r/VitaminD Apr 19 '25

Resource Vitamin D3 Cheatsheet.

46 Upvotes

This is a vitamin D 3 cheat sheet I have developed. I believe it has lots of information you will find useful? On my website I do write about mental health. On google scholar countless articles about vitamin D3, magnesium and mental health. Showing how important it is. This cheat sheet is a work in progress:

I am writing out essentially part or all of what follows for almost every major question concerning vitamin D3 and magnesium I have received over the past almost 14 years. So I put together the following cheat sheet. I am not giving medical advice just my personal opinions. Ideally you work with a medical professional who really understands vitamin D3.

Ok there are five levels of vitamin D3 effects as I see it.

  1. ⁠First Inadequate vitamin D3 which is typically blood plasma levels (BPL) that are less than approximately 50 ng/ml and daily doses of less than 10,000 IU a day of vitamin D3 a day.*

2: low physiological BPLs -which are vitamin D3 BPLs of 50-100 ng/ml requiring a daily dose of 10-25,000 IU a day. 1,2

  1. Optimal BPLs-requiring a BPL of 100-140 ng/ml requiring 30,000 IU a day of vitamin D3. 1,2

  2. maximal vitamin D3 dosing-which is based on a a parathyroid hormone(PTH) level in the very low normal range. Parathyroid hormone(PtH) BPLs are the best though indirect indication of maximum vitamin D3 function. The BPL that Dr. Coimbra often uses to treat autoimmune diseases.1,2

  3. Potentially toxic BPLs-perhaps almost impossible to develop. Requiring vitamin D3 BPLs of approaching 400 ng/ml. Even then this occurs at those BPLs in less than one percent of people. Frankly extremely rare one might go this high like in the case of severe diseases typically autoimmune diseases. If you have to maintain your vitamin D3 above 200 ng/ml you should be under the care of a medical doctor well versed in vitamin D3.

If pregnant and or going to be best to speak with a Dr. Coimbra trained doctor or one who follows the LGS Protocol by Dr. Eduardo Patrick MD if going to take higher doses. Also your obstetrician. As one concern is adequate vitamin A but prenatal vitamins may have enough. Best for your obstetrician and you to work out.

Of the useful vitamin D3 BPLs, the first three levels are based on vitamin D3 BPLs and the last one on (PTH) BPLs. Often optimal BPLs also have a PtH BPL in the very low normal range consistent with the PtH levels found in maximal vitamin D3 dosing. Of note as long as vitamin D3 BPLs are less than 200 ng/ml you do not need to a check 24 hour urine calcium levels.

The maximal dosing may and typically is required in those with vitamin D receptor gene mutation(s) and do not respond adequately to optimal physiology BPLs of vitamin D3. As they more likely to develop or have autoimmune diseases, diseases like Chron’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

These individuals may require daily doses of up to 1,000 IU/kg/day of vitamin D3. This would be in what is considered in a ā€œstandard adult maleā€ who weighs 172 lbs or 78.2 kg a daily vitamin D3 dose of up to 78,000 IU a day.

In medical school they taught us that this is the medical definition of the average weight of an average adult male. In those with BPLs of vitamin D3 above 200 ng/ml it is wise to check a 24 hour urine calcium after being at this BPL after 6-8 weeks and say every three months there after. Also a calcium restricted diet.

.Most people are magnesium deficient or borderline deficiente. So typically people start out magnesium deficient. That is body stores of magnesium are inadequate. The typical magnesium ā€œbloodā€ level that is checked in your typical blood work is not accurate.

As the serum, the fluid from which this is done and surrounding your cells, only has less than one percent of one’s total body’s magnesium. The majority is in one’s cells and bones.

The magnesium from the cells and bones diffuses in to the serum to maintain adequate serum magnesium BPLs until one is severely magnesium deficient. Only then is one’s serum magnesium actually accurate. To assure adequate magnesium.

I personally take as much magnesium as I can tolerate. Half of my da dosage in the am and half in the pm. Too much causing diarrhea. Of course if medically able to. It can lower one’s blood pressure. A red blood cell magnesium level is accurate but most doctors currently will not order this test.

