fourcatmom Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 The Dr. just prescribed this for me to take once a week for 8 weeks to be followed by 2000 IU (x2) of Vit D when it's complete. Can anyone share their experiences? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I did that this past fall for 12 weeks. My level was 15. My last labs were back up to a reasonable level, but will be getting tested again on Friday. I had no issues taking the medication every Friday for the 12 weeks and now take vitamins with higher Vitamin D. I have issues due to auto-immune problems and thyroid issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 My level is 15 as well, which is lower then it was before at 19. So, it's going down not up? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 My daughter did that for about three months, and it did seem to help, although I was surprised that her levels didn't soar with those amounts! She had no ill side effects though, in case you're wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtzc2009 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Yep, I was on the same dose for a couple of months. I experienced no side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Yes. Several times in a row. I'm on them now, in fact. No side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Great, thanks everyone. I seem to react to everything so I am a bit worried about side effects but hopefully it will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 The Dr. just prescribed this for me to take once a week for 8 weeks to be followed by 2000 IU (x2) of Vit D when it's complete. Can anyone share their experiences? TIA! Exactly the plan I followed a few years ago when my Vit D levels were extremely low. DD also followed the same plan when she was low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Vitamin D Ergo is D2. Your body best assimilates D3. I would stop taking that, get some good D3 (there are lots of good brands) that have high doses and would take that. I would also take calcium because super low levels of vitamin D put you at risk of osteopenia, if not osteoporosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Vitamin D Ergo is D2. Your body best assimilates D3. I would stop taking that, get some good D3 (there are lots of good brands) that have high doses and would take that. I would also take calcium because super low levels of vitamin D put you at risk of osteopenia, if not osteoporosis. Agreed! D2 is worthless and won't really raise your levels. You need D3 which is easily and cheaply bought otc. I almost had osteoporosis from low D (T score was -2.0) and Dr ordered that Ergo junk which I spent a fortune oop since it wasnt covered and my levels didn't really go up at all. I have trouble with D though, I take 5000iu of D3 daily and my level is still only 44. You want around 80 for best health. 2000iu is bare minimum for a healthy non deficient person, your Dr is not up to date on this, sadly most drs don't have a clue about healthy vitamin levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Agreed! D2 is worthless and won't really raise your levels. You need D3 which is easily and cheaply bought otc. I almost had osteoporosis from low D (T score was -2.0) and Dr ordered that Ergo junk which I spent a fortune oop since it wasnt covered and my levels didn't really go up at all. I have trouble with D though, I take 5000iu of D3 daily and my level is still only 44. You want around 80 for best health. 2000iu is bare minimum for a healthy non deficient person, your Dr is not up to date on this, sadly most drs don't have a clue about healthy vitamin levels. Thank you. Actually it wasn't my regular dr. I go to see him on Friday and will discuss this. I went in on Wed for chest pain (felt like a mild heart attack on Tues night) and wasn't happy overall with the treatment I received but my regular dr. was on vacation at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Thank you. Actually it wasn't my regular dr. I go to see him on Friday and will discuss this. I went in on Wed for chest pain (felt like a mild heart attack on Tues night) and wasn't happy overall with the treatment I received but my regular dr. was on vacation at the time. Chest pains are SCARY! I'm glad you're OK!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I took it but it didn't help a ton. I did better on a high dosage from the health food store. Until surgery in April, I was taking 10,000 IU daily. My Vit D level was finally at a decent level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Echoing the above posters who said you need D3, not the D2 that is prescribed by doctors. D2 is pretty worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Thank you. Actually it wasn't my regular dr. I go to see him on Friday and will discuss this. I went in on Wed for chest pain (felt like a mild heart attack on Tues night) and wasn't happy overall with the treatment I received but my regular dr. was on vacation at the time. Low D causes Hyperparathroidism which causes low calcuim which triggers heart