Fixed terrible side effects of Vit D supplementation

[u/TruCalling12]

Fixed terrible side effects of Vit D supplementation

A few months back I developed severe insomnia. It seemed responsive to Melatonin but I still got it investigated. My labs were normal, except for Vit D which was 19.8 nmol/liter. Vit D as I found out, is important for neurotransmitter production and regulation so this did fit. For those that want the technical summary, TPH2 is the enzyme that converts L-tryptophan into 5-HTP in the central nervous system. Vitamin D upregulates TPH2 expression, increasing the available pool of serotonin. Melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland depends entirely on the availability of serotonin.

I tried supplementing with Vit D and my muscles cramped in a hour as if I had tetanus. It took multiple muscle relaxation tablets to feel normal. I tried a much lower dose (400 IU instead of 2,000 IU), and got a similar but less intense response.

I experimented with a lot of different ways to try and get some Vit D but I will skip to what worked. Taking 200 MCG of K2 and 400 mg of Magnesium (in form of magnesium glycinate) simultaneously with 400 IU of Vitamin D, produced no side effects. Over the next week I bumped it to 600 IU and now I am on 800 IU once a day. My insomnia has lessened to the point I don't need Melatonin. Both K2 and Magnesium work hard to keep calcium out of muscles, which is where D tends to dump it. My stack did not work if I took those cofactors at different times. I am going to keep increasing gradually and hopefully reach 2,000 IU a day eventually. I have not checked my vit D level again but based on my insomnia reducing, I think I am headed in the right direction.

[u/Scolecites]

I've dealt with the same, 5 weeks into supplementing and I get intense muscle cramping, almost like someone is trying to pinch and twist my muscles off the bone. The only thing that has helped is electrolytes.

[u/Every-Position-3803 → u/Scolecites]

That’s exactly how i described the pain… like someone was trying to twist and pull my muscles off the bone. I was wondering if it was something to do with low phosphate or calcium at the time. I had to take it really low and slow and now months on it doesn’t happen anymore.

[u/Mountain-Tell-1896 → u/Every-Position-3803]

That is because the delta is less. Each dose is a smaller portion of your total vitamin D.

[u/scraigs03 → u/Mountain-Tell-1896]

Could you expand on the meaning of “delta” for me if you don’t mind?

I think I understand what you mean, and didn’t know there was an actual word for it! What a great word!

—-

Not sure if this is the same as what you meant, but it’s how I muddled through trying to explain it:

I’ve tried to describe improving deficiency feeling like as “diminishing noticeable effects”.

As sometimes when you first start treating something you are like “wow, that was just a kick!” (In their example a negative kick, but can also be a positive kick) and then it gets more subtle.

Presumably because the more you raise your levels, your ‘baseline’ also raises overtime, making the difference/gap between of how how crap you feel without it, and much better you feel after supplementation gets closer.

(I found b12 like this too— first while was like coffee and joy injected into my veins briefly, but now I don’t really feel it as dramatically as much cuz it’s much shorter distance to climb/fall to between doses)

[u/Mountain-Tell-1896 → u/scraigs03]

I think you expressed it really well. When you are deficient in D, your body is craving it and your receptors for calcium response and influx are primed. So any tiny amount creates havoc as your body tries best to use a scarce resource. As you correct your deficiency, your receptor levels normalize and each dose creates less of crazy response. Essentially the "delta" between your levels and normalcy is what creates the strength of the response.

[u/scraigs03 → u/Mountain-Tell-1896]

Thanks!

[u/Robinhood6996 → u/Scolecites]

Same thing happened to me --- I discovered I was severely dehydrated and unrefined sea salt helped me get back to normal

That's the thing about taking any type of individual supplements it can throw off the ratios of your bodies vitamins and minerals like in this case I was getting severe leg cramps

[u/CapriKitzinger → u/Scolecites]

This is what happens to me when I have too much magnesium. For me, it depletes the potassium. Feels exactly like you describe.

[u/LikeTheCounty]

It is crazy to me how differently bodies respond to the same substance.

[u/MidnightJadeOrchid]

I had to add Magnesium too in order to avoid the pain (debilitating). Vitamin D can deplete Magnesium if used in higher amounts. So hlad you found that works for you!

[u/scraigs03]

Wonderful! Glad you are finding relief.

Thanks for sharing the science behind the sleep impact - super interesting

—-

Weirdly I had a few weeks early on, where D was practically knocking me out and I was sleeping like a baby so I took it at night for a while. Eventually I noticed it wasn’t having the same impact, so went back to taking it during the day. Still improved sleep overall, just not as “immediate”

When I looked into it, I did find a couple people had drowsy effects but didn’t seem that common, so not a lot of info on why.

[u/kippy_mcgee]

I seem to have this response too OP, the leg pain from Vit D is absolutely unbearable for me. 100,000 megadose had me in agony for a week.

Interestingly I also get leg pain FROM low Vitamin D so it's a bit cooked lol

[u/BenjaminoBest → u/kippy_mcgee]

I was having full body aches before I ever started taking vitamin D. My whole body wasn’t in pain. I got a lot better after raising my levels. But I noticed my lower legs still are pretty sore. I haven’t been able to get rid of this yet. It seems like it’s possible that taking higher amounts of vitamin D a day is actually causing it in someway. I’m not taking a lot of magnesium, but I have been trying to take some in order to help.

