Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

[Jane02]

Hello,

I'm very discouraged. I've been trying to find a safe vitamin mineral supplement brand for months and am tired of testing one after the other and experiencing my typical 'glutening' reactions. I'm really feeling the nutritional deficiencies set in. I'm doing the best I can to get these nutrients from my food, although it's impossible for me to intake enough vitamin D as I can't have dairy and have insufficient sun exposure in the northern hemisphere. I've tried B Complex from Country Life (certified gluten-free) - horrible reaction. I've tried Metagenics vitamin D tab (certified glute-free) - bad reaction. I've tried liquid vitamin D Thorne and D Drops - reactions were mild since I tried a drop of a drop. I understand there could be other things I'm reacting to in my diet, although my diet/intake is pretty consistent with minimal variables so I do think it's something in these supplements. I understand I could be reacting to the active ingredient vitamin/mineral itself or even the filler ingredients. I tried the vitamin D drops since the only filler ingredient is coconut oil, in some brands, which I know I can tolerate really well on its own - I cook with coconut oil frequently and have no 'glutening' reactions at all. Perhaps I'm reacting to the vitamin D itself, although I eat fatty fish every few days, an entire fillet with no 'glutening' reactions, which contains anywhere between 400-600 IU per fillet so I shouldn't be sensitive to vitamin D.

All this to say, I'm desperately looking for at least a safe vitamin D supplement. Does anyone know of a safe vitamin D supplement brand? I'd love to know if there are any supplement brands that have absolutely no gluten (especially in flour form) in their facilities. I've heard of Kirkman having no grains in their facility - I may try this brand. Has anyone reacted to this brand? 

 

[trents]

Welcome to celiac.com, @Jane02!

Have you had your serum D levels checked for deficiency/sufficiency?

What about cod liver oil?

Egg yolks can also be a good source of vitamin D.

[Jane02]

Hi @trents, yes I've had my levels checked in Dec 2025 which revealed vit D deficiency. I considered eggs although they only contain about 45 IU vitamin D/egg. I need 2000 IU vitamin D for maintenance as per my doctor. Although now, I likely need way more than that to treat the deficiency. My doctor has yet to advise me on dosing for deficiency. I've also considered cod liver oil, although again, if it's processed in a facility that has gluten, especially on flour form, I worried to test it, even if they have protocols in place to mitigate cross-contamination with gluten.

[Scott Adams]

Kirkland brand (at Costco) is gluten-free and is 2,000 IU.

[Jane02]

Thanks @Scott Adams. Do you know if Kirkland Signature supplements share facility and production lines with other products containing gluten?  I'm worried that I'll react to this brand just like I did with other gluten-free labelled supplement brands. 

[trents]

10 minutes ago, Jane02 said:

Thanks @Scott Adams. Do you know if Kirkland Signature supplements share facility and production lines with other products containing gluten?  I'm worried that I'll react to this brand just like I did with other gluten-free labelled supplement brands. 

Contact them.

[Scott Adams]

I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 

[knitty kitty]

Hello, @Jane02,

 I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.  

Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system.

I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list.

I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy. 

I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine.

Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.  

Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.  

It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.  

If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K.

Have you seen a dietician?

[Jane02]

Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. 

I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten. 

My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity. 

Thanks again! 

[knitty kitty]

@Jane02,

I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. 

When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia.

We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts. 

Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed.

Interesting Reading:

Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/

Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/

High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/

Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/

Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/

Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/

Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/

[Churley]

Have you tried Pure Encapsulations supplements? This is a brand my doctor recommends for me. I have no issues with this brand.

[Florence Lillian]

Hi Jane:

You may want to try the D3 I now take. I have reactions to fillers and many additives. Sports Research, it is based in the USA and I have had no bad reactions with this brand. The D3 does have coconut oil but it is non GMO, it is Gluten free, Soy free, Soybean free and Safflower oil free.  I have a cupboard full of supplements that did not agree with me -  I just keep trying and have finally settled on Sports Research. I take NAKA Women's Multi full spectrum, and have not felt sick after taking 2 capsules per day -  it is a Canadian company. I buy both from Amazon. I wish you well in your searching, I know how discouraging it all is.

Florence.  

[Known1]

I live in the upper mid-west and was just diagnosed with marsh 3c celiac less than a month ago.  As a 51 year old male, I now take a couple of different gluten free vitamins.  I have not noticed any reaction to either of these items.  Both were purchased from Amazon.

1.  Nature Made Multivitamin For Him with No Iron
2.  Gade Nutrition Organic Quercetin with Bromelain Vitamin C and Zinc

Between those two, I am ingesting 2000 IU of vitamin D per day.

