Vitamin D supplement ‘overdosing’ is possible and harmful, warn doctors

‘Overdosing’ on vitamin D dietary supplements is each attainable and dangerous, warn medical doctors within the journal BMJ Case Stories after they handled a person who wanted hospital admission for his extreme vitamin D consumption.

‘Hypervitaminosis D’, because the situation is previously recognized, is on the rise and linked to a variety of doubtless severe well being points, they spotlight.

The case considerations a middle-aged man who was referred to hospital by his household physician after complaining of recurrent vomiting, nausea, stomach ache, leg cramps, tinnitus (ringing within the ear), dry mouth, elevated thirst, diarrhea, and weight reduction (28 lbs or 12.7 kg).

These signs had been happening for practically 3 months, and had began round 1 month after he started an intensive vitamin complement routine on the recommendation of a dietary therapist.

The person had had varied well being points, together with tuberculosis, an internal ear tumor (left vestibular schwannoma), which had resulted in deafness in that ear, a build-up of fluid within the mind (hydrocephalus), bacterial meningitis, and continual sinusitis.

He had been taking excessive doses of greater than 20 over-the-counter dietary supplements on daily basis containing: vitamin D 50000 mg—the day by day requirement is 600 mg or 400 IU; vitamin K2 100 mg (day by day requirement 100–300 μg); vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folate) 1000 mg (day by day requirement 400 μg); vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, omega-3 2000 mg twice day by day (day by day requirement 200–500 mg), plus a number of different vitamin, mineral, nutrient, and probiotic dietary supplements.

As soon as signs developed, he stopped taking his day by day complement cocktail, however his signs did not go away.

The outcomes of blood checks ordered by his household physician revealed that he had very excessive ranges of calcium and barely raised ranges of magnesium. And his vitamin D degree was 7 instances over the extent required for sufficiency.

The checks additionally indicated that his kidneys weren’t working correctly (acute kidney harm). The outcomes of varied X-rays and scans to examine for most cancers have been regular.

The person stayed in hospital for 8 days, throughout which era he was given intravenous fluids to flush out his system and handled with bisphosphonates—medication which can be usually used to strengthen bones or decrease extreme ranges of calcium within the blood.

Two months after discharge from hospital, his calcium degree had returned to regular, however his vitamin D degree was nonetheless abnormally excessive.

“Globally, there’s a rising pattern of hypervitaminosis D, a scientific situation characterised by elevated serum vitamin D3 ranges,” with ladies, kids and surgical sufferers most definitely to be affected, write the authors.

Really helpful vitamin D ranges might be obtained from the weight loss plan (eg wild mushrooms, oily fish), from publicity to daylight, and dietary supplements.

“Given its sluggish turnover (half-life of roughly 2 months), throughout which vitamin D toxicity develops, signs can final for a number of weeks,” warn the authors.

The signs of hypervitaminosis D are many and different, they level out, and are principally brought on by extra calcium within the blood. They embody drowsiness, confusion, apathy, psychosis, melancholy, stupor, coma, anorexia, stomach ache, vomiting, constipation, peptic ulcers, pancreatitis, hypertension, irregular coronary heart rhythm, and kidney abnormalities, together with renal failure.

Different related options, corresponding to keratopathy (inflammatory eye illness), joint stiffness (arthralgia), and listening to loss or deafness, have additionally been reported, they add.

This is only one case, and whereas hypervitaminosis D is on the rise, it’s nonetheless comparatively unusual, warning the authors.

Nonetheless, complementary remedy, together with using dietary dietary supplements, is standard, and folks might not understand that it is attainable to overdose on vitamin D, or the potential penalties of doing so, they are saying.

“This case report additional highlights the potential toxicity of dietary supplements which can be largely thought of secure till taken in unsafe quantities or in unsafe mixtures,” they conclude.