Vitamin D Insufficiency - Pain in several joints for a couple of months now?

I was just diagnosed with low Vitamin D. I originally went to the doctor because of severe leg, feet, and hand cramps. He did blood work, and it turns out my level is 5.9. I am now on 50,000 iu per week and 2000 iu per day. I just started this week, but I honestly feel worse instead of better. My muscle cramps are much worse. Of course, I know it's early in the treatment, but I too, would like to know how long before I start feeling better. I work full time, and I am so exhausted, I can hardly function.

Just recently a study showed that after 35 samples of different Vitamin D manufacturers were tested, many of them did not have the correct strength of Vitamin D, ranging from 10% to 140% of the dose labeled on the bottle. If instead you have a prescription for it, then it IS regulated by the FDA. It's vitamins and herbals, OTC which are not evaluated or regulated by the FDA. That's one more reason why it's important to get your blood tested for your vitamin D levels. Also consumerlabs.com tests many of the vitamins and herbal to determine if they have the dose claimed as well as whether they have toxiins like lead in them.

I have been on 50,000 units at first. Then 1,000 per week. Vit D. Is essential for healing as well as maintaining calcium levels and other functions.

I answered above, but the clerk saying it is not to be taken with calcium was totally wrong. So goes the untrained clerk anywhere.

Once your level is up, follow up blood test needed, and calcium is within tolerance, you will be adjusted. Getting outside is great. However, in winter the sun is not as direct and if you are where it snows or stays cloudy a lot, you can't get enough outside. So stick with the supplements and get what sun you like. Just remember not to get sunburn. After fifteen minutes you will need a sunscreen.

Good thing they caught this. Glad you had thorough blood tests. You didn't mention your age. This may have something to do with the joints you mentioned. Write when you have more questions. Karen

Another significant risk from not having enough Vitamin D can be high parathyroid levels which deteriorate your bones and every organ in the body. That's why I'm taking 5,000 units of vitamin D a day--ordered by an endocrinologist. It's very different from the thyroid which is an entirely different part of the body.

I take D, 4,000 ui a day per my doc. But I've read I should take like 10,000 til I feel better. I'm going to try it. This pain is killing me!!! I'm also B-12 and Iron deficient. I feel horrible and I'm going to do everything possible to get better! I'm too young for this!! I can't wait for spring & summer! I Need Sun!!

I was just recently diagnosed with vitamin d sufficiency. My doctor put me on vitamin d2 1.25 mg (50,000 unit) once a week for 3 months. Then I am suppose to go back for more blood tests. I just started taking it yesterday. Last night and all day today I have had painful leg cramps. Is it possible that it is a side effect, and would it start so soon after starting the medication?

I had Vitamin D Insufficiency. I was taking vitamin D supplements, but did not start feeling better. I started going tanning at a salon on a regular basis and after a month I felt like a different person. I stopped taking the supplements and have been fine. I go tanning about 3 times a week for 8-12 min each session. In the winter I go a little more usually every other day and in the summer a little less if I get out in the sun.

does anybody know about using ultraviolet lamps at home? are they safe? are they effective in raising vitamin d levels? and if they are, how much exposure to it should you get?

i have very low vitamin d as well. my doctor says i should be taking in as much as possible becuz the meds i'm on suck it right out of me. i take 1000mg of vit. d 3times daily plus the calcium&d 1200mg twice daily. im also supposed to get as much sun exposure as i can. vit.d milk(yuck), you name it. even with all that i still have joint pain and weakness. i also bruise super easily. i find bruises i have no idea how or when they appeared. if i know i hit something, holy smokes will i get a bruise, like i got hit twice as hard as i actually did. they stick around too, it's great. i look like a battered wife sometimes. im pretty sure its just something that goes along with low vit.d. i dont really worry about it. i figure, im doing what my doctor says i should do, i trust him, so i just roll with it. sucks sometimes, but i think we'll be fine;) Brande

i posted the original question about having vitamin d insufficiency. there r news though. ok, now a couple of weeks ago i found 2 bruises on my right knee. i called my doctor and he asked how big they were, i told him and he told me not to worry about it, that i probably banged against something. hmmm. usually when i get a bruise, and i dont bruise easily, i remember if i hit something. anyways after 4 or 5 days they disappeared. TODAY though, i was writing something and found another bruise on one of the joints of my right thumb. so i actually went and showed it to him. he looked at it and told me not to worry about it and that its a simple bruise and will go away. SHOULD i worry??

i just found out that we should be takin vit d with vit a or alone, not with calcium, cause it stops the d to do its job..thats what a few people from the vitamin store told me..wow, i NEED to get better doc advice !! hope this helps and hope its true.

I am a 64-year-old female post thyroid cancer. My primary care physician put me on Vitamin D 1.25 mg once a week about two months ago after blood test determined that I was deficient. I take on Sunday evenings. I noticed on the next day a marked increase in my energy level. After two weeks I wrote my doctor a letter to report this and upon receipt of the letter he immediately called me. I asked if I could take in twice a week on Thursday and Sunday. Unfortunately, no. He is very pleased with my progress and said maybe he should take it too. I hope he does not take me off Vitamin D. I love the way I feel for the first three-four days after taking it.

what is the difference if i take vitamin d in the form of drops or shots? because my doctor prescribed drops for me. i forgot to mention that i also had a rheumatoid factor test which came back negative even though i tested positive for anti-ccp: the result was 5. the doctor said he's ruling out RA and OA because my symptoms dont match: no stiffness or swelling etc.

My friend also has vitamin D in sufficiency. She has to have vitamin D shots once a month.

Vitamin D in sufficiency can also happen because your body doesn't absorb the vitamin D properly. It doesn't matter how much extra vitamin D supplements you take. The vitamin D shots go directly through your body and your body will absorb it. You will notice an improvement after the first shot and begin to feel better.

I would suggest you talk to your doctor about it to see if he thinks the vitamin D shots would be beneficial to you.