I need plain Vitamin d and can't find it.

[mom2binsd]

My doctor called and said I need to take 800 iu of plain vitamin d based on some recent blood work....it,s impossible to find, five vitamin stores had none and the multivitamins only have 400 iu.

I even double checked and she doesn't want MW taking D3 which is everywhere.

My home computer is broken so I'm limited in my research skills. Also wondering if this deficiency will explain some easy bruising I've recently had.....

Any insight into why vitamin d is so hard to find.
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[hellokitty]

It's not difficult to find, any drug or grocery store should carry it. You want to buy vitamin D3. Why is he only prescribing a dose of 800iu? That is pretty low if you have a Vit D deficiency. What was your lab range?

[mikala]

Is it possible that it's a typo and you actually need 8000 iu? 800 seems like a low dose based on my experience and other threads. My Dr put me on at least 5000 iu daily when I was low.

Costco sells D in 2000 iu pills and I've seen it at target too. If you don't see it on the shelf I'd ask a pharmacist.

Eta: what is b3?

[TwinFoxes]

It's not difficult to find, any drug or grocery store should carry it. You want to buy vitamin D3. Why is he only prescribing a dose of 800iu? That is pretty low if you have a Vit D deficiency. What was your lab range?

:yeahthat: Mine was low, and my doctor prescribed vitamins for me, so they were covered by insurance. I know it was higher than 800 Also, it was one capsule, but you could always just take 2 if you can only find 400.

[BunnyBee]

I've never seen Vitamin D that was not D-3. Could something have gotten lost in translation with the phone messages?

[mom2binsd]

MY doctor is saying NOT to take D3, just vitamin D, which at 800iu is the dose I need. I KNOW that vitamin d 3 is widely available and the dose is much different than vitamin d.

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[mom2binsd]

Is it possible that it's a typo and you actually need 8000 iu? 800 seems like a low dose based on my experience and other threads. My Dr put me on at least 5000 iu daily when I was low.

Costco sells D in 2000 iu pills and I've seen it at target too. If you don't see it on the shelf I'd ask a pharmacist.

Eta: what is b3?

Sorry I meant D3, typing on a tablet

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[ett]

Are you looking for vitamin D2?

Like this one?
http://www.botanicchoice.com/Offers/UN/_DEFAULT/Home/Featured_Products/SUPER-SAVERS/Vitamin-D2-400-IU-90-tablets.axd?src=GOOGLESHOP1&gdftrk=gdfV22897_a_7c700_a_7c4456_a_7cC05V1TD&gclid=CMWdi4_D77oCFUYaOgodKigAxA#sthash.Xbv9dlIn.d pbs

I thought D3 was better than D2 so I'm wondering why your dr. told you not to take D3.

[mom2binsd]

I've actually talked to the nurse twice, and she specifically said regular D not D 3. I've only found D at 400 iu in a multivitamin but need the 800 iu of vitamin D and am not going to take two multivitamins to get it,......apparently these are two different types of vitamin with very different doses. I'm 46 and she ran some blood work looking at possible menopause, fatigue, thyroid etc.

Once I get my computer back I can try to find online.....like I said I've been to three vitamin stores, two pharmacy's.... Live in a small city, no whole foods or Costco here.

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[hellokitty]

That is odd that he said not to take D3. D2 is inferior to D3 regarding absorption. I'm starting to wonder if your doctors know anything about vitamin D...

[SnuggleBuggles]

Yeah, I asked my endo last month if I should go D or D3 and they said D3 bc it is absorbed much better. Eta- but check Kmart

[TwinFoxes]

Maybe ask if they can write a prescription, or at the very least maybe they can suggest a place to buy? If you are looking for online sources, not local sources, I will try to look for you. Computer problems suck.

ETA: I misread, I thought you were having a hard time finding D without other vitamins. There's really no "plain" vitamin D. There's D3 or D2, which is synthetic.
ETA2: Here's a link, I think it explains better than we are doing.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind

[Tondi G]

I buy my vitamin D at Trader Joes. I take between 4000 and 6000 iu daily. I was told that D3 is the way to go.

[Tondi G]

That is odd that he said not to take D3. D2 is inferior to D3 regarding absorption. I'm starting to wonder if your doctors know anything about vitamin D...

I was just reading an article about Vitamin D in milk and it said this

the kind that humans and animals are able to assimilate from exposure to the sun, vitamin D3, isn’t at all the same as the manufactured D they dump into skim milk — synthetic vitamin D2. A study referenced by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that synthetic vitamin D2 “should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods,” because of how basically worthless it is to your body.

[MamaSnoo]

I wonder if the nurse or your doc are mixing up D3 with calciTRIol (I added the caps for emphasis). They are different. Most people with vitamin D deficiency just need to take D3 AKA cholecalciferol (which really is "plain vit D"), as opposed to calcitriol which is a prescription form of activated vitamin D. Some people take D2 AKA ergocalciferol instead of D3, which is also "plain vit D," but some think that D3 is better, as mentioned by PPs. Calcitriol is usually given to people with rare disorders of bone metabolism or other relatively uncommon problems with calcium or vitamin D processing, not just for a regular deficiency in D.

[mom2binsd]

I called again and explained the issue, doctor said d3 would be fine, I did some research and found that d3 is best absorbed with vitamin k and have a great liquid form that should do what I need. Thanks for all the input and information Everyone!

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[AnnieW625]

Somehow I am just seeing this now.

In October, 2011 when I first dx. as being defficient in vitamin d I had to take 12 weeks (1 tab. per week) of Vitamin D2 and each 1 tab per week had 50,000iu of Vitamin D. It was only available by prescription.

I started taking 6,000 or 8,000 iu of Carlson's Vitamin D3 (not the solar gems) tabs and they work great. I take 3 or 4 2000 iu tabs per day. I did try the Costco brand Vitamin D3 and I didn't find it as effective as the Carlson's so I switched back.

In January, 2013 so just over a year after I finished my 12 weeks the doctor said all of my tests were normal and I was no longer deficient.