What occurs in case you overdose on vitamin D? A affected person’s cautionary story

What occurs in case you overdose on vitamin D? A affected person’s cautionary storyShare on Pinterest
Taking nutritional vitamins in quantities exceeding every day limits may be dangerous to well being. Jeremy Pawlowski/Stocksy
  • A brand new research studies on the medical consequence of taking very excessive ranges of vitamin D dietary supplements.
  • The analysis paperwork the story of 1 one who took 375 instances the every day really helpful quantity of vitamin D.
  • The affected person nonetheless skilled the damaging results of the vitamin D overdose even after they discontinued its use.

A brand new case report supplies a placing instance of what can occur if one takes an excessive amount of vitamin D.

A middle-aged man was referred to the hospital by a basic practitioner after experiencing vomiting, nausea, stomach ache, leg cramps, tinnitus, dry mouth, elevated thirst, diarrhea, and weight reduction. The affected person was taking a cocktail of vitamin dietary supplements, together with vitamin D 150,000 IU—the every day requirement is 10 mcg or 400 IU.

To place this dosage in perspective, the Nationwide Institutes of Well being advocate taking not more than 15 mcg (microgram) per day in dietary supplements. That quantity equals 600 IU.

“A typical false impression about vitamin D is that if some is nice, extra is healthier,” Dr. JoAnn Elisabeth Manson, professor of medication at Harvard Medical Faculty and chief of the division of preventive drugs at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital, who was not concerned within the research, instructed Medical Information Immediately.

“That is incorrect and, though it’s essential to keep away from vitamin D deficiency, it’s additionally crucial to keep away from mega-dosing. The truth is, mega-dosing is related to hurt,” she burdened.

Though the research paperwork an excessive case, Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, school scientist and director of the Heart for Scientific & Translational Analysis at Maine Medical Heart Analysis Institute, who was additionally not concerned within the research, instructed MNT that exceeding the really helpful quantities of nutritional vitamins could cause vital well being issues.

“The worth of this research is to indicate people who though everybody thinks vitamin D is innocent and the extra, the higher — the reality is that extra vitamin D could cause vital toxicity even for wholesome people.”
— Dr. Clifford J. Rosen

Even after the person discontinued the dietary supplements, his signs endured, suggesting attainable everlasting injury.

The case report is revealed in BMJ Case Stories.

The person had been taking greater than 20 over-the-counter prescriptions for 3 months earlier than he arrived on the hospital, referred by his doctor.

Included in his every day routine—along with vitamin D—have been vitamin K2 100 mg (every day requirement 100–300 μg); vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folate) 1000 mg (every day requirement 400 μg); vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, omega-3 2000 mg twice every day (every day requirement 200–500 mg), bioactiver, zinc picolinate, vitamin B3, super-12 advanced 1000 μg, Lugol’s iodine drops, borax powder, l-lysine powder with NAC (N-acetyl cysteine), wobenzym N, astaxanthin softgel, magnesium malate, magnesium citrate, pure taurine, glycine powder, high-strength choline (+inositol), calcium orotate, probiotic, glucosamide and chondroitin advanced, and sodium chloride. The routine had been prescribed for him by a dietary therapist.

An preliminary blood check revealed that the affected person introduced ranges of serum vitamin D of over 400nmol/L, that means he had 8 instances the really helpful quantity of vitamin D in his blood.

The person additionally had a protracted historical past of medical points, together with, “bovine spinal tuberculosis, left vestibular schwannoma with listening to loss, hydrocephalus handled with a ventricular peritoneal shunt, bacterial meningitis, and power rhinosinusitis.”

Nutritionist Kristin Kirkpatrick, who was not concerned within the report and didn’t seek the advice of with its topic, advises a extra measured strategy to vitamin D supplementation for her sufferers.

“I like to recommend all my sufferers to search out out their vitamin D ranges first earlier than, after which working with their doctor on acceptable dose if needed of supplementation primarily based on their ranges, their geographic location,” she instructed MNT.

“This case research supplies worth because it alerts shoppers to take this step first: Speak to a health care provider, get [vitamin D] ranges assessed.”
— Kristin Kirkpatrick, nutritionist

The necessity for vitamin D has been considerably controversial, though the present mainstream consensus is that it’s required for optimum well being.

Our pores and skin produces vitamin D from daylight. One’s native local weather — and their diploma of solar publicity — impacts the quantity of vitamin D they produce. So does one’s pores and skin pigmentation.

Vitamin D is essential for bone well being, absorbing calcium, and supporting the parathyroid glands.

“We simply revealed a 2nd meta-analysis exhibiting that average every day doses of vitamin D supplementation decreases superior most cancers and most cancers dying,” mentioned Dr. Manson.

“Reasonable dosing of vitamin D (2000 IU every day),” she continued, “additionally decreased the chance of autoimmune ailments in VITAL [a study Dr. Manson led].”

“Nonetheless, excessive dose bolus dosing of vitamin D doesn’t have these advantages and likewise has been proven to extend threat of fractures and falls,” Dr. Manson added.

Whereas some have hypothesized {that a} lack of vitamin D is a threat issue for COVID-19, Dr. Manson famous, “We’ll quickly have the outcomes of VIVID, which is testing vitamin D for stopping extreme COVID sickness and lengthy COVID, however the jury remains to be out on that.”

Kirkpatrick mentioned together with her sufferers, “What I focus on probably the most is the affiliation of low ranges of D with issues akin to temper/psychological well being.”

“Research have proven that vitamin D deficiency can usually instances be related, for instance, with an elevated threat of melancholy,” she mentioned.

She additionally finds that vitamin D may help with irritation:

“Irritation is the bottom of actually any power illness, together with worsening psychological well being outcomes, and research present that having low ranges of vitamin D can create worsening irritation.

“Most of my sufferers,” mentioned Kirkpatrick, “want a complement to assist get their ranges up. It’s because the physique is healthier in a position to make the most of the D that comes from the UV rays of the solar, relatively than from meals.”

Dr. Rosen is amongst these unconvinced that the favored concern over vitamin D is totally warranted, calling vitamin D “a faith.”

“97.5% of persons are vitamin D adequate; there is no such thing as a purpose to complement except there’s a medical want because of lack of daylight or malabsorption,” he instructed MNT.

He additionally asserts, “There isn’t any such factor as vitamin D insufficiency; extreme vitamin D deficiency is the one class that counts, with ranges lower than 10 ng/ml [nanograms per milliliter].” The usually really helpful degree of vitamin D is between 20 and 40 ng/mL.

“Backside line: it’s essential to keep away from vitamin D deficiency, however moderation is the watchword. Extra shouldn’t be essentially higher and, in truth, may be worse.”
— Dr. JoAnn Elisabeth Manson

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/overdoing-vitamin-d-man-hospitalized-after-taking-375-times-recommended-amount