You Should Probably Stop Taking Vitamin D If This Happens To You
According to a study published in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research, vitamin D is "essential in the development, function, and maintenance of healthy bones." Not only that, but vitamin D is a key ingredient in our overall health and wellness.
But before you start tossing back large quantities of vitamin D supplements, you should know that there is such a thing as having too much vitamin D in your system, and you may need to stop taking vitamin D supplements entirely if you are experiencing certain symptoms.
While rare, if you overdo your ingestion of vitamin D, you could be at risk for developing a condition known as hypervitaminosis D, according to experts at Medical News Today. Hypervitaminosis D will typically result from taking too many high-dose vitamin D supplements over a period of time. Too much vitamin D can cause calcium to build up in your bloodstream, which can adversely affect bones and tissue, and also potentially lead to high blood pressure and kidney damage.
Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity
According to Healthline, vitamin D toxicity occurs when your blood reaches an amount of 150 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter). Symptoms of excess calcium buildup from ingesting too much vitamin D can include stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue, extreme thirst, and frequent urination. Over time, more serious conditions such as kidney stones and heart damage can also develop if not monitored. "This is the major impact of acute vitamin D toxicity, and it may be occurring slowly in people taking high vitamin D for years," Paul Price, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Molecular Biology at University of California San Diego tells Insider.
If you think you are experiencing symptoms of hypervitaminosis D, your doctor can run a test to see if you have overly elevated calcium levels in your blood. If you are diagnosed with hypervitaminosis D and are taking vitamin D supplements, experts at the Mayo Clinic advise ceasing consumption of any and all vitamin D and calcium supplements, as well as any foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D.
If needed, your doctor may choose to prescribe certain medications to reduce the vitamin D toxicity in your body. But in most cases, going cold turkey on vitamin D supplements should give your body the chance to work its way through the excess calcium. Just be prepared to give your system anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to fully normalize.