<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here is my Vitamin D summary:

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K) are stored in fatty tissue, and are also 
soluble in dietary fat. It would be logical to think you'd be more prone to 
chronic deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins if you were not absorbing fat 
and/or the nutrients it contains. The opposite class, water-soluble 
vitamins, are those that end up being excreted if you take more than your 
body needs at any given time--these include C and the B vitamins. This is 
why too much Vitamin D (and Vitamin A) can be toxic and cause kidney damage.

An article concerning a study of megadoses of vitamin D from the Medical 
Journal of Australia 
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_01_040705/dia10054_fm.html and an 
editorial discussion of it 
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_01_040705/ebe10337_fm.html published 
last year.
From the text, they consider megadose to mean one of several things. One 
dosage they studied was an annual single intramuscular injection of 600,000 
IU. A different dosage was daily dosing, starting with loading doses of 
3000-5000 IU per day, followed by daily doses in the range of 200-1000 IU.

Some of the personal responses about dosage:

- I would like to say that in my clinical training at Bastyr U we routinely 
use up to 13,000 IU daily of vitamin D without adverse effects. This is 
mostly in cancer patients but also in others with health concerns. I 
personally take around 7,500 IU daily and I am quite healthy with no 
concerns other than well-treated longstanding gluten intolerance. Bastyr is 
in Seattle, above the latitude at which Vitamin D can be made in the skin 
for most of the year.
- my doc has prescribed 50,000 IU (1.25 mg Pliva capsule) taken once a week 
at the same time for about 6 months
- my vit. D level was a 21 (low ref. range is 20), and my most recent test 
showed it up to a 46 (6 months later, about 4 months ago), my doc prescribed 
me 50,000 iu of Vit D 1x/day for 8 days, then 1x/mo for a year.
- I take a prescribed vit. D supplement. It comes in 25,000 and 50,000 IU 
doses (I take the 50K dose, once daily).
- my GI said 50,000 units, twice a week.  I've been taking it only once.
- I am prescribed one 1.25 mg tablet of cholecalciferol to be taken every 
two weeks - equivalent to 50,000 IU of vitamin D. Periodic blood tests are 
taken to ensure calcium levels have not risen to abnormal. ( They have, in 
fact, remained no higher than mid normal. )
- it is important NOT to do supplements like fish/cod liver oil which also 
contains vitamin A, which is toxic at those doses
- Our daughter had bone pain, failure to grow from age 8 and terrible tooth 
enamel starting around the same age on the new teeth.  She took 2000IU of 
Solgar Vitamin D(fish source), 2000mg calcium & 1000mg magnesium and 1Tbsp. 
of bone meal for phosphorus until the pain let up.  Then she was down to 
1000IU of vitamin D which she continues with the other stuff for 
maintenance.   I did not get this from a doctor, but from reading Dr. 
Balch's book and the Merck Medical guide.  The family doc did test her Vit D 
level at my behest and it was not toxic. At 18 she is still growing very 
very slowly (mostly shoe size but a little in height.  She did not grow
until she was gf about 6 months at age 14. I am also positive for gluten 
antibodies (blood and stool test, no biopsy) and find that if I take the 
vitamin D my hip and back pain goes away.

A technical summary of Vitamin D:
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/vit_0265.shtml

And/or:
http://sunlightandvitamind.com/

Some interesting research indicating many people are Vitamin D deficient:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/research.shtml


Janice in Alberta.
- I have no medical training, but I can read.

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