Vitamin D at 5000 IU for 6 months still left me in the red zone

I kept hearing everyone say just bump your dose and you'll feel better, so I did 5000 IU daily from October through March in Minneapolis. Bloodwork came back at 29 ng/mL, barely above deficient, and my doctor just shrugged. Turns out I was taking it with coffee every morning, which I later read can mess with absorption for some people. Took me switching to an oil based drop with lunch for another 8 weeks to finally crack 40. Anyone else hit a wall with oral D and have to switch delivery to see real changes?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jake15d ago

Did you ever get your vitamin D levels checked before you started the 5000 IU? I mean, if you were already super low, maybe the dose just wasn't enough for your body to catch up in six months, and it wasn't just the coffee thing. Also, were you taking it with any food at all, or totally empty stomach with the coffee? Because I've heard fat matters a ton, and coffee with cream might not be enough for some people to absorb it properly. The oil drop switch makes sense to me, but idk, it feels like doctors should tell people about the fat and timing thing way more often. It's wild that a huge dose can still do nothing if the conditions aren't right.

wood.uma14d ago

People get so wrapped up in the exact right way to take a supplement, but honestly, most of us just need to stop overthinking it. 5000 IU is already a pretty standard dose, and your body is gonna grab what it needs eventually, even if you're not perfect with timing. The whole "you gotta take it with a fat source" thing gets repeated like gospel, but I've seen plenty of folks do fine with a pill and a glass of water at 7am. And let's be real, doctors have like five minutes to talk to you, they're not gonna give you a full lecture on absorption science. Maybe it was the coffee for that guy, maybe it wasn't, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it unless your levels are still tanked after a year.