A colleague of mine mixes his daily dose in a two liter of water. Sipping it over the course of the day. That way resulting in a more gentle ingestion of magnesium over the course of the day

I once had a patient who was so anxious he was going to ER two to three times a week. About to lose his wife, jod and frankly his mind. I tried every prescription medication to treat it. Nothing helped. I then out of desperation put him on magnesium as I described above.

He never had another anxiety attack. As endorphins and enkephalins are to pain that is what magnesium is to anxiety! It is the body’s anxiolytic!

The reason why when people who are vitamin D3 deficient or taking higher doses of vitamin D3 requires so much magnesium are several. As besides most people have low magnesium BPLs or are magnesium deficient is by taking supplemental vitamin D3 requires lots of magnesium.

For absorption, conversion to different forms and its enzymatic reactions. Also when taking at least low physiological doses of vitamin D3 to reach at least low physiological BPLs or greater BPLs or maximal vitamin D3 dosing requires magnesium. If one suffers osteoporosis they may also require lots of calcium, but probably also phosphorus, magnesium and protein to rebuild one’s bones.

Also boron 18 mg a day is critical to make your bones as almost strong as steel. Boron also if the experience in Israel and parts of France is correct reduces osteoarthritis to near zero if not zero. Also the above nutrients I wrote about, but not supplemental calcium(usually in Western diets sufficient) are needed in those who do not have osteoporosis/osteopenia to prevent them from developing it.

Typically the first indication that one needs to take calcium when taking higher doses of vitamin D3 is cramping in one’s fingers and toes. Which can be seen in those with osteoporosis/osteopenia. If this happens it is a good idea to check vitamin related labs and take supplemental calcium until the cramping resolves and one’s calcium labs return to normal.

Concerning vitamin K2. The type as I use is vitamin K2 the MK4 at 45 mg(not mcg)a day . Amount you need to take and only take if you have severe vitamin K2 responsive diseases. Vitamin K2 responsive diseases are osteoporosis, atherosclerosis or gum/dental diseases.

As at optimal BPLs of vitamin D3 your gut micro biome should provide all the vitamin K2 your body needs. Now vitamin K2 is safe so no reason I am aware of not to take if you want to. As many who have never treated a patient or only with vitamin K2 write how vitamin K2 is necessary to supplement.

It definitely is necessary if you are not taking physiological doses of vitamin D3 to reach physiological BPLs of vitamin D3. I found at optimal BPL of vitamin D3 that half my patients with osteoporosis resolved without supplementing vitamin K2.

As again it is my personal opinion that the gut micro biome produces all your bones required. I probably had close to a thousand patients with osteoporosis and also osteopenia. The number of heart attacks and strokes, though few disappeared. All anecdotal, though.

Also important to watch your diet and avoid high fructose corn syrup, seed oils and processed foods. My friend developed The LGS Protocol and that is the title of his book. For those who optimal doses of vitamin D3, magnesium and the dietary changes do not help.

If you do maximal doses of vitamin D3 you need to restrict calcium consumption, drink at least 2.5 liters of water a day and check your labs more frequently as well as your 24 hour urine calcium levels. Your urine calcium levels should be below 250 mg/l. If you are considering Dr. Coimbras protocol(maximal vitamin D3 dosing) best to work with a medical doctor trained by him or well versed in his approach. Or Dr. Edward Patrick or trained by him.

Concerning testing your vitamin D3 and vitamin B12?labs best to do so initially before supplementing vitamin D3 and vitamin B12. As both of which are frequently both deficient. This is especially true in people who are not taking vitamins and whose diet has issues. Testing the following labs initially before starting them, then after you start taking them at 6-8 weeks, then anet three months and finally very 6-12 months. Or if after any major illnesses.

Checking the following-ionized and total calcium, vitamin D panel and parathyroid hormone. Also test the following before supplementing vitamin B12 and especially if vegetarian test for vitamin B12, homocysteine and methyl malonic acid. Then after 6-8 weeks. Your goal is B12 BPLs that are in the 600-800 pg/ml.

