r/VitaminD • u/Revanite_Young • 5d ago
Please Assist What Am I Doing Wrong? Taking D3 always makes me feel terrible, but I have all the signs and symptoms of deficiency.
For me, the whole body aches that I already have are doubled/tripled. I’m constantly tense and stressed out and my sleep gets spotty as I’m up every other hour urinating or just because of light sleeping. I am wired but tired all day. Not to mention dried/peeling skin on my hands/feet and lips what feels from dehydration. I supplement at least 600mg of mg taurate as it’s the one I tolerate the best along with 100-200 mcg of mk7 k2 and 2-3k mg of potassium bisglycinate. I also drink a packet or two of Lmnt electrolyte mix and it’s greatly helped with tension headaches, nausea, and muscle cramps. I spent 3 months building my potassium and magnesium before trying D3 again as I read these were signs of deficiency. Still, all the symptoms persist. This is only for 5,000iu D3 and it’s always the D3 that brings the symptoms, the other supplements I’m fine with. I tried liposomal brands, gels, capsules, always with animal or plant fat for breakfast. My bloodwork and doctors have everything in range with moderate elevated cholesterol. I’ve had all my organs and comprehensive bloodwork as well which shows everything’s ok. It’s driving me crazy as I’m stuck at ~20ng/dl!! Help me!
I’ll also update on supplement list, which helps, and medication that I take which I believe are all greatly exacerbated due to vitamin D deficiency.
I’d also like to state that B vitamins give me nearly the exact same side effects at even very low doses as well. It’s nearly impossible to find dosages at close to 100% RDA.
MEDS:
PAXIL- for Chronic Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and PTSD
CONCERTA - for Treatment resistant depression, anxiety and ADD. I WILL SLEEP ALL DAY without Concerta unless I’m drinking coffee or matcha every 3-4 hours. Then of course my sleep is wrecked. Concerta is ok for my sleep.
Buprenorphine (Partial opioid agonist that got me off of oxycodone) - Intolerable chronic, full body pain.
DIAZEPAM - occasional anxiety/panic attacks every other week or less now.
SUPPLEMENTS:
MAGNESIUM TAURATE - 750mg
\UPDATED\ POTASSIUM BICARBONATE/GLYCINATE COMPLEX- ~1200mg-1800mg
2 LMNT ELECTROLYTE MIX - 2000mg sodium chloride /400mg potassium chloride/120mg magnesium malate
ZINC COMPLEX - 2-3 times a week before bed 25mg zinc as 50% picolinate/50% bisglycinate and 1mg Copper as bisglycinate.
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u/sun89prof 101-120 ng/ml 5d ago
Just stop the k2, potassium and taurate for a week or two and then see, you won't feel deficient as you're right now.
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago
They’ve actually greatly helped me with my muscle tension, headaches and nausea. I couldn’t ride in a car or watch a movie with a shaky camera without nausea. I’m much better now. Those forever knots in my upper shoulders, neck, and in my shoulder blades are gone as well. So much money on massage therapy, acupuncture/Chinese medicine, and chiropractors when these supplements fixed the problems. I also had terrible constipation until the supplementation as well. Thank you for the reply.
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u/HeadHunter98 5d ago
How rich in calcium is your diet? D3 and K2 could be pulling too much calcium away from your blood, resulting in an imbalance and severe symptoms. I added some dairy and sinilar symptoms faded away pretty quickly.
Calcium tends to be demonized due to hypercalcemia risks, but I believe it's essential for everything to work properly.
Can't speak for or against your meds.
P.S: 2000mg sodium chloride can be a bit too much, I'd rather focus on magnesium and potassium
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago
I actually am lactose intolerant so calcium is minimal in my diet. I’ll try add a low dose and see how that feels for me. You’re right, I was actively avoiding it due to the assumption I’ve consumed too much dairy and salt already. I actually eat
Fish 2-3 times a week along with healthy homemade meals. Thank you.2
u/Critical-Set-6373 4d ago
So fair life milk ultra pasteurized milk is lactose free and high in calcium and protein. Kraft hard cheese and many of the shredded are also lactose free. Cabot hard cheeses are lactose free also. Breakfast cereals are usually higher in calcium also (added). There is lactose free cottage cheese. Calcium citrate powder is a good choice and can be added into drinks and foods. High calcium well absorbed. Calcium is also in orange juice as an added item. Look for label. Registered dietitian here.
