5 Comments

• #1 by Milton Hare on May 4, 2010 - 3:28 pm

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  A great product, but don’t use this as a daily Vitamin D3 supplement.

  This high-dose Vitamin D3 pill is a specialized product used to quickly raise the blood levels of Vitamin D3 in an individual who is severely Vitamin D3 deficient. This dosage of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is used primarily for Stoss Therapy. The usual dose is one 50,000 iu pill once a week for six to eight weeks. This dosage should normally be used in conjunction with a blood test to establish serum levels of 15 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) before and after administration of six to eight weeks of once-weekly doses.

  Although warnings about the toxic effects of Vitamin D3 have been exaggerated, a daily dose of 50,000 iu Vitamin D3 taken long-term has been shown to frequently induce spillage of calcium into the urine, and, in some individuals, kidney stones. The FDA says the high safe dose of Vitamin D3 is 2000 iu, which is very conservative. Based on recent research, several journal articles argue for daily doses ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 iu daily. None recommend 50,000 iu daily.

  Supplementation is very appropriate if you are dark-skinned, older, do not expose skin to midday sun, or, if you regularly wear sunblock products. Vitamin D3 has been shown to reduce the incidence of cancer, many auto-immune diseases, and, inflammatory and infectious processes. Vitamin D3 is also protective of bone and muscle.

  Again, the 50,000 iu dose is used in Stoss therapy. Don’t use this product on a daily basis.

  The optimal daily dose ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 iu of Vitamin D3. 2,000 iu is most appropriate for young and middle-age adults who are light-skinned and receive some Vitamin D3 from sun. 5,000 iu is most appropriate for older adults who absorb less Vitamin D3 from the gut and dark-skinned adults who do not create as much Vitamin D3 when they are exposed to sunlight. Biotech Labs also markets a 5,000 iu pill. Again, the FDA says 2,000 iu is the high safe dose for Vitamin D3.

  You can also request a routine 25 hydroxyvitamin D test from your physician to establish your own Vitamin D3 blood level. 50 nanomoles/microliter are thought by current researchers to be adequate; 80 nanomoles/microliter are thought to be optimal. The majority of Americans are Vitamin D3 deficient.

  The Vitamin D Council (vitamindcouncil.com)written primarily by Dr. John Cannell, MD is a good place to start your research.

  Technical:
  
  Several Vitamin D3 researchers are currently arguing for a daily dose of 2,000 to 5,000 iu to achieve an optimal Vitamin D3 serum (blood) level of 70 to 80 nanomoles per liter.

  Here’s a representative quote from one researcher:

  “Generally, blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active ‘storage’ form, of 50 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) are suggested as the lower limit of the normal range. Studies have reported however that levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), a hormone that regulates calcium balance, and calcium absorption are not optimised below serum 25(OH)D levels of 80 nanomoles per litre.”

  The researcher, Sonia Talwar, reported that the a dose of 800 iu raised 25(OH)D levels from a baseline average of 47 nmol/L to 71.4 nmol/L after three months. After additional three months at a higher dose (2,000 IU), the average serum concentration of 25(OH)D was 87 nmol/L.”

  Cited from:

  “Dose response to vitamin D supplementation among postmenopausal African American Women.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Sonia A Talwar, et al., Bone Mineral Research Center, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY

  I should note that I am not a researcher or a medical professional.
  
  Rating: 5 / 5

• #2 by Rick Kiessig on May 4, 2010 - 3:41 pm

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  If you work indoors, odds are that you’re deficient in Vitamin D — even more so in the Winter, if you’re dark-skinned, and the further away from the equator you live.

  This supplement is an excellent way to help correct your levels. Dr John Cannell at the Vitamin D Council has researched dose extensively, and found 10,000 IU per day to be safe over the long-term; the skin produces about that much Vit D in response to 20 to 30 minutes of summer sun exposure. However, correcting low blood levels often requires a higher dose, which is where this product comes in. You should only use it daily for one to three months, hopefully with a blood test every month or so to check your progress. Research shows that ideal levels are between roughly 60 ng/mL and 120 ng/mL (150 to 300 nmol/L). After your levels correct, to maintain them you can switch to taking either one 50,000 IU capsule per week, or 5,000 to 10,000 IU per day on days that you don’t get plenty of sun.

  Low levels of Vit D have been associated with higher rates of cancer (including breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, kidney, endometrial and lymphoma), heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and even the flu — as well as lower rates of injury from falls and fractures. There is good evidence to suggest that adequate levels of Vit D can protect you from H1N1 as well or better than immunization. In fact, the Winter decline in Vit D has been implicated as one of the underlying causes of flu season.

  Another tidbit about getting Vit D from the sun: while sun exposure does increase the risk of certain skin cancers, those cancers are also the most curable forms. The flip-side is that limiting sun exposure reduces your Vit D level, which puts you at much higher risk for getting the really nasty, incurable cancers. Is the trade-off really worth it? Our Paleolithic ancestors certainly spent plenty of time in the sun.
  Rating: 5 / 5

• #3 by D. Calderwood on May 4, 2010 - 5:42 pm

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  As noted by another reviewer, this is NOT a daily supplement. Fair-skinned individuals reportedly produce about 10,000 to 20,000 IU per day if exposed to sunlight of appropriate intensity for much less than an hour, and sources suggest that >40,000 IU per day is associated with side-effects.

  Vitamin D3, however, is fat-soluble. Since it is stored, if one wanted to consume 5,000 IU/day on average, taking one of these capsules around the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month would pretty much be perfect. One per week obviously works out to ~7,000 IU per day, which is still less than what light-skinned people can make endogenously.

  When used in this way, this is about the lowest-cost, convenient way to supplement vitamin D3, and especially nice for those wishing to maintain summer-like D3 levels throughout the winter months.
  
  References:
  
  [...]
  Rating: 5 / 5

• #4 by P. Madeo on May 4, 2010 - 7:17 pm

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  An exception to warning against frequent ingestion of mega dosages of Vitamin D: Those who are hypoparathyroid either from illness & or medical intervention (in my case unintended consequence of prolonged hemorrhage following thyroid surgery). Immediately following surgery the dosage I required (26 yo) was 100,000 IU DAILY. With age that dosage requirement has been reduced gradually to 50,000 IU three times weekly. I continue to require blood tests every six weeks or 2 months to monitor my calcium levels. The frequency of those tests over 40+ years (no I won’t reveal my age LOL) eventually required an indwelling port to obtain blood samples (you can’t go around doing IV stuff to your veins that frequently over that many year without acquiring veins similar to a drug addict’s) from.

  Please do not self diagnose and exceed more than 1,000 IU daily,without close medical supervision. Not only can overdosing on Vitamin D lead to kidney or bladder stones, you can actually calcify your liver which, without transplant, could, in worst cases lead to death.

  I have had to resort to OTC Vitamin D because after 40+ years of Rx our insurance company has decided NOT to cover the Rx even though, without it I would die. Since a bottle of the Rx Vitamin D is priced at more $140 for 100 pills and I have to pay @$50 for 12 pills at my pharmacy (Don’t you just LOVE insurance companies & Rx Pharma companies??) I am going to try the OTC method and will continue testing but more frequently until my Physician and I are sure the OTC will be a suitable substitute.

  My opinions are based not only on my years of experience as a patient, but am also a retired ICU RN.
  Rating: 5 / 5

• #5 by Melfi on May 4, 2010 - 9:49 pm

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  Needed a large dose of Vitamin D for a period of weeks and this formulation (brand) was exactly the same as our local pharmacy was going to provide me…
  Rating: 5 / 5