vitamin d deficiency

Hello everyone. I recently had lab work done and found that my vitamin D level is low - at a 12.  My doctor wrote a script for ergocalciferol (I hope that's right) and I found out today just how costly that is!!!  Anyone out there with low D levels, taking anything else to supplement? My multivitamin has 400 IU of D; My Calcium citrate has 800 IU (400 2x daily) The new script is for 50,000 units, taken once a week (in addition to the other two)

Patti,  I had low D levels at my last labs as well.  I found out then that it's a pretty common defficiency. I've been taking Biotech Dry D3 (50,000) from Vitalady.  On the web site, it is described as Cholecalciferol.  I've no idea of the difference between that and the ergocalciferol.  Michelle (Vitalady) says it's really important that we take Dry so that it's absorbed.  I take one daily in addition to everything else. Michele

Yep, same here - low Vitamin D and I also take the dry form of D from vitalady (50,000 units).   Contact Michelle at vitalady.com - she'll hook you up TONS cheaper, I'm quite sure,  than what a script would cost and probably more effective, as it's in a form we can actually absorb. 

Hi Patti,  From what I understand, D3, the cholecalicferol, is the only kind we will absorb. Here's how I heard it works. Normies will take the ergocalciferol (which is D2) and the human body will convert it into D3, which the body then uses for various things. But for us, we no longer convert D2 into D3, because of our bypassed intestines so.....We have to take the D3 to begin with. (I also heard that we no longer will convert D2 into D3 by sitting in the sun....whether or not that is true, who knows??I heard this at work, I work at a Vitamin Shoppe) Make sure it is the dry form also, cause we also can't do a oil filled softgel and expect to get much out of it.   I take 800IU of DRY D3, everyday. Yes, there's a little of the D2 in my multiple, (400IU) but I feel it shouldn't even count, cause I'm probably not absorbing any of it anyway.  I hope this helps!

I usually start my proximals on 10,000 IU per day of DRY form D3. And then adjust from there. We want levels to be about 70, in new ranges of 20-100. If your lab is running old ranges, 20-57, we STILL want vit D to be around 70, with PTH around 20-40.

We start our proximals on 2000mg of calcium citrate, with D, but all the little D doesn't add up to much for US, since we can get NO dietary calcium or D.

Your rx is D2 in OIL. Both are useless to you. For someone with D of 12, if they were mine, I'd start 'em on 100,000 IU of dry D3 per day (that's two of the 50's) for 30 days, then 50k a day tll testing within 60-90 days.

MD's are often notfamiliar with OTC products. When I've talked to docs I respect greatly and go into the D2-D3 conversion thing, their eyes glaze over. Means nothing.

Sun. You can perhaps raise your levels 5-6 points, if you eat oily fish and egg yolks all day while sitting under a Miami sun wit a white heritage and not having had bypass. Does that help fill you in on the value of risking skin cancer (a sure thing) for a maybe thing like trying to find enough sun? There's plenty of research supporting this, BTW.

I know the cost is up there for some of our suppliments...but think of it this way...what is your health worth?   Is it better to stop bone loss before it starts then to live the rest of your life with damaged bones?   I think it is..... I agree with Michelle...taking 1 50,000 IU tablet a week is going to do nothing for you......I've seen a lot of post ops (both DS and RNY ) struggle with D...and it seems that  daily dosing works the best. Scott

I agree with you.  My health is very important to me and I appreciate all of the input received on this topic.  Just fyi...the pharmacist quoted me $1636.95 for 12 pills that the doctor prescribed.  And yes, my health is most important to me, but don't you think that amount is just a LITTLE absurd??? I went to the vitalady website and will be placing an order this week, thanks to the great advise received from all of you. Thanks again, Patti

I have been on several prescription Ds and to be honest they haven't  worked.  I highly recommend the Dry D.   You can get it from several different sources, but the only place i have been able to find the 50,000IU is through vitalady.  You can get 5000 IU doeses through Bariatric Advantage and 10,000IU doeses through the Vitamine shoppe.   I'd never pay 16000 dollars for any suppliment you can buy over the counter for so much cheaper....and in most cases are just as effective. Scott

D3 is more effective than D2 for us, actually.

Isn't rocalitrol D3 in an oil base?  I mean i know the oil makes it go right through me...but hey...as I said before it's only 4 o dollars so I take in in addition to the 2 dry 50,000 IUs ....my levels were at 21 so I'm in no danger of ODing...lol. Scott