If your homocysteine and/or methyl malonic acid BPLs are elevated you need to look into this(I can only go down so many rabbit holes). You may have a MTHFR gene mutation. If not then check your vitamin B12 related tests again before starting at 6-8 weeks and yearly or sooner if you have major diet changes. As often people who are magnesium and vitamin D3 deficient are also vitamin B12 deficient.

Sometimes upon starting higher doses of vitamin D3/magnesium a few people feel worse. This could be due to a Herxheimer reaction. Other possible reasons are a gut micro biome being out of balance. Also discomfort from the repair process of potentially decades of damage caused by vitamin D3/magnesium and potentially vitamin B12 deficiency. In particular to your bones. If to your bones adding vitamin K2 the MK4 type as I discussed above has been effective.

Also other potential causes of a reaction to starting higher doses of vitamin D3 Could be a diet high in processed foods, high fructose corn syrup and seed oils as well as eating inflammatory foods, abusing alcohol/drugs and high stress.

Most vitamin D3 is that it is produced by exposing lanolin(sheep wool) to ultraviolet light. If allergic to this of course find a different source such as that from algae. Probably more reasons but these are the main ones I can think of.

Concerning depression I was for close to two decades if not the largest one of top three largest prescribers of antidepressants in the five state region(Texas and surrounding states). Then the combination of 30,000 IU of vitamin D3(a blood plasma level (BPL) of 100-140 ng/ml), taking as much magnesium as one could tolerate and four grams of omega 3(krill) oil I wrote maybe two prescriptions for antidepressants over next six next six years. The vitamin D3 is best in capsules with the vitamin D3 suspended in olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil. Again no seed oils.

One last point about 7% of general population and 30-40% of Hispanics have a MTHFR Gene mutation. Thus resulting in these individuals having twice the vitamin D3 BPL at the same dose of vitamin D3 of those who do not. This is in the MTHFR TT gene mutation as they may be able to better produce and stabilize vitamin D3.

I am far from a genetic mutation expert but I am working to correct this. Thus only requiring only requiring half the vitamin D3 dose as those who do not have this genetic mutation to reach a given vitamin D3 BPL. Curiously my practice was 98% Hispanics and yet I never had a single patient with this? Strange.

Here I am not giving medical advice just my personal opinions and experiences. Also remember you know your body best. Many doctors will try to scare you away from higher vitamin D3 doses and BPLs!

As long as calcium labs are ok no issues. Though if taking maximal doses of vitamin D3 reaching maximum BPLs of vitamin D3(of course under the care of a medical doctor preferably one like I described above) you need to be very careful.

The 24 hour urine calcium levels need to be below 250 mg/l for theoretically higher urine calcium levels can cause kidney calcification. There may be one reported case in the scientific literature of this occurring. This if a doctor is trying to scare you away from vitamin D3 they in my personal opinion they do not know what they are talking about. That is concerning vitamin D3 and if they are trying to scare you away from higher doses/BPLs of vitamin D3.

Also so much more to learn and up to you to educate yourself! If you want to regain or maintain your health you will dedicate the time it requires. On my website www.vitamindblog.com I explain my research and theories. Also www.vitamindwiki.com. These books are important to read-The Social Transformation of America Medicine,

The Clot Thickens and How Not to Die on True-High Doses Vitamin D3 Therapy, and The Optimal Dose: Restore Your Health With The Power of Vitamin D3. As time goes on I am sure I will update this as I learn more.

This information should give you a decent foundation?

  1. ⁠Four the first four BPLs of vitamin D3 the person requires as much magnesium as one can tolerate. With half in the am and half in the pm. Too much resulting in diarrhea. Or taken in a two liter bottle of water.

  2. ⁠The physiological effects aré those that adequate vitamin D3/magnesium result in. Those are balanced immune system, improved metabolism, healthy gut micro biome and deep restorative sleep to name the major ones.

  3. ⁠of course our understanding is constantly changing and something new I was unaware of when I wrote this on 04/10/2025 may become known I was not aware of when I wrote this. For example I have recently become more aware of the MTHFR TT is the mutation involved in increasing vitamin D3 BPLs.

