Vitamin D Overdose and Peripheral Neuropathy

by Kelly
(SW Washington)

I started taking VitD liquid in May. It is now August and my peripheral neuropathy is extremely debilitating. I just got my blood test result back 119 ng/ml and I'm told to stop my supplements as I have a extremely high level of vitamin D in my blood.


My calcium level is also high 9.4 mg/dl. If I just stop the vit d supplements how soon will my symptoms begin to reverse. My symptoms are the peripheral neuropathy, constipation, lack of energy, loss of appetite, feel nauseous, and I can't think right.

Thank you.

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You Have Not Overdosed...
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Kelly,

Your doctors are giving you a load of bull and do not know what they are talking about. You have NOT overdosed!!! I repeat, you have NOT overdosed on Vitamin D.

There are two reasons that I know this:

* First, there have been NO OVERDOSES at a level of 119 ng/ml. While it is 'above normal', it is not at overdose levels.

* Second: You do NOT have a high calcium level and that is the DEFINITION of a vitamin d overdose!! Your calcium is perfectly normal right smack dab in the middle range. Who told you that your calcium level is high?? And if you are looking at your lab sheet, what is the 'range' that it gives you for your calcium.


Next, can you tell me what your symptoms were and how you felt BEFORE you started taking the vitamin d? For all I know, even though you are feeling terrible right now, you could be feeling MUCH better than you did BEFORE you started taking the vitamin D!!

Next, vitamin d depletes magnesium. If you read on the Magnesium and Vitamin D page, you 'use up' magnesium when you take vitamin d and so some of your symptoms (particularly the constipation) are likely due to magnesium deficiency.

So, please respond letting me know what the range is on your lab test for calcium and what your symptoms were before you started. And YES, you should stop taking vitamin d or getting sun until your levels come down- but you are likely JUST having side effects and not an overdose.


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
Vit D/Magnesium/calcuim/high glucose
by: Kelly

My Drs. haven't officially diagnosed me; the way I'm feeling - it sure feels like an overdose. To try to answer your questions, my calcium range on my lab result is 8.4-10.2 and I'm at 9.4 right in the middle like you say.

I started taking Vit D along with a whole slew of other multivitamins and minearls, adrenalin support and Cardio Mag-Lo-Plex which is magnesium with hawthorn and coenzyme q10. This was in May, before that I was feeling terrible, tired all the time, tendinitis in my shoulder and arm. He actually didn't start me on the magnesium until June and I've been taking 2 2x a day with meals. I've been suffering from tendonitis for a few years now - only recently has the pain subsided to 0.

Do you think this has any thing to do with the numbness/tingling sometimes pain I feel from the waist down which just started gradually about a month ago. Started in my feet and has now progressed up my body? I have been diaganosed with high blood glucose and I have chronic kidney disease from taking anti-inflammatories (for the pain from my tendinitis)now can only take Tylonal which will do in my liver if I take too many. So I don't take that either.
Overdose on Magnesium...
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Kelly,

So, your calcium is normal, that means that you did NOT overdose on vitamin d. A high calcium level with high vitamin d levels is the DEFINITION of an overdose!!

You 'just' have a higher than normal level and that may or may not be causing your symptoms. From what most vitamin d researchers believe, you need a level of 200 or higher to have an overdose. And some conditions they LIKE to keep it right about 100 ng/ml.

From what you are describing, it doesn't sound like you feel much different except for the neuropathy and the consequences of high blood glucose and kidney disease can BOTH make you feel like crap. I know of very few people with chronic kidney disease who feel well.

There are MANY causes for neuropathy, but high doses of vitamin d usually does not cause that, but high GLUCOSE can. I also outline more Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy on this page.

When you say that you have high glucose, what are you DOING about that? You MUST get that taken care of as that can make you feel terrible and is horrible for your body.

Also, when you say that you have chronic kidney disease that worries me VERY much with you taking magnesium. You may have overdosed on magnesium and should get a magnesium level from your doctor ASAP!!

If you have kidney disease, you CANNOT FOLLOW MY MAGNESIUM DOSAGE PAGE!!! You MUST have explicit instructions from your nephrologist on how much magnesium to take.

In fact, with kidney disease, I'm afraid that I really can't help you with nutritional supplements, etc. Everything that you take MUST go through your nephrologist. Sorry, but kidney disease is a VERY special case that you need to talk to your nephrologist about anything and everything that you take and you should be getting EXTREMELY frequent blood tests. You could have any number of electrolyte or phosphate imbalances that are making you feel terrible.

Please talk to your doctor about these problems immediately....


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
What is happening? Too high dose?
by: Anonymous

Hi, for four years I have had shin pain, more recently I also had rib pain. I had various inconclusive tests then my doctor tested for vit d which came back at 32. She told me to take 1000iu of vitamin d per day and get as much sun as poss. I took the dose and sat in the sun all day every day for as long as there was sun. I then went back to see her as the pains seemed to be worse. She re-tested my levels and they came back at 28. So I dont understand how they went down even though I was taking supplements and sitting all day in the sun. So I am now taking 40,000 d3 per week, the first 2 weeks nothing eventful happened other than a headache, but after taking the third weekly dose my bone pains increased dramatically, my palpitations are much worse and more frequent and whenever I have a drink I need to urinate within 10 mins and am thirsty all the time. I also feel really weak and tired. I asked my doctor and she said vitamin d shouldnt do that so told me to keep on with the dosage but I am very nervous about it now. Does it seem that the amount I have been given is too high? thanks for any info.
Please read my site
by: Kerri Knox, Registered Nurse

Please read my site, I've answered all of these questions many many times. Please read the pages on:

Vitamin D Therapy- 50,000 IU's a week is the 'standard' dose. And no, it does not surprise me that taking 1000 IU's a day made your levels drop. It's not an adequate dose, even for a toddler. And 'sitting in the sun' means zero unless it's midday summer sun below 37 degrees latitude, you have light skin, didn't wear sunscreen, actually exposed your skin and didn't cover up, didn't shower before or after, get enough fat to convert the vitamin d and are magnesium and Vitamin K sufficient- which you are almost certainly not for reasons you'll see if you read the next link below.

and

Magnesium and Vitamin D to see what all of the other problems are about.

and

Vitamin D and Pain- about why vitamin d relieves pain, and can also cause it to be temporarily worse.


Kerri Knox, Registered Nurse

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