Best of luck,
Known1

[Wheatwacked]

Welcome to the forum @Known1,

What reaction were you expecting?

Pipingrock.com High Potency Vitamin D3, 2000 IU, 250 Quick Release Softgels $6.89

I've have been taking the 10,000 IU for close to 10 years.

When I started with vitamin D I worked my way up to 10000 over several weeks.  Even at 8000 I felt no noticeable difference.  Then after a few days at 10000 it hit Whoa, sunshine in a bottle.  celiac disease causes malabsorption of dietary D and you've poor UV access.  It took me from 2015 to 2019 to get my 25(OH)D just to 47 ng/ml.  Another two years to get to 80.  70 to 100 ng/ml seems to be the body's natural upper homeostasis  based on lifeguard studies.  Dr. Holick has observed the average lifeguard population usually has a vitamin D 3 level of around 100 ng/ml. Could it be that our normal range is too low given the fact that ¾ or more of the American population is vitamin D deficient?

Your Calcium will increase with the vitamin D so don't supplement calcium unless you really need it.  Monitor with PTH  and 25(OH)D tests.

Because of your Marsh 3 damage you need to ingest way more than the RDA of any supplement to undo your specific deficiencies.

Quote

Participants were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to vitamin D3 400, 4000, or 10 000 IU/day. Calcium supplementation was initiated if dietary calcium intake was less than 1200 mg/day.

The safety profile of vitamin D supplementation is similar for doses of 400, 4000, and 10 000 IU/day. Hypercalciuria was common and occurred more frequently with higher doses. Hypercalcemia occurred more frequently with higher doses but was rare, mild, and transient.  Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

I believe you are in the goiter belt.  Unless you have reason not to, I recommend pipingrock's Liquid Iodine for price and quality.  The RDA is 150 to 1100 mcg.  In Japan the safe upper level is set at 3000 mcg.  Start with one drop 50 mcg to test for adverse response and build up.  I found 600 mcg (12 drops) a day is helping repair my body.  Iodine is necessary to healing.  90% of daily iodine intake is excreted in urine.  A Urine Iodine Concentration (UIC) can tell how much Iodine you got that day.  The thyroid TSH test will not show iodine deficiency unless it is really bad.

Quote

it was determined that the lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level (LOAEL) was 1700 μg/d. To determine a UL, the LOAEL is divided by an uncertainty factor (UF). The UF was determined to be 1.5 and is relatively low compared with UFs determined for other nutrients, in part, because dose-response clinical trial data in humans were available and therefore there was little uncertainty about the LOAEL. On the basis of a LOAEL of 1700 μg/d and a UF of 1.5, the UL was set at 1100 μg/d for adults Evidence Needed to Inform the Next Dietary Reference Intakes for Iodine

 

Edited February 6 by Wheatwacked
typo

[Known1]

4 hours ago, Wheatwacked said:

Welcome to the forum @Known1,

What reaction were you expecting?

Thank you for the warm welcome.  I was not expecting any reaction.  I was simply sharing what I started using since my diagnosis less than a month ago.  I believe the OP is looking for suggestions, so I offered my $0.02.  😀

Kind Regards,
Known1

[trents]

@Known1, have you been tested and confirmed to have a vitamin D deficiency? 2000IU daily is pretty conservative if you are trying to address a deficiency.

[Known1]

Hello @trents:

Yes, I have a vitamin D deficiency.  My initial post in this thread was intended for the OP.  I certainly do not want to hijack her thread.

I am following my doctors orders for the next 6 months and will have another set of blood tests to re-check all of my levels at that time.  Oddly, none of my other vitamin levels show any sort of deficiency.  Somehow my body was/is still absorbing nutrients even though I have been diagnosed marsh c3.  I guess everyone's body is different.

Thank you all for your concern and advise.
Known1

[Known1]

Looking into vitamin D a bit more.  I do not see any harm in bumping it up to 5k IU per day for the next 6 months.  I'll check out the brand recommended by @Wheatwacked.

Thanks again everyone!

[trents]

According to what I find on the internet https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/vitamin/vitamin-d-test-normal-range-benefits-and-why-it-matters/ :

Adequate or sufficient: 20–50 ng/mL or 50–125 nmol/L is considered normal for most people. 

Optimal: According to experts, to maximize health benefits, aim for 30–50 ng/mL (75–125 nmol/L).

And I think those optimal values may be quite conservative. According to my own lab results from 2023, the bar graph shows that "normal" D3 levels are between 30 and 100 ng/mL. "High" is over 100. I was at 85 and in the green section of the graph for normal.

