Vitamin D toxicity: What if you get too much?

What is vitamin D toxicity? Should I be worried about taking supplements?

Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a rare but potentially serious condition that occurs when you have excessive amounts of vitamin D in your body.

Vitamin D toxicity is usually caused by large doses of vitamin D supplements — not by diet or sun exposure. That’s because your body regulates the amount of vitamin D produced by sun exposure, and even fortified foods don’t contain large amounts of vitamin D.

The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones.

Treatment includes stopping vitamin D intake and restricting dietary calcium. Your doctor might also prescribe intravenous fluids and medications, such as corticosteroids or bisphosphonates.

Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. This level is many times higher than the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most adults of 600 IU of vitamin D a day.

Doses higher than the RDA are sometimes used to treat medical problems such as vitamin D deficiency, but these are given only under the care of a doctor for a specified time frame. Blood levels should be monitored while someone is taking high doses of vitamin D.

As always, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin and mineral supplements.

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1. Dawson-Hughes B. Vitamin D deficiency in adults: Definition, clinical manifestations, and treatment. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed March 20, 2020.
2. Vitamin D. Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/. Accessed March 20, 2020.
3. Hypercalcemia. Hormone Health Network. https://www.hormone.org/diseases-and-conditions/hypercalcemiaAccessed March 20, 2020.
4. Vitamin D. Natural Medicines. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com. Accessed March 20, 2020.
5. Marcinowska-Suchowierska E, et al. Vitamin D toxicity — A clinical perspective. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2018; doi:10.3389/fendo.2018.00550.

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