arrhythmia. Btdt so many times I've lost count over the years. It's usually low calcium, magnesium or potassium for me but if I have missed D for a couple days it's usually low calcium triggering prolonged QT waves hence the chest pain. Scary but easy to deal with, oral calcium citrate (I think, would have to check the bottle) and D3. You will be ok, just make sure to start D3 asap:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I was prescribed 50KIU of D2, but decided to go with D3 OTC as it's absorbed better (spoke with my doctor about it). It worked well for me, but I actually need to take 50KIU weekly to maintain any sort of D levels. It also helped resolve my elevated PTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithful_Steward Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I'm on 50,000 2x/wk for 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Just in case anyone is curious: Most doctors are now prescribing 50,000iu of D3 and if you doctor wrote for D2, you can ask the pharmacy to call the doctor back to ask him to switch it to D3. If you don't know which you have.....If you prescription is d3 it might say Vitamin D3 or it may just say cholecalciferol. If it is Vitamin D2 it may just say ergocalciferol. If it just says Vitamin D, you can call the pharmacy and ask which form it is. I am super sensitive to meds and can't take most of them due to odd side effects. The only issue I had was a bit of insomnia the first night I took my dose for the first couple of weeks, then It went away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I got very nauseous the day after taking it every week. At first I thought I was coming down with she thing, but it happened every week, so I stopped taking it after 4 weeks. Obviously my numbers did not go up much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 My doc prescribed d3, and the pharmacy filled it with d2, insisting was the same thing. Grrrr! I gave up and bought sublingual d3 from amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 My doc prescribed d3, and the pharmacy filled it with d2, insisting was the same thing. Grrrr! I gave up and bought sublingual d3 from amazon. Have the doctor call the pharmacy to fix the problem, if the pharmacy isn't willing to do it for you. It is different and the pharmacist should know better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Low D causes Hyperparathroidism which causes low calcuim which triggers heart arrhythmia. Btdt so many times I've lost count over the years. It's usually low calcium, magnesium or potassium for me but if I have missed D for a couple days it's usually low calcium triggering prolonged QT waves hence the chest pain. Scary but easy to deal with, oral calcium citrate (I think, would have to check the bottle) and D3. You will be ok, just make sure to start D3 asap:) My calcium levels were normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Chest pains can also be caused by extreme anemia. Be sure your iron levels are checked. I have the same symptoms from my iron dropping low as I do from my D getting too low - fatigue, hair loss, some brain fog. Hope you feel better soon! An aside - Tap, thanks for the advice about taking Mucinex with my Allegra. It's effective allergy and drip relief but I don't feel parched and dried up! A big improvement, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Sorry to bring this back up but it's been a rough day, again. I checked the OTC Vit D I was taking before and it was the D3 but my numbers are going down. I don't always take it consistently though but you would think that my numbers would still go up and not down? I was taking 4000 IU's daily. So, I did decide to take the higher prescription of ERGO D2 to see if that would help things. I took a pill yesterday afternoon. Today I was a mess, a real basket case. I am assuming it's some kind of weird side effect but nobody else mentioned these problems in the thread. I was more tired then usual, again. Exhausted really. This is coming from someone who already takes a 2+ hour nap most days. But even being exhausted I haven't slept during the day today and now it's 12:30am. Not normal for me. And, I have been crying. Crying over stupid things, crying over insignificant things...just crying. My DH woke up, I asked him if he was okay? Not sure why I even asked him that but he said yes and I started crying? Really? I took a shower only to find myself sobbing through it. My DD asked me to make her lunch today...yep, I started crying. Please, don't say I am depressed. I don't feel sad. I don't want to die. I don't feel hopeless or any of those things. I just can't stop crying, today. I feel a little better tonight This isn't a daily thing for me but it's been all day long. My kids have asked me if me and DH are fighting? If I am okay? If I am depressed? I just keep telling them that I am okay, just tired and not quite myself. So, really hoping someone tells me that this is a weird side effect of the Vit D. I see my regular dr tomorrow but I really don't want to just sit there and cry. He might just send me away