I would also say that in recent years, medical science has become more relaxed about vitamin D supplementation as they realized that they had been overly cautious about toxicity. Vitamin D deficiency is probably wide spread in first world countries because our vocations keep us indoors so much of the time. When you live in places where climate further limits sunshine it adds another layer to the problem. Of course, this is especially problematic for celiacs who aren't absorbing D well through food consumption.

Edited February 7 by trents

[Known1]

I just went back and looked at my blood test.  Technically speaking, I do not have a deficiency, but rather an insufficiency. 
The lab that did the test states:
Vitamin D Status 25-OH Vitamin D
Deficiency:  <20 ng/mL
Insufficiency:  20 - 29 ng/mL
Optimal:  > or = 30 ng/mL acceptable range is 30-100 ng/mL. 

My result was 29ng/mL.

I'll be bumping my intake up to 4,000 IU from the 2,000 IU I am taking now.  Heck, I might take it up to 6,000 IU after a month at 4,000 IU.

Thanks again,
Known1

[knitty kitty]

9 hours ago, Known1 said:

Oddly, none of my other vitamin levels show any sort of deficiency.  Somehow my body was/is still absorbing nutrients even though I have been diagnosed marsh c3.  

Hi, @Known1, welcome to the tribe!

I highly recommend bumping up your dose of Vitamin D.  I took small doses throughout the day to give my body more opportunity to absorb it.  I ate those like m&ms.  I was taking above 10,000 IU a day.  My Vitamin D level was in the single digits though.  Correcting deficiencies as quickly as possible is really beneficial for healing the body and lowering inflammation.  The sooner you get your vitamin D up into the eighties, the better you'll feel.  

Blood tests for deficiencies in B vitamins are inaccurate.  The bloodstream is a transportation system.  Our bodies will pull needed B vitamins out of tissues and organs (leaving them with a localized deficiency) in order to keep the brain and heart supplied and functioning.  The B vitamins get absorbed into the bloodstream from the digestive tract, so what you've eaten in the past twenty-four hours can mask a deficiency in organs and tissues.  The B vitamins can't be stored inside cells for very long.  Many become depleted within six to eight weeks.  Thiamine B 1 can become depleted within two weeks or as little as three days if we are physically ill or mentally stressed or are physically active.  So they need to be replenished every day.  A daily multivitamin is not enough to prevent nor correct deficiencies.  Do talk to your doctor and dietician about adding a B Complex to your multivitamin.  Supplementing with extra Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine promotes intestinal healing.  Taking additional thiamine in high doses is safe and nontoxic. 

Minerals like magnesium and zinc are frequently low in the newly diagnosed.  Were they checked?   Have you talked to a dietician or nutritionist about eating a nutrient dense gluten free diet?  

Glad you're here.

Potato, potato, potato.  😺

[Known1]

5 hours ago, knitty kitty said:

Minerals like magnesium and zinc are frequently low in the newly diagnosed.  Were they checked?   Have you talked to a dietician or nutritionist about eating a nutrient dense gluten free diet?  

I did meet with a dietician.  She simply stated go 100% gluten-free, recommended a couple of books, kitchen protocols, and some other basic info.  When I followed up with a GI doctor on 2026/02/02, he told me to start a gluten-free multi-vitamin.  He was not willing to recommend a particular one.  He said there are several out there and just pick one that is gluten-free.  I have a follow up with him in 6 months.  They will run more blood tests and schedule a bone density test at that time.

While I completely appreciate your recommendations, I think it is important I follow doctor orders as much as possible.  So far I do feel MUCH better than I did and believe I am off to a good start so far.  When I meet with doc in 6 months I will request a more comprehensive blood work up to check ALL mineral levels.  I posted a whole bunch of my blood results in this thread when I replied to your post there:  

 

Thank you for your time and have a blessed day ahead.
Known1

[Wheatwacked]

On 2/7/2026 at 9:34 AM, Known1 said:

So far I do feel MUCH better than I did and believe I am off to a good start so far.

That is the goal, after all.  

[Haugeabs]

For my Vit D3 deficiency it was recommended to take with Vit K2 (MK7) with the Vit D. The Vit K2 helps absorption of Vit D3. Fat also helps with absorption. I take Micro Ingredients Vit D3 5000 IU with Vit K2 100 micrograms (as menaquinone:MK-7). Comes in soft gels with coconut oil.  Gluten free but not certified gluten free. Soy free, GMO free. 
 

[Scott Adams]

Vit K2 (MK7) also helps prevent calcium buildup (arterial sclerosis) in arteries. I added it last year to my daily vitamin intake.

• NOTE: Vitamin K: Excess vitamin K from supplements can interfere with blood thinning medications and cause issues in some individuals.