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Need help; Vitamin D - 9.8
My blood reports had vitamin D3 of 9.8. Post that I took 60,000IU once a week for 4 weeks.
Post 1 week, can I start supplementing 5000 IU of vitamin D3 and k2 daily for 3 months?
Please suggest, if it is okay or I should minimise the dosage?
I am at a sitting job, I don't get enough time to have sunlight as well.
Answers (11)
Hello, thanks for writing in. You've followed the course carefully, which is great.
After a 4-week loading course (about 240,000 IU in total), 5000 IU daily for 3 more months is on the higher side. Most doctors move to a lower maintenance dose once the course is finished, often 1000 to 2000 IU a day, and adjust it after a repeat test. Taking too much for too long can raise blood calcium, so it's better not to go higher than needed. A K2 supplement alongside vitamin D3 is generally fine. Your starting level of 9.8 was quite low, so some people do need a bit more, but that's best decided by a repeat report.
Next Steps
Please get your vitamin D level (along with calcium) repeated about 8 to 12 weeks after the course ended, and then set your daily dose based on that result. Until then, ask your doctor to confirm the dose before starting 5000 IU. Please inform them if you have kidney stones, high calcium, or any kidney or parathyroid problem. Stop and consult a doctor if you develop nausea, constant thirst, frequent urination, constipation or unusual tiredness.
Health Tips
- Take vitamin D with your biggest meal containing some fat, as this improves absorption
- Even 15 minutes of sun on your arms and legs in the late morning helps, so try a short break outside, or stand by a sunny window on your lunch walk
- Include eggs, fortified milk or curd, mushrooms and fish if you eat them
- Get enough calcium from ragi, sesame, curd, paneer and leafy greens
- Walk and stretch every hour during your sitting job
- Retest and adjust, instead of continuing a fixed high dose for months
If you're still worried, do book a consult and we can look at it together. Take care.
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Hi
When your VIT D levels are so low a physician would recommend normally to use 60,000IU for 8 weeks.
Then stop after few months they will do a mild supplementation again .
So I kindly request you to consult a physician regarding supplementation
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In case you would want a personalized diet plan kindly consult me directly through the app
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This is will help in vitamin d recovery no worries
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A Vitamin D level of 9.8 ng/mL indicates significant deficiency. Since you have already completed 60,000 IU once weekly for 4 weeks, I would not recommend starting 5,000 IU daily on your own immediately afterward.
Although 5,000 IU/day may sometimes be prescribed for specific cases, it is higher than the usual tolerable upper intake level for routine self-supplementation, so it should preferably be taken under medical supervision.
Regarding Vitamin K2, it is not automatically required with Vitamin D for everyone. Please discuss whether you need it with your doctor, particularly if you take any blood-thinning medication.
Next Steps
The appropriate next step is to repeat your Vitamin D test after completing the prescribed loading course and then decide on the maintenance dose based on your updated level, diet, sun exposure and overall health.
Health Tips
Please don't adjust the dose yourself—repeat the level and review it with your treating doctor before continuing with a higher maintenance dose.
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Please don't fix your own maintenance dose yet. After a weekly loading course, the next step is a repeat vitamin D test to see how much your level has actually come up.
Next Steps
Take that repeat report to the doctor who treated you. They will decide whether you need a daily dose, and how much, based on the new number and your sun exposure.
Health Tips
Vitamin D builds up in the body, so more is not automatically better. Clear the K2 with your doctor too.
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