weeks, get yourself tested again and then adjust. If you're not deficient just keep doing what you're doing.
chrisabrams 6y ago
In USA 5000 IU is pretty easy to find at any store that sells vitamins. This is what I buy all the time.
tathougies 6y ago
Yes, costco sells 10000 IU ones.

spekcular 6y ago

Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so dosing daily isn't required (the excess is stored and not excreted in urine). The 5k and 10k IU pills are useful because you can pop a few on weekends (or whenever you remember) and don't need to build a daily habit.

10x-dev 6y ago
Oh that's good to know. Thanks!

prdonahue 6y ago

Because it's really hard for your body to absorb, unless taken sublingually (or maybe with a fatty meal, given it's fat soluble). All that matters is your serum level. 800IU may work for you, but you may need several times that. Best to just get it checked. People feel better at different levels, e.g., I seem to feel best around 35-40 ng/mL. Check out Dr. Rhonda Patrick (@foundmyfitness) on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc815fQn8iY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc815fQn8iY.

hatsunearu 6y ago

There is evidence to say that the recommended dose is much much lower than what is beneficial. Plus if you actually do OD, the symptoms are very apparent and treatment readily available. Also to OD I think you need a LOT more than 5000 IU a day.

tathougies 6y ago

It's not though. That is to say... people really ought to check their blood results and act appropriately. The truth is that in northern latitudes, anyone with dark skin is simply unable to meet their vitamin D intake from sun exposure alone. In certain parts of America, and a lot of Europe, a dark skinned person spending the entire lit part of the day outside buck naked is still not enough to synthesize enough vitamin D to be sufficient. Supplementation or dietary ingestion is necessary. For me, as a dark skinned person in a northern latitude, my levels were very low. Taking 2000 IU a day did nothing. I had to take 10000 IU a day in order to appreciably raise my Vit D levels. That is what we found after checking with a doctor. I would recommend anyone else do the same. 5000 IU + is typical for people with vitamin D deficiencies. Some doctors even recommend extremely high megadoses to reset your vitamin D intake.

10x-dev 6y ago
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am not used to seeing 10K IU so it's useful to see the real numbers backed by doctors.

bird_monster 6y ago

It would probably be wise to not post your opinion on things like vitamin dosages unless you're a medical doctor. My doctor prescribed 1 week of 15000 IU a day, then a week of 10000 IU, then a running dose of 5000 IU a day. I've seen measurements of 50k IU from a day in the sun. 3000-5000 is not too much or "obscenely high" for many people, but as with literally everything like this, its best to consult a doctor about an individual's needs.

nn3 6y ago
Why? The younger doctor is likely just reading wikipedia too. And the older ones are probably just telling you what was the conventional wisdom when they did their education 20 years ago.
- bird_monster 6y ago
  You're asking "Why" as in "Why shouldn't we listen to untrained professionals' opinions on supplement dosages" ? Also this person did not wikipedia what they posted, as wikipedia also lists tolerable upperbounds for adults as 4000 IU / day.
  - 10x-dev 6y ago
    Ask your doctor if a 4000 IU chill pill is right for you. The Internet used to be a much friendlier place back in the day.