went to my podiatrist today for a case of PF. Knew he would want to check for for a stress Fx (which I had in my other foot last time I had PF), etc.
Does an exam, orders the x-rays, come back negative…no stress Fx and no heel spur. All good.
Also orders a blood test to check my Vitamin D levels (also checked last time I had the PF / Stress Fx). Last time it came back normal, this time came back low (in the 20’s). He said normal was in the 40’s and even better was in the 50’s and that low vitamin D can contribute to even soft tissue issues like PF.
Was actually surprised that it came back low since I have cereal for breakfast every day and usually run at lunch, so even in crappy Chicago weather, I am still outside a fair amount.
Gave me a scrip for D…taking one pill a week. Dosage is 50,000 International Units.
Anyone had any experience with this? I trust this guy implicitly (saved my life a few years ago when I had a DVT and he told me to go to the ER) and he has been great with helping me with previous injuries, ranging from PF to Achilles issues, etc.
Just curious as to others’ experience more than anything else.
Mine’s been below normal before and 4,000IU daily D3 supplements brought it up to normal. The 50,000IU/week Rx he gave you is interesting. Googling this shows that the high dosage by Rx may be common when doctors patients very deficient.
Thanks…I had seen similar things re: dosages, but my doc said that there are benefits getting levels up even up into the 70’s, so perhaps that is why he gave me the 50,00IU Rx.
I struggled with an assortment of health problems for a few years before I realized that they were seasonal. Where I live, I can literally go for months without seeing the sun. I go to work before it gets light and leave after it gets dark. I frequently run during lunch, but it is so overcast that sometimes I can’t find the sun in the sky. A couple years ago after attending a presentation at work (I work for a drug company) and realizing that I had almost a checklist for Vitamin D deficiency, I started taking OTC D3 and felt better. When I talked to my physician about it, he felt bad that he never picked up on it, but told me to just keep taking the OTC and if that didn’t work, we would write a prescription.
I have exactly the same Rx. I live in Maine and work in an office, so my sun exposure is limited. My natural D levels vary anywhere between 7-15. Mine is prescribed by my endocrinologist, who looks after my diabetes and my thyroid (Hashimoto’s) as well, but also gets checked by my rheumatologist periodically because of the benefit to my fibromyalgia.
I am lousy at remembering to take it, but I do feel much better when I do. If I forget for long enough they will usually kickstart it with a week where I have to take a “loading dose” of 50,000IU daily, and then back to 50,000IU once a week.
Should be fine, 50,000 units is usually more common for vit D levels <20, but i think it’s arguable. It’s super hard to overdose on Vit. D so if it can decrease likely hood of stress fractures if you’re already at risk, with very limited side effects, and once per week, why not?
Lots of good comments here. I’ve actually been doing a fair amount of research since getting diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 2.5 years ago. 50,000 IU per weeks sounds about right - I take 10,000 IU per day but that’s because there appears to be a link between MS a vitamin D deficiency (this is not just based on my reading about it - it’s what two separate neurologists suggest).
You need 15-20 minutes of direct sunlight to your entire body to generate enough Vitamin D so I doubt you’ll get that running outside in Chicago (and each skin cell can only produce so much so having your hands and face exposed to the sun for 3 hrs won’t generate more Vitamin D than 15-20 minutes).
Vit D deficiency has been linked to a suite of autoimmune and other diseases. Vit D also helps with calcium absorption.
More and more research seems to point to Vit D as being one of the most important supplements one can take (because most of us don’t get enough sunlight to produce a sufficient amount of it) so I don’t know that you can go wrong. There is some research that does say that ultra high doses for extended periods of time can lead to kidney stones but I’ve yet to speak to a doctor that had seen such a case. And for me it’s worth the risk but I thought I should point that out.
I’m also not a doctor so take anything I say on the subject with that in mind…
Often doctor’s will give the mega dose for a short period to get the level WNL and then put you on a maintenance dose. Vitamin D in foods is not as well absorbed as from the meds. To get enough Vitamin D from the sun, you need to stay out for a minimum of 30 minutes between 11 AM and 1 PM with a good amount of skin showing.
Low vitamin D seems to have more to do with hereditary tendency than where you live.
I live in southern California and ride outdoors almost every day. My vitamin D was at 16 !
Initially I took 5000 units a day until above 40 (took 3 months) and now take 3000 a day to maintain it.
The doctor who organized and recommended the testing (ostensibly for cholesterol) is also a cyclist, she said many people had vitamin D deficiency, even in sunny California.
1 pill for 50,000 units? Must be the size of a small dog and almost as nutritious.
I’ve been taking 50k IUs of Vitamin D for many, many years. Right now am up to 2x a week and my levels are just a tick under normal (last test was 64.5 ng/ml and my lab’s range of normal is 70 - 90 ng/ml).
FWIW, I used to live in the SW with 85% sunny days and still had low Vitamin D. I’m in a less lovely climate now and still have low Vitamin D.