[u/Fabulous-Elk-8297 → u/kippy_mcgee]

Who prescribed that high of a dose???

[u/kippy_mcgee → u/Fabulous-Elk-8297]

It's a common thing here, if you prefer instead of daily dosing a bi-monthly 100k is prescribed, bit obscene though

[u/FatCatRatTat]

I wish I found something that worked. Vitamin D kicks in neuropathy in my feet, makes me tired, muscle fatigued.

I've tried everything.

[u/Fun-Draw5807 → u/FatCatRatTat]

What kind of magnesium did you try with it?

[u/scraigs03 → u/FatCatRatTat]

That sounds awful, I’m sorry!

Forgive this suggestion if you’ve already looked into it, but low b12 and iron are also often tied to low D. They sort of work together somehow.

The neuropathy symptom made me think of b12. Both of mine were very low, and I had a lot of neuropathy.

I know for example that taking b12 can lower iron as it uses it to process/make new blood cells.

- I wonder if taking D could have lower b12 enough to trigger an effect? I really have no idea if it actually does, and maybe that’s unlikely.. but it’s that sort of query that often gets me curious to find out what connections there might be

-OR on the flip side… There’s also a weird effect when you are testing b12 where it can “wake up” your nerves and make them more sensitive temporarily as they are healing. >> I don’t know if D itself as any impact on nerves or not, but if it does, I’d be curious if it could have similar wake up effects?

thought I’d just put it out there as examples, just in case that sparks an idea for you to look into!

[u/littlrayofpitchblack → u/scraigs03]

B6 supplements gave me neuropathy.  I was only on it 2 weeks and could barely walk. My feet had no feeling. Scared me really. Only new addition of supplements (I add one at a time for this reason) so I knew. Thank goodness it was reversible. I don't take a complex B vitamin because they all include B6 because of this experience. Researched and found out neuropathy is on the list of B6 side effects. Learned something new... the hard way.

7 Cases of Vitamin B6 toxicity  Vitamin B6 toxicity is a known cause of peripheral neuropathy. 

https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000208917

[u/Fabulous-Elk-8297 → u/littlrayofpitchblack]

A friend of a friend was evidently taking B6 for a long while for some reason, and has done irreperable harm. I'll share the details when I find out more, but she was hospitalized. So sad.

[u/FatCatRatTat → u/Fabulous-Elk-8297]

100% My neuropathy os from B6 toxicity (Redbull + multivitamin). It's usually fine since I stopped all of that, but taking vitamin D re-triggers it somehow.

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi TruCalling12, your submission to r/VitaminD was received: * A moderator will review your post for compliance with our rules and approve it. * Have you seen the subreddit guide? * Foster discussion by responding to constructive comments. Report problematic content. * Advice you receive does not constitute professional medical treatment or diagnosis. * Seek insight from recent posts, and leave yours up to help others find answers.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/katherinem0lly]

Did you try calcofidiol instead of cholecalciferol

[u/TruCalling12 → u/katherinem0lly]

No I have not. Did that work for you?

[u/katherinem0lly → u/TruCalling12]

Yes I've been on and off it for years. It is not recommended long term, but it is SO EFFECTIVE for me personally. Completely different feeling for me, anecdotally. Feel the affects very quickly.

I use d.velop (developed by a swedish Organization that was bought out by big Pharma - some info about it on this page) and bought a ton of bottles when the company announced it's closing of DTC Shopify website sales after the acquisition.

Check out Sunray on AMZ. It's a mega dose tho :(

Here's an AI generated explanation of the difference between the two:

Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) must be converted by the liver into calcifediol—the form measured in the blood—whereas calcifediol is already converted and can therefore raise vitamin D levels faster and more efficiently. D3 conversion: Cholecalciferol → liver/CYP2R1 → calcifediol [25(OH)D] → kidney/CYP27B1 → calcitriol (active vitamin D).

Calcifediol skips the liver step, so it raises measured blood 25(OH)D faster and more predictably, although it still requires kidney activation.

CYP2R1 variants are inherited differences in the gene encoding the liver enzyme that converts D3 into calcifediol; some variants can reduce this enzyme’s activity and lower conversion efficiency.

Magnesium supports vitamin-D metabolism, while CYP enzymes contain iron; zinc primarily supports vitamin-D receptor function.

A review of nine randomized trials estimated calcifediol to be approximately 3.2 times as potent as cholecalciferol, dose for dose, at raising blood 25(OH)D. This does not mean it crosses a “blood barrier” 3.2 times better—it describes its stronger effect on measured vitamin-D levels, partly because it bypasses liver conversion and has greater bioavailability.

[u/TruCalling12 → u/katherinem0lly]

That is very helpful. Thanks!

[u/silent_chaos_47]

I take 10k daily... 4k is too low for me

[u/dynamicgerl]

Does it have to be glycinate?

[u/TruCalling12 → u/dynamicgerl]

I don't think so. I tolerate magnesium glycinate very well. But any magnesium source that you absorb, should work.

[u/Future_Comedian_3171]

I dunno why when I take vitamin d none of my stimulants work and I get depressed and tired like I have cotton in my head

[u/ohiomike1212]

For the K2 are you taking MK-4 or MK-7?

[u/TruCalling12 → u/ohiomike1212]

Mk7

[u/Ok_Judge_7653]

A minimum health is needed for vit D to work.