I think you misunderstood or I didn't make myself clear enough. I never said that higher doses of Vitamin D causes liver problems. I just said that I'm not crazy about you taking higher doses of Vitamin D through a 56 year old liver.

I am also erring on the side of caution because you didn't mention if you are taking other medicines. Since you didn't mention any, I can't automatically assume that you aren't. Hydrochlorothiazide is a popular diuretic that can cause calcium levels to rise to dangerous levels with high vitamin D levels.

There is a difference between toxicity and too much. I have seen the fad supplementation recommendation of the AMA over the years. Remember the vitamin E supplementation era? How about the vitamin A supplement craze? Each time it was endorsed by the AMA and each time it was rescinded after a few years when the community started to see problems.

A multivitamin has what... 600IU of Vitamin D? that is the RDA, as antiquated as those numbers are. I am naturally suspicious of supplements that are 10x the usual dose. The Endocrine Society recommends 2,000 IU daily.

Genetics and body weight must also be taken into account. I'm figuring a biker might be leaner than the general population, so again, I erred on the side of caution. I am just trying to get you to a good level the safest way possible. Again, I am skeptical about the recommendations due to the aforementioned issues with other fat soluble vitamins (A and E).

I follow these guidelines and the errors that the medical community puts out there as truth... I have been a pharmacist for 30 years and have watched the retractions for other supplements by the medical community over the decades. I also know human nature, which is to correct something quickly rather than gently correcting something over time. In other words, it took a while to bring about this mild deficiency, one would think that it would take a while to correct. Other deficiencies like iron deficiency takes a while to correct.

I can't cite you specific peer-reviewed medical literature but there is some intuition involved here. I'm not saying that 5,000IU causes liver or kidney problems, but not knowing your full medical history or your genetics presents a problem. I'm inclined to go slow since there is no time pressure and you only have one liver.


MinnMan. Your regular 2,000IU supplements is a good course. I am concerned with 5,000IU in a 56 year old with no time frame. Your high mega doses were under strict doctors orders and had a limited timeframe. Your 2,000IU dose is reasonable now. I've spoken with many doctors who feel that 5,000IU is too much especially when there is no imminent danger to extending the therapy a bit.