Vitamin D supplements?

[kitkatkaddoodle]

My midwife told me my Vit D is low, 8 or something (though I was so tied up trying to keep my toddler from destroying her office that I forgot to ask what it was supposed to be), and she recommended I start taking a vitamin supplement.

What's the level supposed to be? What kind of supplement? How much? If there are discussions/articles on this already, please link--my search was sadly overwhelmed!

[RedOakMomma]

When you're very low, you need to start working at refilling your levels of vitamin D. This is definitely something to talk about with your midwife, and might require getting a prescription-level D3 supplement, or at least retesting to see that over time you're starting to pull your levels up.

This short radio bit about vitamin D3 was really helpful to me when I started supplementing.

Right now I'm taking about 3,000 units of d3 a day. If I weren't pregnant, it would be higher. If I hadn't been taking it all winter, or if my levels were low, it would probably be higher, too. But too much d3 can be toxic to developing fetuses, so you need to consult with someone before taking mega-doses.

[Pinoikoi]

I heard from a naturopath as well as my mother's physician that if D is low, you have to mega dose for a while to jump start it.. like 5,ooo units a day for a while.. once you start testing higher then you can drop back to like 2ooo a day..

My OB was going to do a script for me for 1 a week at 50,000 a week (pretty darn sure that is right). That's a lot.

I do live in a Northern climate though, and I think there is a regional difference..

[Surfacing]

Holy cow. I know Vitamin D is supposed to be good for you, and I live in Canada. I take 1000mg/day right now. Hmmm.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Surfacing

Holy cow. I know Vitamin D is supposed to be good for you, and I live in Canada. I take 1000mg/day right now. Hmmm.

1000 might be enough, as long as you're not LOW.. if you're low, I guess you have to kick start your numbers so to speak.

[Surfacing]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

1000 might be enough, as long as you're not LOW.. if you're low, I guess you have to kick start your numbers so to speak.

How do I know if I'm low? I guess I'll have to try to get a special blood test done?

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Surfacing

How do I know if I'm low? I guess I'll have to try to get a special blood test done?

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I requested a blood test for my progesterone levels.. apparently my OB runs the D standard with her regular blood test panel.

[dannic]

I'm taking it, tho not as regularly as I'd like (I forget). Low vitamin D is linked to allergies--I've got kids with them and I'm trying to see if this will help this babe to be allergy free (among other things).

[organicmom3]

Not all vitamin D tests are accurate...in fact the one most typical doctors run in their offices are not... if you go to foroptimalhealth.com, click on naturopathic news, most of these talk about Vitamin D testing near the end of the newsletters...with ZRT laboratories...I know one of them he talks about D3 extensively but I'm not sure which one.... hope this helps! I take 2,000 a day since pregnancy started, more when I know I'm going to be around anyone with flu symptoms!

[RedOakMomma]

Mr. dr. also said there are studies showing a link between adequate d3 levels and the prevention of pre-e.

[umsami]

I was very low (20) about 1 year ago, and had to take 100,000 IU D3 per week for about two months to raise it up to 50. Normally, for maintenance, I do 50,000 IU per week... but as I'm pregnant, I'm only doing 5000 IU per day. I figured that was 35,000 IU per week....and I wasn't comfortable with the giant dose once per week.

8 is very very low. I'd also be concerned about your parathyroid hormone which tends to go up when D is low. (Osteopenia....osteoporosis if it continues for a long time.) I would think you'd need at least 5,000 IU of D3 per day.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by umsami

I wasn't comfortable with the giant dose once per week.

Me too. My OB wanted to script me that once a week one, but I wasn't comfortable doing that during pregnancy.. I am now taking about 3400 a day.. 2000 in a separate D3 from what is in my prenatal which is about 1400..

So i am not taking a ton per day, but way more than I was before I knew I was low.. and way more than I ever have before in my life.

[karen1968]

I didn't see anyone answer your question regarding what is normal. Normal is considered anything between 30-100. But most ND resources I've read say OPTIMAL is 50-75.

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

Mr. dr. also said there are studies showing a link between adequate d3 levels and the prevention of pre-e.

I've read this, too. Also that calcium can help. I had pre-e with DS, and also my D3 levels tested low in June (need to get them checked), so I've been doing 4,000 iu (via Carlson's D-Drops - each drop is 1000 iu, so it's nice and easy). I might drop to 3,000iu now that I'm pregnant (due 11/25/10).

FWIW, the VitD in most multi-vitamins is D2, which is not readily absorbed. you want D3, and it's best taken with some kind of fat, so either in an oil solution or with a meal. And I've heard calcium can affect the absorption, so I take it in the morning and my cal-mag at night.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by karen1968

I didn't see anyone answer your question regarding what is normal. Normal is considered anything between 30-100. But most ND resources I've read say OPTIMAL is 50-75.

I think she didn't get an answer to it because it is a hard question to answer.. my naturopath said that as more and more research is being done with D, the more the numbers are getting adjusted- and always moving up.. plus, I also think there are regional recommendations which I already brought up.

My OB said that people in Northern climates are coming down with (MS? can't remember which disease she said) in much higher numbers than other places, and that the theory is that it has a link to Vit D levels in those areas..

the naturopath said that if you live in a Northern climate, the angle of sun we get is not direct, so we have a different quality of light than other places..

I find it eye opening that my mother's physician (pretty mainstream), my OB, AND my naturopath are all asking their climates about Vit D right now.. all independently of each other.