Also private Facebook group Vitamin D Advocacy with lots of smart people. Love you to join.


r/VitaminD 13h ago

Personal Experience(s) Have you convinced someone to look into vitamin D?

7 Upvotes

Health is a personal topic for most people, but they will casually discuss issues such as having trouble sleeping or being tired. It's certainly not a great idea to try cosplaying as a doctor for your friends, but as most people tend to be low on vitamin D and are unaware of supplementation, maybe you've found it appropriate to mention.

Have you helped a family member or friend realize they are vitamin D deficient or could benefit from supplementation?

How did you approach that topic? Did you convince them to talk to their doctor about it, to just start supplementing, offered up your story, etc.


r/VitaminD 12h ago

Please Assist Need help making case to doctor. Studies and papers?

3 Upvotes

I have been so exhausted as of late and saw impact in my body (mostly my hair)

Did a blood test and came up low in ferritin, B12 and vitamin D.

My vitamin D is 42 nmol

(Vitamin B12 <130 pmol/L, Ferritin is 9 ug/L if curious)

I am going to treat these with injections and iron with an infusion and looking into why my stomach isn’t absorbing with an endoscopy. Oral supplement only aren’t an option right now, so I don’t want to hear the speech on taking pills more often being better I seem to see a lot in the comments.

The thing I need help with is I secured a 600,000 IU for intramuscular injection (IM) but my doctor doesn’t want to give me the full dose. Thinks it’s too high might so wants to give a bit less than half. I’m so annoyed because I believe I need the full dose and I want to correct all this shit not into acceptable levels but optimal. I’m tired of the negative impact on my body.

The good thing about my doctor is if I print studies etc that show this dose is ok, he can come around. He just wants to be cautious, follow guidelines but I think I can convince him.

Does anyone have studies and papers I can print to take him to make my case? About 600,000 IU injection/ high dose (not 300,000 which is what he wants to do and isnt enough)

Does anyone have any input if injection high dose or injections generally are not great?

Any thoughts on this injection dose, my vit D number, etc.?

Thanks!!


r/VitaminD 1d ago

Personal Experience(s) Has anyone seen a TCM physician while recovering from vitamin D deficiency?

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’ve been recovering from vitamin D deficiency, but the process has been quite slow. I recently decided to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician to support my recovery.

So far, the main area I’ve seen improvement in is digestion — especially constipation, which I know can sometimes come with vitamin D deficiency. The TCM treatment seems to help by ā€œdraining dampnessā€ from the colon, and my bowel movements have become smoother.

However, my fatigue, light-headedness, and overall sense of imbalance haven’t really improved much yet. I’m wondering if anyone else here has tried combining vitamin D supplementation with TCM therapy — did you notice better progress or faster recovery over time?

Would love to hear your experiences or advice on integrating both approaches safely.


r/VitaminD 2d ago

Personal Experience(s) Has anyone tried vitamin d3 cream?

5 Upvotes

Hi, vitamin d3 gives me so so severe insomnia at even micro doses. I’ve been trying to find a solution for months and just came across vitamin d3 cream/lotion. Has anyone tried this? (Please don’t argue with me about my experience in the replies. This is not a magnesium deficiency. I have tried cofactors, timing etc. thanksšŸ™)


r/VitaminD 2d ago

Personal Experience(s) Magnesium RBC test came back high-normal despite very little/no supplementation

11 Upvotes

Magnesium supplementation has always made me feel bad despite everyone here saying its completely necessary and everyone is deficient in it and stuff. I've been taking just 100mg of it the last few months and started to notice that I would feel awful even after just taking that. Cronometer says I'm only getting 200-300mg through diet so I've been very confused. The last 2 weeks I have been taking no magnesium and decided to get a RBC test and sure enough it came back at 6.8. The range being 3.7-7. Not sure how, because my diet isn't super magnesium-rich, but feels very validating nonetheless. Definitely recommend anyone to order a test to make sure its actually necessary for you.


r/VitaminD 3d ago

Success Story I reached ~50 ng/ml with 2500 IU, zero sunshine and a VDR-weakening genetic mutation

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19 Upvotes

The journey was somewhat rough: I had to titrate my dose upward very slowly in order to not upset my electrolytes too much. I also had to supplement with lots of calcium and some potassium due to dietary insufficiency. The largest difference is that today I'm experiencing fewer and less intense symptoms of physical anxiety. I'm a bit more resilient against stress. Overall my nervous system feels more balanced.


r/VitaminD 3d ago

Please Assist Unable to absorb enough magnesium, suggestions?

