Best Vit D To Take?

[AmandaD]

Guys - I'm supposed to be taking a good vitamin D supplement...can someone recommend one they like please?

[Marilyn R]

Guys - I'm supposed to be taking a good vitamin D supplement...can someone recommend one they like please?

I've been on Solgar Natural Vitamin D3 2200 IU for a couple months now. (Found it at a local health food store.) I haven't had any problems with it and in fact feel much better ... it took a couple of weeks to notice marked improvement. (My short term memory and fatigue improved first, now my fingernails are actually appearing more healthy. My hair loss has taken a 360 - I think I'm starting to replace lost hair!

It says on the label "Free of Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Yeast Sugar, Sodium, Artificial Flavor, Sweetener, Preservatives and Color". Oh, and they've been around since 1947.

Hope you can find them at your local HF store.

Good luck! (And from my research, you need B-3, not B-2.)

[Edo]

I take Carlson Ddrops Vitamin D3, 4000 IU. It comes in other doses too, including 600, 1000, 2000, maybe others I don't know about. It's convenient because it is in liquid form, you only need one drop a day, and there are a year's worth of drops per bottle. This is the best type for absorption, in terms of the type of D (D3) and the fact that it is an oily type rather than a dry pill type. It can even be dropped under the tongue to bypass the digestive system, if your GI system is not in top form to utilize it that way (a problem for a lot of us). It doesn't have a taste. It can be added to a beverage or food also. Ingredients are just D3 and fractionated coconut oil. I think there are other brands like this, but I use Carlson and have been happy with it.

[sa1937]

I use Bluebonnet EarthSweet Chewable D3 2000 IU. Yummy raspberry flavor Open Original Shared Link I buy them from my local health food store.

[IrishHeart]

I use Now Brands D-3. (I need my vitamins to be soy fee, too) I had to do the 5000 IUs at first and it boosted my D levels right up. I will move to the 2000 in time.

[ravenwoodglass]

I started with the NOW D3 5000 also. I now take those once a week and on the other days I take the NOW 1000 and vit K-2 combo pill. For me the addition of the K seems to have helped with a skin discoloration that I have had for a while. No idea what it is or why the K is helping but if I skip them for a few days in a row the red splotches (looks like bleeding specks under my skin) come back.

[Edo]

I started with the NOW D3 5000 also. I now take those once a week and on the other days I take the NOW 1000 and vit K-2 combo pill. For me the addition of the K seems to have helped with a skin discoloration that I have had for a while. No idea what it is or why the K is helping but if I skip them for a few days in a row the red splotches (looks like bleeding specks under my skin) come back.

Sorry to be off topic, but it's interesting you mention red splotches. My sister was just complaining of them and showed them to me yesterday. I'm not sure if she's celiac, but she has ITP. I guess she didn't think the spots were petechiae, which appear due to bleeding in small blood vessels under the skin when platelets are very low. But they did look the way you described. Maybe vitamin K would help her. Thanks for mentioning.

[Chad Sines]

Be sure you are getting enough magnesium or you can get evil side effects from the vitamin D, nausea, tremors, etc. It usually only happens at the higher doses (over 1000 iu)

[IrishHeart]

Sorry to be off topic, but it's interesting you mention red splotches. My sister was just complaining of them and showed them to me yesterday. I'm not sure if she's celiac, but she has ITP. I guess she didn't think the spots were petechiae, which appear due to bleeding in small blood vessels under the skin when platelets are very low. But they did look the way you described. Maybe vitamin K would help her. Thanks for mentioning.

I read that Vitamin K deficiency is linked to nosebleeds and easy bruising. Maybe that's why? Just thinkin....!

[tarnalberry]

I second Carlson's.

[thleensd]

I've read that the oil-filled soft-gels are better than dry. I take Country Life brand, 5000 IU (D3) per day. They make smaller doses, too. Certified gluten-free.

When I was super deficient, I got a prescription for 50,000 IU once per week. It looked just like the soft-gels I take now. Did that for eight weeks.

[Loey]

Guys - I'm supposed to be taking a good vitamin D supplement...can someone recommend one they like please?

My doctor had me taking 4000 mg of D3 with vitamin C in it. I had high levels after my first blood retest so I stopped it and will be tested again. Hope this helps.

Loey

P.S. I used the CVS drug store brand - it was gluten-free

[Korwyn]

Just remember that vitamin D and vitamin K are FAT soluble vitamins. If you don't take in an adequate amount of fats or oils your body will NOT absorb them properly, if at all. This can be exacerbated by the usual celiac disease issues of malabsorption. So I would suggest that you either take a liquid form (such as a fish oil) or take it with a good dose of some healthy type of oil. Preferably unrefined, organic coconut oil. If you are taking multiple 1,000s of units of D3, it may be very difficult to get enough oil/fat to facilitate absorption in a meal.

[ravenwoodglass]

Just remember that vitamin D and vitamin K are FAT soluble vitamins. If you don't take in an adequate amount of fats or oils your body will NOT absorb them properly, if at all. This can be exacerbated by the usual celiac disease issues of malabsorption. So I would suggest that you either take a liquid form (such as a fish oil) or take it with a good dose of some healthy type of oil. Preferably unrefined, organic coconut oil. If you are taking multiple 1,000s of units of D3, it may be very difficult to get enough oil/fat to facilitate absorption in a meal.

Yes and that is also why it is possible to take too much of them. If folks are taking megadoses it is a good idea to have your doctor check your levels periodically to make sure you are not up to a toxic level.

[Korwyn]

Yes and that is also why it is possible to take too much of them. If folks are taking megadoses it is a good idea to have your doctor check your levels periodically to make sure you are not up to a toxic level.

Really good point. That's why I insist with our Dr. that both my wife and I get them checked every three months. My Dr. has me on 8,000 Units a day and she is on 2,000 units a day. I don't need to take E or K supplements any more, but you bring up a really good point and while I think about it, I forget that a lot of people don't realize that danger. Any of the fat soluble vitamins can build up to toxic/unhealthy levels very rapidly, especially if you have had a diet low in good oils/fats or you have had malabsorption issues that have started healing.

I recall a similar discussion a couple months ago that I think you commented on as well relating to peripheral neuropathy where the OP had started experiencing symptoms again. Turned out they were getting weekly B12 injections, plus taking sub-lingual B12, and some other B supplements. Because of the injections their body couldn't flush the normally water soluble B12 out since it was a direct injection.