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Vitamin D side effects: what do you notice if you take too much?
Vitamin D side effects
The days get shorter, the night starts early. Clouds pile up during the day, and you can call yourself lucky if you manage to catch a few rays of sunshine. In short: winter is upon us again. And for many people, this means they want to take supplemental vitamin D supplements. But how do you do that responsibly? And does vitamin D have side effects?
To answer these questions, this article addresses the following:
- What is vitamin D and when do you take it?
- Can you ingest too much vitamin D?
- Vitamin D side effects with excessive intake.
- What do you do for 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 note that vitamin D3 is absorbed 66% more effectively than vitamin D2. (1) When you take vitamin D during the day does not matter. The effectiveness is not affected by when you take it. However, it is always recommended that you take your supplements immediately after a meal.
Can you ingest too much vitamin D?
Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a rare but potentially serious condition that occurs when there are excessive amounts of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D toxicity is usually caused by absurdly large doses of vitamin D supplements – not by diet or sun exposure. Your body can regulate vitamin D what rages produced by sun exposure.
Dietary supplements never contain excessive doses 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 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 is. By comparison, one capsule of vitamin D3 from Kala Health contains 3,000IU.
What do you do for side effects of too much vitamin D?
The main side effects of too high vitamin D levels come from too much calcium in the blood (3). Some of the main symptoms of too much calcium (hypercalcemia) are:
- Nausea
- Braken
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- little 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, leading to calcium levels above 12 mg/dL. In case of symptoms, it is always recommended: contact your doctor! If in doubt, it is a good idea to have your blood values checked, this may also be possible with a specialized orthomolecular therapist.