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hi s

i don't think you'd notice much symptom-wise through taking vit d3, it's more about keeping your immune system in line among its many other important functions, and in the ms relevant studies i've seen it's preventive, lowers risk of developing ms, and can help reduce relapse rates.

your vitamin D supplement is likely either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 if you read the label carefully. does it say ergocholecalciferol or cholecalciferol? you want cholecalciferol (D3).

sun-exposed human skin can sythesize 10,000 IU vitamin d3 in half an hour. research on vit d3 suggests an adult uses 4000 IU per day, so if you are supplementing 2000IU then you'd need to ensure your dietary intake is 2000IU per day for maintaining current serum levels. if you want to get your levels higher, you need to take more.

paulmur probably means 20,000 IU/d. in my opinion that's a bit much to be taking daily in the long term, but in the short term, with bloodwork, it's fine. just have to be sure not to go over 250 nmol/L.

depending on the status of other nutrients in your body, your ability to absorb d3 will vary. i found that once i identified and fixed a zinc deficiency, i could no longer megadose d3 in the same way without risking going above 250 nmol/L D3 in serum, which is dangerous. i got a new syringe so that i can eke out 10,000IU drops, whereas before the smallest drop i could get was 25,000IU (which i would take 1x every week or so in general).

what all do you deal with symptom wise, v, and what other supplements are in your regimen other than vit D?

These are just some recommendations from the Institute of medicine relating to Vitamin D.

This is interesting and just goes to show you how confused these experts really are. its always nice to hear the other side of arguments. the center of my solar system is the sun. D is the power of the sun in my body. the center of my body is my bones made mostly of calcium and are just a meer reservoir for my bodies 175 different uses for calcium. When I first started taking D my body did not like it. only 1000 IUs threw me into such alkalosis that I thought I had parkensons, my neck froze, my heart started pounding and I had teribble tremors so I started taking it only 2 days a week, then 3 days, then 4 and so on until now I can tolerate 1000 everyday. It leveled me out and makes my muscles feel more rigid. I am not even going to sermise what is going on in my body, I can only attest to how I feel. D saved me. I can feel it.

Evey time I take D vitamin + fish oil in the evening, I feel better, walk better and have more energy the next day.
This happened after my liberation and might not be an accurate observation.

IOM report sets new dietary intake levels for calcium and vitamin D to maintain health and avoid risks associated with excess.

Most Americans and Canadians up to age 70 need no more than 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D per day to maintain health, and those 71 and older may need as much as 800 IUs, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The amount of calcium needed ranges, based on age, from 700 to 1,300 milligrams per day, according to the report, which updates the nutritional reference values known as Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for these interrelated nutrients.....Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1334

Vitamin D and MS – Australian researchers say its time for evidence



Many people believe that vitamin D supplements can reduce the activity of MS, and different websites recommend that MS patients use vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D is naturally made in sun-exposed skin, especially in summer, but our increasingly indoor lifestyle and public health campaigns to reduce skin cancer have meant that less of our skin is exposed to the sun, and low vitamin D levels are common, even in this sundrenched country.

As vitamin D is readily available in 1000IU capsules, and is generally safe (with few exceptions).... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1334

Hell, I take 4000IU a day and I still only test in the normal range for D levels. I don't think it's too much, I've never felt anything from taking vitamin D.

IVE been taking 12000 iu a day for 4 years. Feel no different, symptoms no different. I think your body only absorbs so much. I felt the worst it could do is give me a a new symptom or two. whats the diff?

i first heard about this report on cbc radio and from the synopsis i gathered that it focuses on vit d3 and bone health, and dismisses the 30+ years of research on the links between d3 and the immune system as inconsistent and contradictory.

earlier this year i built a case on the relevance of d3 to MS and sent it to the ontario government - it's posted somewhere here at TIMS .. something about action in the subject line if i remember correctly. in response to the provincial govt yanking OHIP funding for d3 tests unless you have rickets etc.

Here are the vitamin d supplementation guidelines published by the victorian government in southern Australia:

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/chiefhealt ... 010may.pdf

They recommend quite aggressive supplementation where vitamin D deficiency is measured.

The Institute of Medicine panel rejects those claims. The only benefit, it says, is to maintain healthy bones.

What? I am no doctor, but simply prima facie I have never heard of a vitamin that only had ONE effect.

I am very comfortable in saying that this is either very bad journalism, or very bad science.

understanding the calcium metabolism is a very difficult thing to organize in my head. understanding the action of calcitonin, PTH and calcitriol ( vit D) in reference to the hormonal cascade is a mind blowing task. No one website explains it properly with how calcium and the immune system work together . some say that too much calcium causes the wearing out of osteoblast action and causes osteoporosis. I really try to go with the way I feel I try not to take one supplement every day because I can feel that my body is shifting back and forth. I have memorized that when my muscles feel weak that calcium and D help this and when my muscles feel too rigid then magnesium and potassium help and I stay away from D. if you have lost the ability to hold your body and feel waxing and waning then you can feel what you need and that changes all the time.

This consensus statement represents the unified views of the British Association of Dermatologists, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Heart Forum, the National Osteoporosis Society and the Primary Care Dermatology Society.

Vitamin D is essential for good bone health and for most people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. The time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a number of environmental, physical and personal factors, but is typically short and less than the amount of time needed for skin to redden and burn. Enjoying the sun safely, while taking care not to burn, can help to provide the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1334

Vitamin D has a direct immunomodulatory effect on CD8+ T cells of patients with early multiple sclerosis and healthy control subjects

summary
There is increasing interest in the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis and potentially in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The active form of vitamin D has been shown to have an immunomodulatory effect on CD4+ T cells. In this study its effect on CD8+ T cells from ten patients was examined.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1334

It seems this topic doesn't have an end. I take lots of vitamin D, and i constantly hear from others to be careful of taking too much otherwise i could develop kidney stones, calcium build up etc the list goes on!
but does anyone have any sort of real experience with taking TOO MUCH vitamin D. It seems doctors have had patients take too much, but i am yet to meet these people or hear anything further from these people.

Can anyone help me?