Vitamin D Causes High Calcium

by Diane
(pa)

Since taking Vitamin D for several months at 2000 IU's once a day, my parathyroid hormone level has went up to 85 my doctor wants to increase yet totaling 3000 daily is this safe.



________________________________________

Hi Diane,

You don't say whether you already have high calcium levels or not. Vitamin D can bring down parathyroid hormone levels IF your calcium is not high.

IF your calcium level is high ANY your parathyroid hormone is high, then your doctor needs to refer you to an endocrinologist who specializes in parathyroid hormone disorder as the changes that you have a parathyroid tumor are extremely high.

So, take a look at this page on Parathyroid.com and see if your calcium levels and parathyroid hormone levels are suspicious to be a parathyroid tumor.

If yes, then you need to see an endocrinologist who SPECIALIZES in parathyroid tumors. If you already ARE seeing an endocrinologist, you need to get another one and get a second opinion about your parathyroid disorder.


If you calcium is normal, or normal to low, then your parathyroid hormone is elevated BECAUSE you have Vitamin D Deficiency. If that is the case, then your doctor is treating your vitamin d deficiency completely inappropriately and 3000 IU's is way too small of a dose to be doing anything.

Vitamin D DOES bring down parathyroid hormone levels IF there is no tumor or high calcium levels, but you must actually treat the deficiency. So, read the Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency to see what dosages he SHOULD be using. It SHOULD be at least double that IF you don't already have high calcium levels related to a parathyroid tumor.

Vitamin D does NOT increase calcium levels in doses that correct vitamin d deficiency. Vitamin d ONLY increases calcium levels when you Overdose on Vitamin D.


So, your doctor is doing one of two things wrong. He is either:

1) Attempting to inappropriately treat your low vitamin d levels and high parathyroid hormone levels with Vitamin D when you have an undiagnosed parathyroid tumor.

OR

2) He is treating your Vitamin D Levels with inappropriately low doses of Vitamin D.


So, take a look at parathyroid.com and see what they have to say about it, and if you have your Vitamin d and calcium levels handy, I can help you to decide what to do next.


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System

Comments for Vitamin D Causes High Calcium

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Hyperparathyroidism... primary or secondary?
by: Anonymous

So I've hyperparathyroidism. The doctor is convince it's secondary, not primary (with no proof either way, other than the fact that I'm under 30)

My calcium was high the first time they tested it.
My parathyroid hormone was slightly high when they tested it, but my calcium serum was normal at that time. (I know both levels go up and down with hyperparathyroidism, so I don't know how significant it is)
They've given me vitamin D.



Since I started taking the vitamin D, I've gotten a lot worse, not better. My few bone aches have spread to most bones, and are constant instead of intermittent. My knees/shoulders/elbows/etc creak almost everytime I move them (they never did this before). My headache is more or less constant, and I have a very floaty feeling. I also cry a LOT more easily than before (not an emotional person, until recently with this, but it's increased again since taking the vitamin D). I'm taking 2x 20000 units caps of colecalciferol each day. The symptoms increased noticibly shortly after taking the first capsule. By the second day, I've gotten this creaking. My memory and mental abilities are also severely impacted noticibly more since taking the vitamin D.

Is it going to get worse, before it gets better, is this normal, or have they misdiagnosed?
No Way that I can Know
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

So, there is no way that I can help you with determining whether your hyperparathyroidism is primary or secondary- only that you have high calcium and that nearly always means that you have a 'broken' calcium mechanism and that is not normally something that happens with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Please see Parathyroid.com

And the problem is that if you have high calcium, then that is a Vitamin D Contraindication. If your primary doctor is giving you vitamin d with high calcium, then you may want to consider talking to a PARATHYROID SPECIALIST and not just any old doctor who is not well versed in parathyroid problems.


The side effects that you are having are likely at least partially due to a relative magnesium deficiency. See my page on Magnesium and Vitamin D. I NEVER recommend taking vitamin d without magnesium due to that COMMON problem. And the bone pain is actually a quite common problem if your bones have become demineralized due to many years of low vitamin d.

But whether your symptoms ARE due to these things or because you have a parathyroid tumor and you are having a reaction to the vitamin d is anyone's guess and with such a violent reaction to the vitamin d, it would be really a great idea to see a Parathyroid Specialist and not rely on the advice of a primary doctor.



Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
Side Effects
Parathyroid tumor?
by: Anonymous

Hello, I recently had a high blood calcium, 10.8. So endocrinologist had me go for more blood work. This time it was 10.2 which is normal but pth was at 85. Vitamin d was a little low. He put me on 10,000 iu a day of vitamin d and is going to do a parathyroid scan and bloodwork again in a few months.

But since taking the vitamin d I feel absolutely horrible. And I just started a few days ago. Is this normal? Any advice is appreciated.

[Kerri's Answer: Go to and read parathyroid.com, as I state in the thread, and read why you probably shouldn't be taking Vitamin D until they know why you have high calcium and PTH].
Parathyroid tumor?
by: Anonymous

Thank you, I did read up on this and have since called the Dr back. His assistant said to stop the vitamin d, but said to take calcium with vitamin d. Considering my calcium is high this makes no sense to me. Is this normally how this should be treated?
parathyroid tumor, or not
by: Kerri Knox, The Immune Queen

I have no idea if that is the right treatment. Do you have a parathyroid tumor or not? Because if you do not, it may be the correct treatment. If you have a parathyroid tumor, as per parathyroid.com, then it's the wrong treatment.

So, you need to definitively find out if you have a parathyroid tumor or not, and that is not something that someone on the internet can help you to discover. But with high calcium levels, the chances that you have a parathyroid tumor are extraordinarily high. You need to find a parathyroid specialist, and not 'just' an endocrinologist. Did you read parathyroid.com as was suggested several times in the thread? They actually give you the answer to your question.
High calcium
by: Linda

I have had 3 blood tests since May. 1st test showed calcium level at 10.6. Second test showed calcium level at 11.2 (vitamin D level was 29). So the doctor ordered a third test, results over the phone: the nurse stated that the "calcium level was still high (no specific number given) but that my PTH level was 19, and my vitamin D was still low and the doctor will further instructions you on your next visit on August 31st".

A little history: I developed high blood pressure about 10 months ago and my cholesterol has escalated to 280 this past year. This past September (2016) I had a 11cm ovarian cystadomona removed with a total hysterectomy. Also I have signs of osteoarthritis and I'm taking Diclofenac Sodium 50mg for that. Now I'm dealing with this high calcium. The doctor has me on D-3 50. I have been taking the D-3 50 for three weeks and I am miserable!

I am having horrible stomach pains, I have bloating, gas, and constipation. The pain gets so intense that my chest hurts. I have decided to stop the Vitamin D-3 50 for now. My question is at this point should I just ask for a referral to an endocrinologist to follow up on why my calcium is high? I just feel like all that vitamin D was a bad idea and I don't know how I feel about that - kind of don't trust my doctor.
parathyroid.com
by: Kerri Knox, RN

Please read Parathyroid.com

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