Hypercalcemia vitamin D: what if you get too much?

November 22, 2022
Sven
Supplements

Hypercalcemia vitamin D

This article covers the following topics:

– can you get too much vitamin D?

– vitamin D side effects with too high an intake

– what to do with side effects of too much vitamin D

What is Vitamin D and when do you take it?

The most common forms of vitamin D (calciferol) are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet light, such as the sun. In terms of nutritional supplements, it is important to know that vitamin D3 is absorbed 66% more effectively than vitamin D2. (1)

Can you get too much vitamin D?

Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a rare but potentially serious condition that occurs when you have excessive amounts of vitamin D in your body.

Vitamin D toxicity is usually caused by absurdly large doses of vitamin D supplements – not diet or sun exposure. Your body can regulate the vitamin D produced by sun exposure. Dietary supplements never contain too high a dose of vitamin D.

For example: In a 2020 case report, a 56-year-old woman who took an average of 130,000 IU of vitamin D per day for 20 months was hospitalized for symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and muscle weakness. She hoped to improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Good to know: 130,000IU is more than 30 times the generally recommended safe upper limit of 4,000IU per day. For comparison, one capsule of Kala Health contains vitamin D3 3000IU.

This does not apply to people with a vitamin D deficiency: they usually need much higher levels of vitamin D than the current upper limit of 4,000 IU per day.

What to do with the side effects of too much vitamin D?

The main side effects of too high vitamin D levels are due to too much calcium (hypercalcemia) in the blood (3).

Some of the main symptoms of hypercalcemia are:

– Nausea

– Vomiting

– Constipation

– Diarrhea

– little to no appetite

However, not all people with hypercalcemia experience the exact same symptoms.

In one case study, a boy experienced abdominal pain and constipation after taking mislabeled vitamin D supplements, while his brother had elevated blood levels without any other symptoms (4).

Importantly, these symptoms occurred in response to extremely high doses of vitamin D3, which led to calcium levels in excess of 12 mg/dL (hypercalcemia).

In case of complaints, it is always recommended: contact your doctor! When in doubt, it is a good idea to have your blood values checked, this can also be done with a specialized orthomolecular therapist.