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Vitamin D3?

karen698
1 Recommendation

Could someone please tell me where to find Vitamin D3?

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GERD Osteoporosis

28 replies

debbie59

My Dr. says D3 no D2. You can find it just about anywhere they sell vitamins. Dunno about the 50,000IUs. I get them in 2000IUs and take 2 daily. As far as the thing about soap, there are so many cosmetics, lotions and soaps that have sunscreens in them that it's hard to find any that don't. Cept maybe soap.

huessysignoret

Osteochick -- thanks for the link!

osteochick

hs
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Vitamin-D2-just-as-good-as-D3

Seems like the most recent studies are saying d2 is a good as d3. An osteoporosis guru, one working with Denosumab study, told me that vit d2 is just as good as d3 if you take it every day. I think he didn't like the huge one time dose of d2. I duuno. I get mine tested next week, will post results.

We are the same with drugs, paradoxical effects.

huessysignoret

Osteochick -- you hit the nail on the head. We are all different. I could give you a list long as my arm of prescriptions that have had on me exactly the opposite of their intended effect, and then again, "off-label" use of some drugs has given me relief from some conditions. It's just such a long, tiresome process to find what works for you, and meanwhile, valuable time slips away. So, I just keep trying, making the best of every day, and talking frequently to my doctors, my pharmacist, my friends, and the people who contribute to sites like these. I'm interested in what you're being told about D2 and D3, but so many knowledgeable people have said go for D3 that I'll follow their advice.

iola

I Don't where U all live but if there is a walmart around u find D3. I bye mine there

osteochick

HS,
I have been told that vit d2 is just as potent as d3, just doesn't stay in your system as long. If you get you vit d 25 level up to a 50 or more, what difference does it make what you take? I am asking.

huessysignoret

Dear Osteochick -- the message I received suggested that your post regarding brown skin and soap was directed to me. You're right, according to what I've read, that darker skinned people have more trouble making Vit D. I had never heard the story about soap blocking the manufacture of Vit. D. As to what kind I take, I assume you're talking about Vit. D. I've been taking D2, 50,000 IU every other week, until someone else on this site warned me that most doctors prescribe D2 because the FDA hasn't approved D3, which is what we really need. So I am about to switch to D3, which is carried by my pharmacist in the 50,000 IU dosage. Only a handful of doctors around here understand that D3 is what the sun makes, and what our bones really need, and finally, that it IS available at a pharmacy. My pharmacist said only a handful of doctors around here know about it, but they write prescriptions for D3, and the pharmacist sells a year's supply for $16. You can buy D3 at a health food store, but it tends to come in bottles of 100 caps, which at the high-amount, low-frequency dosage would pass its expiration date long before you used it all up. I didn't ask the pharmacist who manufactures the D3, but he did find it on the Web. Someone else on the team reported finding a site through Amazon selling D3 in the 50,000IU strength -- I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same outfit my pharmacist is using.

osteochick

I am 58 and I don't think we are too old. I brown so easily...and I think the darker skin you have, the harder it is make it d from the sun. I recently read that if you use soap within 48 hours in stops with the absorption of vit d from the sun. I wish someone could answer that question. Is it a myth?

My vit d levels were up there at 69, got a rash from ??, then backed off, and dermatologist scared me about the sun and the levels went down to 33.

What kind do you take?

I really do think everyone is different.

SantaFe

I am "exposing" myself more to the sun also, and am doing a little experiment at the same time to determine how much D my skin is actually able to make, so I will know in the future.
I have upped my Vitamin D to 2,000 IU., and I have been laying out every day in mid day sun in shorts and swimming suit top for 10 minutes on each side (won't burn that way) which gives me a total of 20 minutes.
Then around Sept. 15 when the sun starts to decline, I will get my D checked which should reflect my "peak" number from summer sun exposure. I will keep taking the same amount of D, but recheck D levels in 4 months after no sun exposure (too cold here) to see how much D was accumulated from the previous sun exposure. It should go down if I was getting any D from the sun exposure.