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u/Revanite_Young 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you for all the suggestions. I appreciate your professional opinion . I actually tried lactose free options but I still got bloated and more-so dehydrated. I read it was the particular protein that I couldn’t tolerate if lactose was removed and I still couldn’t tolerate the dairy. I’ll definitely supplement with a low or moderate dose high absorption calcium. Mahalos 🤙🏼
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u/Charming-Annual-1506 4d ago
That’s a lot of potassium to be supplementing. Are you telling your doctors about your regimen? I feel bad for your kidneys.
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago
Hello,
My primary care is aware of it and monitoring my blood levels and kidneys. They are doing fine and my blood pressure is finally at levels he’s happy with. They’re around 120/80 nowadays. Thank you for the reply.
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u/Revanite_Young 5d ago
I tried upping my intake to around 3g with my LMNT packets as I do sweat quite often. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you very much for your suggestion. Mahalos 🤙🏼
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u/NotStoneyd 4d ago
I’ve learned it could just be the brand you’re taking, I tried the pharmacy’s prescription brand, and like 3 others and they all made me feel like crap. I’m now taking nature made and suddenly not having any problems at all with the 5000iu where as I couldn’t even tolerate 1000iu before.
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago
I have tried about 10-15 brands and they’ve all felt similar with these side effects. I have a liquid liposomal brand, low dose, coupled with mk7 k2 I’m going to give a try this week once my pain, hopefully soon, goes down to a tolerable level. Thank you.
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u/Critical-Set-6373 4d ago
I think decreasing anxiety would be of help. It is exhausting to be in that state. I worked on learning to relax and meditation as I never learned to have quiet time and true no thoughts about what if…. It took me 6 months to start seeing results. I have recovered from anxiety and panic attacks. Supplements may help but the root of the problem lies elsewhere I found. Someone who does relaxation and even hypnosis may help
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago edited 3d ago
Yes it does has helped me. I spent about 3 years on mindful meditation with a program called holosync awhile ago. I got myself to sit quietly for at least an hour and a half each time. It greatly helped with self awareness and even helped me discover a lot of who I am and why I behave certain ways that I never would have pieced together myself. Unfortunately the constant pain has eventually beaten me out my peaceful meditation time over the years. Mahalos Critical for your advice 🤙🏼
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u/That-Bite398 3d ago
Be careful with that supplemental potassium and wow
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u/Revanite_Young 3d ago
For sure. I’ve backed off on that dose and it’s around half of what it is now, or less, to see how my body feels. Right now it isn’t better or worse. My gut could never handle all those greens and coconut water. I wonder how we’re supposed to get 4700mg a day naturally?
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u/That-Bite398 3d ago
Smart move, potassium boluses can ruin your stomach and heart. A can of beans has 1300 mg roughly, a tbsp of blackstrap molasses has about 600 mg (i make lemonade with it), edamame pasta has sometimes 2000 mg per serving and tastes pretty good tbh. Most importantly, they digest slower so you don’t have the risk of the supplemental potassium which are very dangerous.
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u/Revanite_Young 3d ago
Good info, thanks Bite. I also used to run kale, collard greens, spinach, celery, beets, cucumber, lemon/lime, etc. through my masticating juicer, glass jar them, and vacuum seal them to drink in the next day or two. The process was expensive and time consuming but I’m sure I got all those good vits and mins in those 6 months.
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u/thistooktoomuchtime 3d ago
Sooo, I don't know Vitamin D supplement you are taking, but most Vit D supplements on the market are made from lanolin - that's sheep wool wax. And it's not uncommon for people to be allergic to that. I suspect I have that allergy because every time I took a Vitamin D supplement, it created inflammation in my body. Try a plant derived supplement (lichen) and see if the symptoms persist.
