Hi Mimi,
Thank you for your question. Vitamin D is needed to help the body absorb calcium. If you're taking a calcium supplement, but your body doesn't have enough vitamin D, then the calcium won't help you at all. I hope this answers your question. If you'd like to read more about vitamin D, you can do so here.
Best of luck,
Casey
What problems will my sister have if she's got Crohns and Coilitis and taking 50,000 units........once a week.....
Hi tangy, welcome...Vitamin D is often used to treat Crohn's and Colitis. People who have these disorders are generally low in D, so prescribing a therapeutic dose is not unusual. Vitamin D deficiency is known to worsen Colitis/Crohns symptoms, so treatment with vitamin D should help these conditions.
Hi, I was diagnosed with Colitis about 2 years ago. I'm not sure if it's ulcerated or not. I do not think so. I am down to taking 2 "Lialda" tablets per day (1.2gms each) as prescribed by my DR.........and am doing well.... In any event, how much of a dosage of Vitamin D is considered proper and safe. For the record I'm presently taking one 5000 unit pearl pill per day and have been for the last year or so. After hearing all the notoriety about overdoing the vitamin on the news, I'm hoping that I am not taking more than I should. "If you know" the answer Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Les, welcome. We need to watch our D levels by having a 25 OH D test, which should tell you how much you need to supplement. I would ask your Dr. what to do since it all depends on this critical tesing number. Here's another opinion on this new recommendation from the Vitamin D Council; keep in mind it's "their" opinion.
The IOM raised the RDA from 200-400 IUs a day to 800 a day and raised the Upper Tolerable Limit to 4,000 a day. If your vitamin D levels are low, you may still need to supplement above the recommended amount until your Dr. sees that you've reached an acceptable number. The only way to know this for sure is to talk to your Dr. about your D test results.
Good luck...
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Hi carol, welcome and thanks for your question. Drs will prescribe therapeutic doses of vitamin D if your D score is considered low or deficient. 50,000 IU's is not uncommon for those with low D. Once your score returns to normal your Dr. will probably put you back on a lower dose. Read the links above that Casey posted on D3 and the article should explain this therapy.
Good luck...