Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?
It's Harder Than You Think

Yes, you CAN Overdose on Vitamin D, but the risk of too LITTLE is more than your risk of getting too much Vitamin D!

Doctors seem to have a fear of recommending ANY amount Vitamin D for fear of causing Vitamin D toxicity.

But while an overdose on Vitamin D IS a reality, it is a rare phenomenon to have a Vitamin D overdose. Interestingly, it seems like EVERYONE is always concerned about taking too much Vitamin D- while almost no one is aware of or even slightly concerned about an:

Overdose on Selenium

or

Overdose on Magnesium

However, selenium toxicity is MUCH more common that Overdose on Vitamin D. And while Selenium Overdose can occur in nature- an overdose on Vitamin D NEVER occurs with naturally occurring vitamin d in Vitamin D Foods or Vitamin D From Sunlight.

Who is at risk to overdose on Vitamin D?

• Children whose parents accidentally give them massive doses of vitamin d

• Elderly people incorrectly taking massive vitamin d dosages

• Adults who take more than 10,000 IU's per day for long periods of time.

• 'Industrial Accidents' where massive quantities of vitamin d are put into fortified foods in error

These categories comprise nearly all people who have had Vitamin D overdose symptoms.

Tolerable Upper Limit of Vitamin D

Currently, the Tolerable Upper Limit is Vitamin D 2000 IU per day. Vitamin D research shows that this 'upper limit' of Vitamin D 2000 IU per day SHOULD be the Recommended Daily Allowance - NOT the Tolerable Upper Limit.

The researchers state that the tolerable upper limit of 2000 IU's is great for children, but that it has no basis in any science for an upper level for adults as the levels required for Symptoms of Vitamin D overdose are at least 5 times that much

In fact, Vitamin D Scientists have come together with this 'Call to Action' letter to induce the North American governments to make the use of Vitamin D 2000 IU as the baseline minimum requirement for all healthy adults.

"The conclusion was that the UL (safe upper limit) for vitamin D consumption by adults should be 10,000 IU/d.

This indicates that the margin of safety for vitamin D consumption for adults is (more than) 10 times any current recommended intakes."

-Vieth et al, 'The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective'

Other studies agree that current guidelines are not based in fact. The Research Article The Pharmacology of Vitamin D, Including Fortification Strategiesstates that there is "no evidence of adverse effects from taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin D a day".

They go on to state, "...cases of vitamin D toxicity with hypercalcemia, for which the 25(OH)D concentration and vitamin D dose are known, all involve intake of (greater than or equal to) 40,000 IU/d."

That's Forty Thousand IU's per day to produce an Overdose on Vitamin D! That's NOT what doctors and governments are telling us, so doctors give us inadequate amounts of Vitamin D in order to prevent a nearly fictitious possibility of overdose on Vitamin D!

Another study gave pregnant women 100,000 IU's per day for the entire length of their pregnancy. The study concluded,"Thus, there is no evidence in humans that even a 100,000 IU/d dose of vitamin D for extended periods during pregnancy results in any harmful effects."

In another study entitled, 'Vitamin D toxicity, policy, and science' the author states,

What are the Vitamin D overdose Symptoms

But those Vitamin D overdose symptoms that might make you seek medical attention if you are taking large amounts of Vitamin D Supplements are:

• abdominal cramps

• nausea

• frequent urination

• weakness

• nervousness

• itching

• and eventually kidney failure

If you have any of these Vitamin D overdose symptoms, be sure to seek medical attention immediately, don't take any more Vitamin D or calcium supplements and stay out of sunlight. Always tell your doctor that you have been taking Vitamin D and how much.

Your doctor should check your Vitamin D Level and Calcium Level. The presence of hypercalcemia is really the only useful test for overdose on Vitamin D as there is a wide variation in how people tolerate upper level limits of the Vitamin D blood test. If you have high calcium levels already, that is one of the few Vitamin D Contraindications and you must NOT take vitamin d supplements until you are specifically told to by your doctor.

How Much Does it Take to
Overdose on Vitamin D

While high blood calcium levels are useful to determine an overdose on vitamin d, it really takes an AMAZINGLY large amount to cause a Vitamin D Overdose. In fact, in East Germany between the 1940's and 1960's, children would ROUTINELY get 6 doses of 600,000 IU's of Vitamin D between birth and 18 months old.

A study called Intermittant High Dose Vitamin D During Infancy questioning this practice's safety noted that, while many of the children developed transient high levels of blood calcium levels, "...all the infants appeared healthy and repeated inquiries... have failed to identify clinical vitamin d toxicity as a result of the prophalactic program...".

Also, it is a common practice for doctors around the world to use a therapy for rickets in infants and children a Vitamin D Therapy called 'Stosstherapy' which gives these children with rickets a one-time Vitamin D Injection of 600,000 IU's.

Again, Vitamin D toxicity and Vitamin D overdose symptoms are Extremely rare- so in the vast majority of cases, if you are taking Vitamin D Supplements, even accidentally taking a full bottle all at once will not cause Vitamin D Toxicity. However, since a Vitamin D Overdose CAN occur, always stick with recommended dosages and Get your Vitamin D Level Checked in order to get your levels up to the 'optimal' Vitamin D Level as recommended by the latest research.

Can you get too much Vitamin D from the sun?

The body seems to have a feedback mechanism that prevents too much Vitamin D from being made through the skin even though one exposure can give you the equivalent of up to 20,000 IU's for one single whole body exposure!

"Worrying about vitamin D toxicity
is like worrying about drowning
when you're dying of thirst."
-Dr. John Cannell, Vitamin D Researcher

We were designed to get our Vitamin D from the sun. But other concerns about getting excessive sun should concern you enough to keep exposure to the sun at moderate levels.

So while there absolutely IS a chance of overdose on Vitamin D when you take Vitamin D supplements, it is slim if you take doses as recommended by current Vitamin D research as outlined in the Vitamin D requirements page and get yearly, or more frequent, Vitamin D Level Checks. Can't we just avoid supplements and get our Vitamin D through Vitamin D Foods... unless you just LOVE sardines or have a fetish for reindeer meat, you just shouldn't even try...

Vitamin D Resources

Free Vitamin D Lecture- don't miss this lecture by Dr. Mercola that busts the myths about sunlight and how much vitamin d that you need.

5000 IU Vitamin D 3 Supplements- Vitamin D3 is really the ONLY vitamin d that you should be taking. Get Vitamin D 3 in a clinically relevant dose for adults

Vitamin D in a Spray!- This Vitamin D3 is GREAT for kids. Just a spray a day is all it takes.

Vitamin D3 and Solar Power Book- Take a look at this EYE OPENING book. This fascinating account of the health benefits of Vitamin D will keep you turning pages far into the night!

Click below to see already answered questions about Vitamin D overdose and toxicity

The Research from Overdose on Vitamin D

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The Pharmacology of Vitamin D, Including Fortification Strategies

'The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective'

'Vitamin D toxicity, policy, and science'

The Mechanisms of Vitamin D Toxicity

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