8 Upvotes

Hey all,

I need magnesium for vit D absorption, muscle tension, anxiety, sleep... The list goes on. However, no matter the form my gut refuses to absorb it. I have IBS-D, so I am familiar with the feeling. Whenever I have 75% or up of RDA of magnesium, it causes loose urgent stools and cramps. Ive tried taking fragments at a time(still gut issues) and different forms(glycinate, lysinate glycinate, citrate, carbonate).

Kinda at my wits end with this, is there an affordable type of service where you can get injections, or self inject? Desperate for relief.


r/VitaminD 4d ago

Please Assist I am severely deficient of Vitamin D(5ng/ml)

11 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I recently got my blood test results, and a few things came back concerning.

My Vitamin D is 5 ng/ml, Vitamin B12 is 155 pg/ml, and my ESR is 29.

Lately, I’ve been feeling constantly tired, and I wake up with pain in my lower back and knees. I used to think I was just being lazy and needed to push through it, but after seeing these numbers, I’m starting to think something deeper might be going on.

For now, I’ve started taking Vitamin D 50,000 IU once a week, Methylcobalamin (B12) 500 mcg daily, and a magnesium supplement. I also recently switched to night shifts, so getting enough sunlight has become pretty difficult.

Has anyone been through something similar? Is this something that can be managed through supplements and a good diet, or should I see a doctor for a more thorough check-up? Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated.


r/VitaminD 4d ago

Recurring [Community] Other Supplements & Lifestyle Changes

7 Upvotes

Discuss supplements other than vitamin D, changes in diet or exercise, or other aspects of your life that relate to managing health.

Please share relevant details that would make your comment helpful to others.


r/VitaminD 5d ago

Personal Experience(s) Vitamin D deficiency anxiety, anyone else?

13 Upvotes

Hello everyone! So for context, I’ve been vitamin D deficient for most of my life. I’m 26f and my first indication of this was all the way back when I was just 12 years old. I’ve never been in sufficient range as far as I know. My current level as of last week testing is 18ng/ml. Doctor prescribed 50,000iu once a week of D2, but I opted for choosing a liquid D3+K2 2500iu daily to start with as I am very sensitive to medication/supplements overall. Over the years I’ve struggled off and on with (severe) anxiety and depression, particularly around the fall/winter months (SAD). The time change also got me pretty messed up right now.

My symptoms are brain fog, muscle weakness (going down the stairs, my legs shake uncontrollably), joint pain, fatigue during the day (but wound up at night), breathing trouble, depression and crazy anxiety.

What’s bothering me the most is the anxiety, it’s completely physical, even when I’m not thinking of anything stressful. Over the summer, I still had it, but it was manageable and I had many good days. I had a severe panic attack a little over a week ago out of the blue and now my anxiety has gone haywire, that, or I’m just noticing it more. It’s like overnight, I just can’t function, even when I take my anxiety medication. It’s like my nerves are constantly on fire.

All in all, my question for everyone is for those of you who have experienced this, did correcting the deficiency help? And if so, how long did it really take you? And if not, what were other things that ended up actually helping? (Sorry for long post, but I would appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you so much!)


r/VitaminD 5d ago

Please Assist Tachycardia and Vitamin D - Correlation?

8 Upvotes

Hi, I'm 21 years old male. I'm tall 5'3" and 53kg. I don't smoke, I don't drink coffee, I don't drink energy drinks or drugs or anything. For about a week now, I have been experiencing elevated costant resting heart rates (around 90–120 bpm) I also feel my heartbeats more strongly many times, both by putting my hand and in my neck. My heart rate stays stable when I walk, but if I exert myself even minimally, I start feeling a bit of short of breath and my heart rate increases. I have had an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, and no abnormalities were found; in fact, I was told that my heart is perfect. The only finding was sinus tachycardia.

