Vitamin D deficiency

[TheSHAD0W]

So, turns out my being exhausted all the time may have to do with a vitamin D deficiency. Guess I'm not getting enough sunlight. (Yeah, I can believe it.)

The US RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU per day. The doctor prescribed me 50,000 IU tablets to take once per week.

I went to Walgreens to fill the prescription. Insurance would only pay a month at a time, and 4 pills cost >$3 each. (Gee, they only cost me $2.50 apiece after insurance paid their share! ) Meanwhile I can get 100 tablets of that dose for $18 at Amazon. I've ordered some 5,000 IU pills and plan to be taking them occasionally, once my levels are back to normal.

[Sandman]

My dr's pa or aprn did the prescription for him. He just shook his head and told me to do the otc stuff and adjust what I take of it so I get the dose I need.

[BlaqueKatt]

Meanwhile I can get 100 tablets of that dose for $18 at Amazon.

or can you?(the supplement industry is unregulated by the FDA, unlike pharmaceutical grade) results of testing OTC vitamin D supplements

vitamin content varied from as low as 9 percent to as high as 146 percent of the amount of vitamin D listed on the bottle. [they]tested 55 bottles of vitamin D from 12 different companies bought in five Portland-area stores and one compounding pharmacy. Differences in vitamin D content were noted not only among different manufacturers, but between pills within the same bottle.

comparison of rx vs. otc

[HiddenMica]

I was on 20,000 pills once a day for a month... it's not that odd actually... That strength I mean. I end up on them ever winter. I get no sun in the summer and then winter rolls around and I REALLY don't get enough sun. XD

[Crossbow]

Interesting, SHADOW. My doctor just did the exact same thing. Same dose, same frequency. Only my insurance won't cover it at all. They're a little cheaper for me, though. $28.50 for 12.

Not that they've done much yet. I'm still ready for bed by 8:00PM. Of course, I only just started.

[EricKei]

...What's the halflife on those damn things? o_O

[Headset Hellion]

Somewhere in here I have a thread for this same topic. Same dose; cost me $5 for 4 pills and they wanted me to get 5 refills! I did my research and ordered a bottle of Vit D-3 (50,000 IU) on Amazon. The next time I had bloodwork done, I got a call from the dr's to tell me to stop taking the Vit D. Apparently I was the first patient that particular tech had seen come back with results above the recommended level.

Of course, she then proceeded to tell me that my potassium level was low; please eat more bananas and potatoes. I can't win.

[dalesys]

...eat more bananas and potatoes. I can't win.

Like this?

[wolfie]

...What's the halflife on those damn things? o_O

Not in the medical profession in any capacity, but my understanding is that you aren't dealing with a normal halflife. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so if you consume more than you need (i.e. a dosage like that is FAR more than you need for the day) your body will store the excess, drawing on it as needed (i.e. for the other 6 days of the week that you aren't taking the pill). The flipside of this is that if you continually take more than you need, it can build up to toxic levels.

Contrast this with a water-soluble vitamin, such as vitamin C. Unless you're taking ridiculous doses, you won't suffer ill effects - the excess gets disposed of in urine. By the same measure, if you take a week's dose in a single day and none for the other 6 days, you'll have a deficiency, since there isn't a stored surplus to draw from.

[Rock Lobster]

My best friend is Vitamin D deficient but then we work miles underground!