for some kind of evaluation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Michele - I haven't heard of that as a side effect of vitamin D. That doesn't mean that it isn't though. The main side effects of too much vitamin D is actually caused by too much calcium since vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium. The symptoms of too much calcium are feeling nauseated, thirsty, being constipated or having diarrhea, not wanting to eat and feeling confused. Has your doctor tested your parathyroid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Michele - I haven't heard of that as a side effect of vitamin D. That doesn't mean that it isn't though. The main side effects of too much vitamin D is actually caused by too much calcium since vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium. The symptoms of too much calcium are feeling nauseated, thirsty, being constipated or having diarrhea, not wanting to eat and feeling confused. Has your doctor tested your parathyroid? They tested for Thyroid which was fine. My Calcium level was normal but my Chloride was high. Not sure what's going on, but I feel more of my normal self today. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Sorry to bring this back up but it's been a rough day, again. I checked the OTC Vit D I was taking before and it was the D3 but my numbers are going down. I don't always take it consistently though but you would think that my numbers would still go up and not down? I was taking 4000 IU's daily. So, I did decide to take the higher prescription of ERGO D2 to see if that would help things. I took a pill yesterday afternoon. Today I was a mess, a real basket case. I am assuming it's some kind of weird side effect but nobody else mentioned these problems in the thread. I was more tired then usual, again. Exhausted really. This is coming from someone who already takes a 2+ hour nap most days. But even being exhausted I haven't slept during the day today and now it's 12:30am. Not normal for me. And, I have been crying. Crying over stupid things, crying over insignificant things...just crying. My DH woke up, I asked him if he was okay? Not sure why I even asked him that but he said yes and I started crying? Really? I took a shower only to find myself sobbing through it. My DD asked me to make her lunch today...yep, I started crying. Please, don't say I am depressed. I don't feel sad. I don't want to die. I don't feel hopeless or any of those things. I just can't stop crying, today. I feel a little better tonight This isn't a daily thing for me but it's been all day long. My kids have asked me if me and DH are fighting? If I am okay? If I am depressed? I just keep telling them that I am okay, just tired and not quite myself. So, really hoping someone tells me that this is a weird side effect of the Vit D. I see my regular dr tomorrow but I really don't want to just sit there and cry. He might just send me away for some kind of evaluation! A lady at my church sharedher testimony at Women' Brunch event with us, the major part of it was her struggle with the debilitating side effects of taking vast amount of Vit D for three months prescribed by her doctor and how during the difficult times God had sustained her. She has been living with the side effects which don't go away. I forgot the details, but that makes me very nervous about taking huge amounts of Vit D. It would be good to do some research about it if you have any doubts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 They tested for Thyroid which was fine. My Calcium level was normal but my Chloride was high. Not sure what's going on, but I feel more of my normal self today. :001_smile: The parathyroid is not the same thing as the thyroid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmama Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I got very nauseous the day after taking it every week. At first I thought I was coming down with she thing, but it happened every week, so I stopped taking it after 4 weeks. Obviously my numbers did not go up much. I get the same effect. I have extremely low D, but every time I've tried to supplement, I feel like I have the flu. Weird. :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Thanks...went in today and he ordered a nuclear stress test, an ultrasound of my legs to look for clots, another blood test (for clots I think), an upper GI and allergy testing. He tested my breathing using a peak flow meter which I have never done before and my lowest and last level was 170. He put me on symbicort (sp?) as well. He said to try the Vit D one more time and he didn't think what I experienced yesterday had anything to do with the Vit D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Did it when my Vit D number came back at 8 (eeks!) It took several months, but we got it up to 52 (very good because I have another disorder that is affected by low D levels). No side effects. Now I take the OTC 2000, plus make a point of a walk in the sun each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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