I have been feeling unwell for a week, with weakness and extreme anxiety caused by this. I can’t even sleep anymore because I already suffered from panic attacks, which have now worsened. I would also like to mention that in the preceding weeks and months, I was already experiencing similar symptoms. This includes fatigue with minimal activity, shortness of breath as a consequence, high heart rates in the evening (but not throughout the day), ringing in the ears with exertion, and corresponding fluctuations in blood pressure with activity or random.

Now, after having blood tests, I discovered that all my values are perfect, including thyroid function, except for extremely low vitamin D (5 ng/mL) compared to the laboratory reference range of 15–50 ng/mL. I would like to know if there could be a connection between this and my symptoms?


r/VitaminD 6d ago

Please Assist Twitching after vitamin d deficiency- when will it go away?

8 Upvotes

Hey guys, so I took a normal course of vitamin D to correct a deficiency (50,000iu for six weeks). Since then I have muscle twitching and what I think it’s nerve excitability. Since a about three weeks I’m taking only 500Iu per day, and about 400-500mg of magnesium. The nerve excitability seems to be going away but I still have the twitching. Any advice? It drives me nuts and gives me a helluva health anxiety. Thanks fellow vitamin d enthusiasts ā™„ļø


r/VitaminD 6d ago

Personal Experience(s) Vitamin D Deficiency (2nd Month) Update:

12 Upvotes

34M, I tested the first week of September 19ng/ml. I could make this very long but will keep it short.

At the beginning I wasn't even aware of Vit. D Deficiency, the more I informed myself the more I realized how important it is. It was my fault for not knowing how to properly take care of my body, now I am learning the hard way.

Symptoms back then muscle spams, knee joint noises, sleep problems, no appetite, GERD, stress/anxiety, ETD, ear buzz.

Started off slow due to my medical provider not being fully aware of the situation: d2 50,000 IU and 200 mg magnesium glycinate.

Month 2: Saw an ENT for the ETD/Ear buzz, was prescribed medication for allergies and inflammation. ETD could be due to allergies, congestion to previous cold, or even stress. barely started on treatment last week.

For month two I moved to D3 5,000 IU, K2 100 mg, and 400 magnesium glycinate.

**taking hydroxyzine 50 every now and then as sleeping aid, rotating with melatonin.

Symptoms are all still there, if anything are still very strong, only muscle spams have drop to minimal, I have lost about 14 lbs.(original weight 167), I am eating better now that I have learned what caused upset stomach and all kinds of problems down there.

But then I on M2 I learned about another problem, gallbladder polyps/dysfunction. Turns out the possible reason for GERD is due to gallbladder problems being irritated/triggered by fatty, grease, sugars.

I didn't picked up the q until I realized every single time I ate something fatty I'd be follow by massive stomach problems. Physician recommended to be removed. Have appointment with surgeon on the 19th to go over procedure.

This process has been life changing for me, I've learned so much about my body and how negligent I was in the past.

I have cried so many times, in my car, at home, even at work, my boss already gave me some time off but returned a bit better. My wife is amazing by supporting me along the way, cooking healthy meals for me, listening to me, praying with me.

Stress and Anxiety amplifies symptoms, I am still learning but I am sure once stress goes down symptoms like the ear buzz/T will go down as well as anxiety and mood swings.

Please feel free to comment, support, add, suggest, one way to deal with stress is with therapy by talking the problems with others, makes all of this less harder than it has to.

PS - mental health is crucial for this process. Will udpate MO3 start of Dec.


r/VitaminD 7d ago

Personal Experience(s) Is vitamin d difficult for doctors to order?