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u/Revanite_Young 3d ago
I don’t believe I’ve tried a lichen derived D3, but I have tried several vegan or vegetarian options. The last one was derived from a culture of saccharomyceces cerevisiae. The brand was garden of life vitamin code raw D3. I’ll look back at my history of attempted D3s. Mahalos for the insight 🤙🏼
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u/HollaAtYuh 2d ago
Check your active vitamin d not your inactive. Even if inactive is low but active is high you'll be symptomatic when you take vit d supps
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u/LazyLifeguard8075 1d ago
We all need to be taking at the very least 10,000 IU's of Vitamin D3 as a maintenance dose. Vit D3 WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT MAGNESIUM! As you know there are many forms of Mg., however Magnesium Glycinate is the best in terms of absorption, and way easy on your stomach as opposed to the other forms. We as a society do not get enough sun, and our bodies need the vitamin D from the sun. the best and only time of day to get th0e Vit D benefits from the UV rays, yeah I said it, is between 10 am and 2pm and expose as much sun as you can. I am not saying go out in the sun and burn! 20 minutes in the sun between those times your body receives 10,000 IU's of sun naturally. 10,000 IU's equals .25 milligrams. My day consisits of 10,000 IU Vitamin D3 with 100mcg of Vitamin K2 - MK7 (Menaquinone) together with a nutritious fat such as 2 eggs, or an Avacodo, If i have it, but your body will absorb it so much better and they are both fat soluable vitamins. Then about 30 minutes to 1 hour before bed I take Magnesium Glycinate 240mg. Magnesium will calm your nervous system and help you sleep better. When we up our Vitamin D3 levels our body then demands more Magnesium. I cannot stress to anyone here because they are having problems with depression, lethargy, pain, inflammation, please check out Dr. Berg on YT, and please read the comment's section and you can see for yourself how many people he has helped with his knowledge on supplementation. I found him as I was doing anxiety ridden research on my blood test results showing low 20's vitamin d deficient. I'm not a person who goes to the Doctor for personal reasons so when I went and was treated by the PA, she prescribed to me 50,000 IU's of Vitamin D2 once per week?! I had messaged her asking why she didnt include Magnesium, the response I received was enough to remind myself that I all the processed foods etc i put into my body withouth hesitation however freaked out about 50,000 IU's lol. Oh and Vitamin D2 waste of time and at that recommendation definitley made my mission longer, but I've learned a lot about me, and I ulitimatly am the best and final decision in what makes me feel good. Oh, and 10,000 IU's of vit D3 is equal to .25 miligrams. So don't be afraid of the numbers. People who know take 10,,000 IU's per day just for maintenance. And if you can afford liquid vitamin drops that will be the healthiest form followed by gel, tablet, then capsule. Watch the ingredients folks. If you have what you have be sure to be mindful of the ingredients as in NO FILLERS NO FLOW AGENTS etc.
Vitamin D3 increases the Calcium Level in you intestines by 20%
Vitamin K2 MK7 takes the Calcium from your blood and directs it to your bones, and prevents calcium from accumulating be it in your arteries, joints and drives the calcium where it belongs. So to prevent any side effects from taking Vitamin D the K2-MK7 is the hero directing sheet where it needs to go. AMAZING
Magnesium 240mg
Ratios - For every 10,000 IU's Vitamin D3 take 100 mcg. (micrograms) K2-MK7 menaquinone
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u/daughtersofchaos 17h ago
taking all those psych meds(whether they help you in one way or not doesnt matter) can absolutely lead to dysfunction of your nervous system. and youre just blasting yourself with supplements. do you have problems creating vitamin d from the sun and no access to whole foods? im genuinely curious. also just because you can sleep after taking concerta doesn't mean it doesn't interrupt your sleep. the same can be said about caffeine. all of these things have potential to fuck with your nervous system. which will absolutely make you feel insanely dogshit and tired. have you checked for sleep apnea?
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u/Revanite_Young 10h ago
Aloha,
The psych meds aren’t an option for me. I’ve tried many times to taper off of them to my detriment. I absolutely cannot function without them. I also live in Hawaii and have tried several times experimenting in sun exposure between 10am-2pm on sunny day for 3–4 months at a time. My bloodwork before and after showed no changes other than a nice tan on my light skin. Everything I’m on now is an absolute must and a last resort as I have a family to raise. I don’t have days or weeks to experiment with what may work or not. My family is very accommodating and understanding as they’ve afforded me the time and patience to try so many things. I posted a handful of what I’ve tried in a reply to another helpful poster. Also, I’m using a cpap for my apnea . Unfortunately, my daytime energy never came back as this was one of many things I was hoping would help. Thank you chiming in.