It won't be exact, but will give me a sense of how much Vit D I can get in the spring, summer, and fall from the sun. And will it tell me how much I need to up my supplemental D in the winter, and if I can actually up my reserves of D in the summer with sun exposure instead of huge amounts of supplements. I guess I like the "natural" way of getting D, but I may now be to old (57) to be getting much help from the sun---hope not! We'll see.....
warmly, Santa Fe

osteochick

Huessysignoret,

Check out: Michael Holick (the vitamin D guru from Boston University)
He says it doesn't matter if you take vit d2 or d3, or a combination. They are both good. If you take D3, doesn't matter if you take it once a day, once a week, once a mouth, what matters is the the amount.
I am having mine checked next week.....when I tried to add more, 1,000 iu of d3 (to total 1900 iu), gerd, gas, all that crud started. So, I am "exposing" myself to the sun again, and taking the 900 iu's in my liquid cal/mag/boronsupplement. Maybe August is not the month to increase vit d supplements. I will let you know what it is. I think we are all so different.

huessysignoret

Dear Osteochick -- that's interesting, about D2 as good as D3 if you take it daily. Hadn't heard that before. But I'd still rather take one pill every other week, than one daily. I'm already freaked out by the number of pills, prescriptions and supplements I take! In a perfect world, I wouldn't be taking any of this stuff.

osteochick

My dr told me D2 was just as good as D3 IF you take it every day.

huessysignoret

Seerwise -- you are absolutely right! I no longer see the doctor who originally prescribed Vit D, but he seemed very knowledgeable and I assumed I was getting D3. My pharmacist, however (who does carry D3, one of the few pharmacies around here that does) told me I'm getting D2. Contrary to what LRFL reported, my pharmacist says the D3 can be sold under a prescription. (He may have been wrong.) Yikes! I called my new doctor and asked to have a prescription called in for D3. For me, the prescription is cheaper because of my insurance. I also made an appointment to get see what level my body needs, but now that I've been taking D2 for so long, won't that confuse the issue? (Your message may have been a lifesaver. )

LRFL

Hi Karen, Amazon.com has a Vitamin D3 50,000 IU - that is the amount my doctor prescripbed - the prescription is D2 no D3 - FDA has not approved D3 therefore cannot be sold under a prescription.
I cannot tell you about the quality of the one sold by Amazon, but I went to the lab website and it has the looks of a reputable company, but you never know.
Good luck
LRFL

Seerwise

The Vitamin D prescribed by most physicians is Vitamin D2 made from non-animal sources.
1) D2 is not what humans make from Sunlight, it is D3; 2)The prescription Vitamin is much more expensive than D3 obtained in any health food store; 3) the D2 comes in a 50,000 IU once a week form whereas the D3 I use comes in 2000 IU capsules; 4) The D2 will show your blood level of Vitamin D is O.K. but it masks the level of D3 which is what is more useful to humans.
You need to check what level of D3 your body needs. After a blood test showed my D level was way below normal, I took 4 capsules, i.e. 8000 units daily for a couple of months and then the blood test showed I was slightly above normal.
I went down to an average of 5000 IU D3 daily--two capsules alternating with 3 capsules to get the average of 5000. From that point on all my blood tests have shown a normal Vitamin D level. So the dose needs to be individualized based on what your body needs.

karen698

Thank you Parkers. It is helpful.

parkers

Karen 698
It is widely available now over the counter in pharmacyand discount box stores. Sometimes a bottle will say vitamin D and when you read the ingredients it may say D3 there. If you have a Costco in your area they have it and carry it now up to 2,000 I.U. dosage. Or you can order on-line at www.Bio-Tech-Pharm.com. Hope this is helpful for you.
Parkers

millie123

It's even in my grocery store vitamin aisle.

karen698

Once again thank you so much. I had never heard of Vitamin D3 until I read about it here!

Karen

zoe311

You can purchase supplements @ iherb & get free samples by going to the sample page and choosing all you'd like. Here's a $5 off coupon code for 1st time customers - MUR731 - and like amazon you can get free s&h with a minimum purchase. I've been a loyal customer for years.

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