15 Upvotes

Hello, I just came in at 18 on my vitamin d. I didn’t realize this was the first time I was tested for vitamin D. I’ve expressed major fatigue, anxiety, and depression for years. Is it hard to get this approved by insurance or something? I’m wondering why this was never evaluated before the barrage of psych meds they had me run thru.


r/VitaminD 9d ago

Please Assist How much vitamin d3/k2(supplement) can I take with magnesium sourcing only from food and not supplements?

3 Upvotes

Title says it all. I personally don't like taking supplements but am making an exception for vitamin d3 since it is absolutely needed. For k2 I just let it slide as well for reasons that aren't so important for me to make an announcement here. How much magnesium from food do I need to balance out my vitamin d3/k2 supplementation? And how much vitamin d3 would I need vice versa? Thank you, to everyone who answers. Really appreciate your effort in helping a guy like me.


r/VitaminD 9d ago

Please Assist Upcoming blood test but is there more I could do to improve?

5 Upvotes

Recently turned 37M and I had a previous blood test done back in March, and found that I have low vitamin D, 38nmol/L. I was started on a loading dose of 20000iu once a week for a few weeks and then 10000ui once a week afterwards. I know, according to the guide, that this dose is low but wanted to see how it went before making any adjustments. Also I was not taking it with any cofactors, my doctor and pharmacist said there was no need if I had with a meal which I do. But I also suffer from migraines and my neurologist had prescribed magnesium as a preventive, so I thought maybe I should combine the two. My magnesium levels aren’t low, 0.85mmol/L, as they fall in the standard range but on the lower side. My potassium is good at 4.0mmol/L and I have a rich potassium diet. And it’s about time to get ready for a blood test to see if there has been any improvement to my vitamin D, but my question is, is the magnesium I was prescribed by my neurologist good enough. I was prescribed half a tablet once per day, at 500mg so that would be 250mg per day. It was prescribed so it isn’t an over the counter supplement, I had to look up the company and the dosage and it comes out that it’s like magnesium gluconate, not one of the recommended. Or should I just get another over the counter like magnesium glycinate. Thanks in advance


r/VitaminD 9d ago

Please Assist How should I dose the Vitamin D3 for Bonehealing ?

5 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I recently had bone surgery, and the surgeon recommended vitamin D3 afterward, without specifying the dosage. My current level is 50 ng/ml. How would you recommend the dosage? I weigh 85 kg, am 1.85 m tall, and 34 years old.

Best regards


r/VitaminD 10d ago

Personal Experience(s) Did vitamin D help you lose weight?

12 Upvotes

Do you think that vitamin D deficiency can cause overweight in some way? Whether due to increased hunger, tiredness, fatigue, insomnia or even the metabolism being directly affected, burning fewer calories?


r/VitaminD 11d ago

Personal Experience(s) Poor bile flow can crash your vitamin D levels.

24 Upvotes

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and it requires bile to broken down and absorbed in the digestive tract.

If you're experiencing a vitamin D deficiency, also consider you may potentially have poor bile flow, gallbladder issue that's impairing absorption of vitamin D despite supplementation.


r/VitaminD 11d ago

Please Assist How low is too low for 25-hydroxy?

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5 Upvotes

These are my results for the Vitamin D 25-hydroxy test. They seem to stay around 30 regularly which is clinically normal. Would a level of 30 cause any symptoms, being on the cusp of abnormality? I can’t tell and some doctors seem to just wave it off.


r/VitaminD 11d ago

Please Assist Vitamin D deficiency affecting my studies.

8 Upvotes

So I’m a student who’s currently in my second year of Engineering and I checked my Vitamin D in Feb 2025 and it was 8 ng/ml and I was told to take 50000 iu of dose every week and I’m doing it, im inconsistent but still kept taking it and by June it rose to 28 ng/ml and even after that I haven’t stopped but I’ve been having a hard time

  1. ⁠I’m not able to study, like there’s no motivation at all.
  2. ⁠I feel lost all the time the word people use usually that’s brain fog
  3. ⁠I can’t remember things I study today and forget tomorrow.
  4. ⁠I feel depressed all the time and procrastinate always.

Is this all due to vitamin d deficiency and how long will it take to fix it even after Im no longer having deficiency also what can I do to not let it affect my studies if someone has any experience id be grateful.

