DD has severe Vitamin D deficiency

[CathyA]

Its funny, but I knew I had a low D level and that my son (who has psoriasis) has a low level, but I really didn't expect it in DD. She has so much energy. But she is VEGAN. But she's a pretty educated VEGAN......meaning she's very conscientious about getting all her nutrients.

A couple weeks ago, she got so dizzy she couldn't get out of bed for almost 2 days. Since then, she's felt "woozy" off and on. When she was home last weekend, we drew labs for her, because I was pretty sure she had a low iron level.
Well, her iron level was okay, but her D level was almost nonexistent! (9.3) MUCH lower than DS's and mine.
I don't know if this dizziness problem is even connected to the low D level, but D is so important to so many biochemical processes in the body, it seems like common sense to get that level up before getting her inner ears all checked out.

What concerns me is that I fear alot of docs don't consider a low vitamin D level as a problem. Maybe they're more up-to-date these days, but its amazing how many docs don't think vitamins/minerals are that important........unless you have scurvy or whatnot.
I know several of you have low D's. Just looking for a little feedback. I take about 5,000 units of a good D3 every day. I'm not sure that's enough for me. But........do you think she can get her's up in a reasonable amount of time with just oral supplements?
I just don't want her to find a doc and spend lots of money and then have him say "Oh, vitamin D isn't that important."
So..........opinions/comments/suggestions?
Oh.........and what's really unfortunate is that supposedly D2 is VEGAN, but not as effective as D3, which isn't VEGAN. I told DD its time to forget about VEGANism until she gets her D up.

[Rosemary]

I can tell you how my vitamin D level changed. It was tested to be around 14, and Dr told me to take 2000 IU/day. I took 1000 IU with breakfast and dinner most days for 8 weeks before it was retested. I say most days because I forgot sometimes, but I was fairly regular about it. This was also the time of year when we start to get some sunlight, and when I am outside a lot - from about early May to early July between the two tests. When it was retested, it had risen to just over 30. Dr said 50 is the recommended level. So mine increased fairly quickly. Before the initial test, I was not regularly taking any vitamins.

[CathyA]

Thanks Rosemary. May I ask what your main symptoms were?

[mm1970]

I have a friend who was vegan for 20 years and when she hit 40 she started having energy problems. Found her D level was low. She had to stop being vegan.

She actually has her degree in nutrition from Columbia, so was also very educated about eating healthfully. She eats fish and eggs now, and not sure what else she's added.

[Life_is_Simple]

Let's see, mine was 12 ng/mL (ref range 30-100) in August 2010. My doctor told me to take 2000 IU D3 a day. I was tested 6 months later and was at 41.

When I started taking it, within a few days I just felt better. Calmer or better mood - I can't describe it. That made me motivated to keep taking it. Then that fall/winter, I was surprised to not get S.A.D. What a relief!

[Anne Lee]

I know this will create a lot of pushback, but maybe veganism isn't for everybody. I know there are people on this board who thrive on it. More power to them, I say.

But if veganism is implicated in a health condition, then I suggest that people should do what they need to for their health.

This is one such example: http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-vegan-no-more/

Again, I am not bashing vegans or veganism but merely pointing out that different people thrive on different diets.

[Suzanne]

Sheesh, my whole post disappeared...here's a neatish overview of vitamin D:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...me=VITAMIN%20D

Starting again: It seems that your family may have a genetic tendency to vitamin D some people simply are not able to absorb supplemental vitamins very well, especially if thyroid function is compromised - this last is the case with some vegans who rely heavily on soy products but don't balance them with sea vegetables and fish broth as Asians usually do. Then too, no vitamin works alone, and vitamin D, which is both a vitamin and a hormone, works in concert with other fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K). If there is a deficiency in any co-factor, the whole process screeches to a half, just as it would if you had all the studs, siding, roof tiles, sheetrock, nailgun - but only half as many nails as needed. No house until the nail deficiency is resolved.

It isn't enough either simply to get sun exposure, or lie on a tanning bed. The basic building block of vitamin D is cholesterol; some vegan women have very dry skin, which is a sign that there isn't much cholesterol in it. Without the cholesterol, there will be very little to zero manufacturing going on. After the skin part of the process, vitamin D is stored in body fat; and again, some vegan women have very little body fat - to the point that they stop menstruating. The recommendations usually given for "hands and face 15 minutes a day" are fine if you live near the equator, but the further north you go, the more sun. Also, sunlight is not just sunlight! The wavelength is important too.

This page has a ton of information: http://www.mercola.com/article/vitamin-d-resources.htm

I wish your DD a speedy recovery and good health.

[Bastelmutti]

What a coincidence! I just found out today that my DD has low D as well. We were told to give her 2,000 (the adults in our house take that already - D3). Good luck with rebuilding your DDs health!

[bae]

I had the same vitamin D problem when I had bloodwork done about 2 years ago. Levels came back up to "normal" after 6 months of 2000 units. Apparently all the vitamin D I had in my system when I moved up here wore off after about 12 years...

I felt much better after just a few weeks.

[Rosemary]

CathyA, at the time I did not think I had any symptoms. However, now that it's winter and I've not been outside much, and it's been very cloudy (and I live in MN where we don't get much vit-D-producing sunlight in winter), I am feeling that I should up my dose, back to 2000 from the 1000 I've been taking. It's a gut feeling that the listlessness and occasional fatigue I am feeling may be related.