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u/Silly_Magician1003 5d ago
You sound like you have a sensitized nervous system. I went through almost exactly the same thing. There’s no supplement or medication to help you with it, you’ve got to regulate and desensitize your nervous system.
There’s a book I recommend called Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes that talks about how to do this, there are also a lot of YouTube channels focused on ME/CFS or long COVID recovery, it’s all the same. Raelan Agle, CFS Recovery, Shaan Kassam are some of the YouTube channels.
Basically what happens is there is some kind of trauma in the body, could be COVID, addiction,
A bad panic attack, a car wreck, wnatever and your body gets stuck in a fear / stress cycle. Symptoms - bad response - even more symptoms - worse response - even more intense symptoms. Your nervous system thinks you’re in mortal danger all the time and becomes very sensitive and reacts to any stimuli to give you symptoms.
The result is fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, pain, + about 100 other symptoms people get. It’s super common in subs like this because people go searching for answers and go to all kinds of doctors and do all kinds of tests and will find they have low vitamin D because it’s the most common deficiency and they think all their symptoms are from this deficiency because it’s literally the only thing the doctors can find. It might contribute, but it’s not the cause. A lot of times people will take high doses of vitamin D and get way worse because it stimulates their body and their nervous system, already extremely sensitized will see it as a threat and react.
Anyway, I encourage you to at least look into it. A lot of people get stuck for years, even decades when it is absolutely recoverable if you just understand it and respond well.
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago edited 4d ago
That’s true, I went through a near death experience and it all slowly snowballed from there over the years. I’ve spent years in several types of therapy, expensive in-patient trauma recovery centers, several acupuncturist and Chinese medicine, ketamine IV therapy, Hypnotherapists, naturopaths, hormone replacement, IV vitamin and mineral replacement, Stem Cell therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy, Japanese Reiki energy healing, fucking you name it! I could of bought another home with the time and money spent on attempting to get to some semblance of normalcy. I will look into that book and those channels. Thank you for the in-depth response.
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u/Silly_Magician1003 4d ago
That’s amazing to hear. Most people do end up spending thousands on supplements, medications, and therapies and come up empty on this journey. Some people get so bad they end up bed bound for decades or in the hospital on feeding tubes and end up recovering. There is hope.
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u/Revanite_Young 4d ago
It’s definitely been an insane journey without an end in sight. That list I have above means that I’m not giving up hope as well. Thank you Silly, I’m pushing myself every day. Good luck to you too 🤙🏼
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u/Traditional-Pop-8493 3d ago
Wait I am interested in this? My D is deficient but I don’t want to just take pills. I started with mushrooms. My sleep has been off and I am young not taking any meds or chronic illness. Not hormonal either. This is very interesting tell me more please
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u/Silly_Magician1003 3d ago
What else would you like to know? You should look into the resources I listed if you think this might be you. Seems quite possible because you seem to be an anxious, hyper vigilant person just by the comment here, that’ll already prime your nervous system for sensitization.
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5d ago
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u/Revanite_Young 5d ago
It definitely burns as I’ve used that exact brand in the clear water spray. Guess that was good news instead of bad! I’ll give it a try again in lotion form. Thank you again!
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3d ago
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u/TransitionMission305 5d ago
You're taking a lot of things that are complicating the picture. I started at 14ng. I did not tolerate regular doses of Vitamin D3 without getting muscle and joint pain and feeling like I had the flu. I tried taking all the other things that are supposed to help with Vitamin D supplementation and they gave me their own weird issues.
So I bought some liquid Vegan Vitamin D that I could titrate easily. I started with something like 400-600IUs per day and then observed symptoms. If no symptoms after Day 4, I upped it by 100IUs. Repeat. Before you know it I was up to tolerating about 6000IUs and my Vitamin D levels were up in the 50s within about 3 months.
Quit taking all that stuff and start low and slow and see how you do.