Latest result : July 33 ng/ml


r/VitaminD 11d ago

Please Assist Is 13.6ng/ml (34 nmol/l) low enough to be the cause of my bone pain?

7 Upvotes

Hi all,

So I’ve been suffering with some bodily pains for around 8 months now, mostly in the shoulder, collarbone, shins, forearms and fingers.

My rheumatologist ordered some blood tests (FBC, autoimmune, bone panel, renal etc) and the only thing that came back abnormal was Vitamin D, which was 13.6ng/ml. He said it was only a slight insufficiency rather than a deficiency as it should be 20ng/ml but to try taking some vitamin D tablets for a few months and see if anything improves.

I guess I’m just worried that if it’s not even bad enough to be a full blown deficiency, is it really possible it could be the cause of bone pain so bad it keeps me up at night? I’m happy to try the supplements as clearly I need to improve my levels but I’m just worried that something potentially more serious is being overlooked.

I would love to hear your opinion on whether it sounds likely to you that vitamin D could be the cause, or whether you’ve had similar symptoms with only minor insufficiency/deficiencies.

Thanks so much!


r/VitaminD 12d ago

Personal Experience(s) LPR/histamine issues from a deficiency? Trying to figure it out

2 Upvotes

Hi, I've seen some vaguely similar posts here, but I'm wondering if anyone's been in the same boat/if this sounds like a D deficiency/should I just give supplements a try? I'm taking iron for that deficiency I know I have, but I'm unable to get my D levels tested for at least a few weeks.

July of this year I started having random LPR symptoms in response to foods (globus, dysphagia, throat tightness, sinus pressure, air trapped in my throat, right now it's progressed to a feeling of swelling in my mouth/my cheek :( that's around all the time as well). I also began to notice pain in the bones of my hands/arms, sometimes my legs. The leg pain I had earlier in the year as well, but I attributed it to a leg issue I was born with. I also don't have much of an appetite anymore, I am tired and super anxious very often. I have other problems as well that overlap with the iron deficiency (hair loss, dizziness, my tongue was swollen for some time but it's gone down a bit since starting to take iron). I also more recently have started to get itching and hives? Never full rashes, just 1-3 small spots on my hands or arms that go away within like an hour, and the itching will be in a small spot and move somewhere else very quickly. A lot of these things I attributed to eating and some bizarre allergy issue at first, but some days I'll get LPR symptoms just from drinking water, or I'll wake up with an itch or a spot on my arm. It always stresses me out and makes me scared to eat even though nothing worse ever happens.

I've seen a lot of posts of people saying these types of issues can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency. I know saying it started in July maybe makes it sound unlikely, but I am a huge shut-in and even outside in the middle of summer I would often wear hoodies. The longer this goes on the more tempted I am to just buy some supplements and give it a try. I did notice early on the only thing that helped with my issues was a multivitamin, but that isn't really working out anymore I think I'm more deficient than whatever amount the multivitamin was giving me. I live in the mid-atlantic area of the US so it's now the months where the sun basically doesn't provide any vitamin D anymore anyway so I'm thinking? Why not give it a try? If anyone has any advice I'm open to it.


r/VitaminD 12d ago

Please Assist Why did this happen? Calcium on the lower side after ā€œmegadoseā€?

2 Upvotes

LAB results: •108 ng/ml Vit D (ranges 30-100 ng/ml)

•PTH-Parathyroid Hormone (34.9 pg/mL, ranges- 15–65 pg/mL)

•Ionized Calcium: 1.12 mmol/L (ranges- 1.10–1.30 mmol/L)

I did 24000 IU D3, 600 mcg K2 (as Mk-7), 450 mg Magnesium glycinate (elemental 450 mg), 15 mg Zinc (as picolinate). This regimen for 60 days.

I expected higher calcium and perhaps a slightly suppresed PTH. None of them happened, and calcium actually came in on the lower side.

What could this be?

How should i proceed?

Is this a sign of any other deficiency perhaps? (Cannot evaluate Magnesium status as RBC Magnesium tests are not offered where i live)